As I may or may not have mentioned to various folks, I joined Awa Odori!

More specifically, I joined a ren, Kabuki ren, and practice three nights a week in the park. It’s freaky to think that Awa Odori is only a month and a week away.

For your enjoyment, here are some nice A.O. clips:
This clip is a short street dancing clip from Tokushima. Whee!!

This one is longer, and much more interesting. It’s from the Awa Odori Kaikan (cultural center) in Tokushima, and in it you can
a. hear the music better
b. see men’s dancing!

I’ll be doing the women’s dance (onna odori), as seen at the beginning, and around the 5 minute mark. But man, I want to do the men’s dance! It looks so cool!! The leaders showed me how to do the steps last Saturday, and man, it’s HARD. It takes a lot of leg strength (whereas the women’s takes arm strength, and the ability to keep going despite having your ribs all wrapped up in a kimono).

As the second video progresses, you hear more and more of the music. Now you can finally understand what I’m talking about. This is what I hear every weeknight between the hours of 7:30 and 9, except it is being played by at least 4 different groups at the same time 200 yards from my door, and is bouncing and echoing off the buildings. It’s fast and furious and powerful music, but man, once at flute tune is in your head, it NEVER GOES AWAY. EVER.

Related to all this; today I bought all the gubbins I’ll need for my kimono.

Tada!
These are all the bits and bobs to tie my kimono on, keep the ends clipped, fill out the obi, secure the obi, soak up the inevitable sweat, etc etc.

So, that’s all for now. Lucky Waving Cat says Goodbye!!

Nyah!