(Tokyo Izena Folk Theater)
The Tokyo Izena Folk Theater is a unique professional dance company dedicated to introducing the culture and tradition of the Amami islands and the Ryukyu (Okinawa) Islands.
The Tokyo Izena Folk Theater was founded by a Ryukyu dance master, Konomi Haraguchi, in 1988, and has a mission of introducing the culture and tradition of the Amami islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. The purpose of the Tokyo Izena Folk Theater is to enlighten people about the diverse cultures in a country even as small as Japan with both traditional and creative dances and folk music from the islands, the folk theater has been successful in encouraging people to think about their own roots and identities as Japanese.
The Dances:
1. Tsuki no Kanasha: A folk dance admiring a beautiful full moon night. The dance is the story of a woman who goes to see her lover by pretending to pick flowers in the full moon night.
2. Mirukumunari: A humorous dance. Village people pray for gratitude for a successful harvest with offerings. Young men make “Sake” with the left over rice and enjoy the fruits of the harvest.
3. Yakko Odori: A local performing arts which exists in Okonoerabu-jima. It is said that this island is the northernmost point of the characteristic musical scales of the Okinawa Islands (the Ryukyu Kingdom).
4. Eisah: A taiko (drum) dance for a big annual event of the Okinawa Islands. Eisah is a ceremonial event for the repose of ancestors’ souls. People pray for good health and gratitude for a successful harvest.
5. Waido Bushi: This dance expresses the excitement of village people in Tokunoshima who are watching a excite a bullfight between wild bulls.
6. Uta (Island's song): This original dance is based on a million selling song by a group from Okinawa, The Boom. This song became popular not only in Japan, but all over Asia since this was one of the theme songs of the 2002 World Cup Soccer Games in Japan and Korea.
"Dear island song, fly across the ocean with the birds and the wind." "Dear island song, carry my love with the wind."
7. Rokucho: A closing dance with rhythms suggesting folk rock’n roll, very popular at festivals and events in general in the Amami Islands.
