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To dance in traditional Japanese style, you've got to have koshi. Traditional Bando
dance a balance
of body and soul
By Cynthia Oi
Star-BulletinSo says Joyce Araki, known in the world of Bando-style dance as Bando Mitsumasa II, who has been teaching the art form for 45 years.
Koshi is mental and physical, said Araki.
"Koshi controls your body, your core. It is physical, but you must balance inside." She compares it to the concentration developed in those who practice martial arts such as tai chi. "When you have koshi, your movement becomes light."
Araki's dance tradition is a family affair. Her mother was Bando Mitsumasa I; her daughter, Estelle, also teaches under the name Bando Michiye II. The names are significant in that they are only passed on from master to student after vigorous training.
Araki's mother was first known as Bando Michiye, so it is significant that her daughter has earned that name in the progression of the dance culture from one generation to the next, she said.
Bando was started by a Kabuki master who wanted to allow women to participate in an art form that banned them. The musical pieces are taken from Kabuki plays and are performed with elaborate costumes and stage settings.
Araki has performed since she was 4 years old. She also has studied Tokiwazu music and carries the title Kishizawa Shikiemi in that school. She has danced for Japanese royalty as well as community groups and programs for the elderly.
She counts many senior citizens among her students.
"My oldest is 86, my youngest is 5," she said. Older people come to classes to renew or learn something of their culture. "Now they are retired, they have time to learn," she said.
Araki is concerned that the art form she loves will be lost as young people move away from their cultural roots. So she is putting on a free concert Saturday, complete with live music performed by six artists from the Tokiwazu Music Group of Tokyo.
One highlight of the concert will be on-stage costume changes to show the audience how quickly dancers can be transformed from one character to another.
Araki is proud that 12 of her students will perform Saturday. Learning the discipline takes many years, she said, but they all have koshi.
"And if you can do this dance, you can do any contemporary dance," she said.
Bando dance
What: Kabuki dance concert
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