Kabuki Dance

Celebrate cherry blossoms and spring at Japan Society! Encounter the elegant and refined art form of nihon buyo, traditional Japanese dance, led by master dancer Bando Kotoji to the accompaniment of live music. From his vast repertoire, Bando Kotoji has selected four vibrant dances for this Kabuki Dance program, including the celebratory Sanbaso dance; the sorrowful Cho no Michiyuki dance (The Last Journey of Two Butterflies), about two lovers who meet as butterflies in the afterworld, the dramatic dance Tamatori Ama (The Pearl Diver) about a woman in search of a stolen treasure; and Yoshino-yama (Yoshino Mountain), an excerpt from the famous kabuki play Yoshitsune Senbon-zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees), whose story is set on the mountain famous for its magnificent cherry blossoms. In conjunction with the Kabuki Dance program, Bando Kotoji will lead a Kabuki Dance workshop on Saturday, March 31 from 10:15 am – 12:15 pm.