The Kabuki Dancer

Kabuki Dancer, Britannica Image.

Kabuki is a non-Western traditional style of dancing used in Japanese theater. This classical dance was esthetically originated for men to perform “the Japanese word for a kabuki performer who specializes in female roles is onnagata, or woman person” . A form of entertainment that started at the bottom of the social structure, worked up, into the grand bugaku of the Imperial Court. The perfect image of gestures and voice articulation to women requires formal training to become a master performer. The style of movement takes a different study than the traditional western style of dancing. The tasks of walking with a sheet of paper between the knees, and not letting it slip down are used in the practice of mastering the perfect walk. Since Japanese men are shorter in stature, I believe it may be easier to hide the gender of a dancer behind makeup.

I selected a video of a Kabuki dancer, telling a story in the scene of a winter snowfall of blue nightlight. At the introduction, hiding behind an umbrella, the dancer appears with her hair neatly pulled up, draped in a red, decorated kimono. Returning behind the umbrella, she makes a quick change, loosening her hair down, and dresses in a white, kimono with long sleeves. She is draped in three layers of clothing, a black yukata with a red backing, a soft pink kimono is worn under a long sleeve kimono that is knee length.

Immediately, you hear the sound of beating sticks, men chanting, and a plucking chord rhythm from the string family. The article by Hornby states “The odd, chanting style of speaking, is not a ritual, but simply reflects the early Kabuki players having performed in noisy marketplaces and needed to hear themselves perform” (Hornby, R. Academic Journal Article. The Hudson Review). The movement starts with slow flowing hand gestures comparable to the intro of The Sugar Plum Fairy. Descending to her knees the dancer prepares to complete a small forward bow into a graceful backward hinge bend. The movement receives a large applause signifying the introduction in the same way as the classical performance. Slowly, arising forward out of the position, the dancer gracefully rolls her arms forward and rises to stand, making small stuttering movements. The dance begins as she walks making a circle around herself, taking a few steps to stage left, ending in a pose. The choreography is perfectly matched for the abrupt, jerkiness of the rhythmic chords. Takings a few side steps to the right, she embraces a gentle opening of the arms while leaning her head in both directions. Moving into a curtsey that contracts forward reveals her hands as the left arm reaches forward. The combination of moves has a style of modern technique in the waist and carriage of the arms into a circular release move.

A heaviness seems to appear as she reached toward her heart stumbling backward against the bellowing sound. Moving into a slow backward arch roll with the left arm held high. The hands are specifically revealed and hidden at times by the long sleeves of the kimono’s long sleeves. Moving in a staggered movement she takes a back fall into a side slide out on the floor. Starting a movement of bowing, opening gestures of the arms, into scurrying forward of twisting and turning arm moves, finishing in a kneeled pose. 

This next section starts with the back arch that the audience seems to enjoy. Parallel to the traditional ballet Dance of the Sugar Plum, the Kabuki dancer goes into a delight of twists and turns with the plucking string chord. The exchange of opening and closing the arms while spinning, send the body into a gentle kneel pose. From the backward bend, she gracefully arises into a dizzy spur of bowing, spinning around, to a double stumble to the knees. At the loud sound of the temple bells ring, and a man singing is followed by shouting chords. The climax of the music begins with the plucking string, while the flute brings the dancer to a final kneel pose returning into the dramatic backward bend. She quickly stands and flutters around, spinning around and around with butterfly arm gestures to receive approval from the audience. As she stops, the music dissolves into the sound of a man into the whistle sound and plucking chords as she slowly falls sideways to the floor. Having the right arm reaching outward, she drops her arm, ending face down in the finale. The black curtain closes downward as the audience applauds.

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Kabuki Dance appear to have similarity in the scene of winter and in the white colored costume. Also, the snowflakes stop falling as both dancers reach the end of the dance. Differences in the dances, include the classical ballet being cheerful and full of technical turns, leg lifts, and dancing en pointe. The Kabuki dance appears unhappy and is danced low to the ground, never extending the legs off the ground. 

Since the study of language varies from western and non-western it is difficult to decipher what the Japanese dance is communicating without understanding the linguistics. I found the Kabuki style required more patience to comprehend. In classical ballet, the sexes usually remain specific to the same-sex characters they portray. However, men dressing in drag, imitating women is also common in other cultures in entertainment.

Dils, A. & Albright, A. C. Moving History/Dancing Cultures. Wesleyan University Press. (2001).

Hornby, R. Kabuki Goes Hollywood. The Hudson Review. Academic Journal Article. 2008. https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P3-1597331281/kabuki-goes-hollywood

Ibqopdi. Kabuki Dance. Bando Tamasburo. Yamanba. YouTube. Dec. 21, 2011. https://youtu.be/4JjLuh4Ns7s

Jonas, G. 1935-. Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement.New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with Thirteen/WNET, 1992.