National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima Jun 19, 2020
Traditional Hiroshima Shinto dance in peril due to coronavirus
Orders from local kagura communities — themselves grappling with the economic fallout of the pandemic — have stopped coming in.
Stage Feb 28, 2020
Deconstructing the avant-garde art of butoh with Taketeru Kudo
by James Hadfield
As Taketeru Kudo takes a new approach to butoh, the dancer says the art is gaining a strong following overseas.
Stage Feb 13, 2020
Japanese students take idol worship to a whole new level
by Marco Christian
Take a look at the world of Unidol, in which teams of Japanese university students emulate the moves of pop groups in a battle to be the greatest idol copy dance club.
General Dec 10, 2019
Nanako Aramaki, the only professional flamenco dancer from Japan performing in London, has been winning hearts with her brilliant dance steps on stage while also working as an employee of a telecommunications-related company. One recent Sunday evening, the 36-year-old started dancing to a festive Sevillana ...
World / Social Issues Nov 22, 2019
From love songs to dance tunes to lullabies, music made in disparate cultures worldwide displays certain universal patterns, according to a study by researchers who suggest a commonality in the way human minds create music. The study, published on Thursday, focused on musical recordings and ...
Stage Oct 22, 2019
Kuroneko Burlesque: The dancers keeping Kyoto's risque side alive
by J.J. O'Donoghue
The burlesque troupe has been staging shows in an around Kyoto, and will soon begin a short residency at a new theater in the city
Stage Sep 19, 2019
by Chisato Tanaka
Hip-hop dancer Reina has dispensed with school in favor of dedicating her life to her art, and regularly travels across Asia to deliver dance classes and workshops
National Aug 11, 2019
Japanese Bon dance picking up popular tunes as it goes international
The Bon Odori dance, once a community event and a midsummer ritual for consoling ancestors' spirits, has evolved drastically in recent years, picking up popular disco and anime tunes and attracting people regardless of their age or nationality. "Let's take Bon dance to the world!" ...
Music Jul 25, 2019
The Chemical Brothers: A formula for success and a love of Fuji Rock
by Shaun Curran
Earlier this year The Chemical Brothers were asked to pick out pivotal locations in the dance duo's remarkable near 30-year career. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons chose the places with the most emotional resonance: the Manchester address where the pair lived together as they cut ...
Stage May 23, 2019
Dancer Kaiji Moriyama celebrates ninja in his latest work
by Kris Kosaka
A creative yet shy child fascinated with origami and crafts, Kaiji Moriyama discovered dance late, at the age of 21 while a university student. He has certainly made up for the lost time, though. Just seven years since first studying the art form, ...
Music | Heisei Icons Apr 11, 2019
Tetsuya Komuro: J-pop inventor's synth-powered dance tunes set the tone for post-bubble Japan
by Patrick St. Michel
The term J-pop, a Heisei invention, needed a defining characteristic to make it stand out from the Showa Era's soundtrack, and Komuro provided a synthesizer-powered foundation.
Stage Mar 6, 2019
Creating opportunities for 'inclusive dance' with Stopgap Dance Company
by Nobuko Tanaka
"I believe people with almost any kind of physique can do contemporary dance. Yet though there are many courses for able-bodied people, there is almost nothing for people with disabilities," says Sho Shibata, executive producer of U.K.-based Stopgap Dance Company. Stopgap's debut Japan tour with ...