Troupe modernizes traditional zenidaiko

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Don't let the yukata and kabuki makeup fool you. The Miyasaka-ryu Tsuyama's version of the dance zenidaiko, with modern movements and a quick-paced rhythmic beat, is a far cry from Japanese folk dances. Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii Zenidaiko dance Miyasaka-ryu Tsuyama Zenidaiko Preservation Society performance 6:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, Manoa Grand Ballroom, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 2454 S. Beretania St. $15; Call 945-7633 or 627-1647. Parking is $2 at the center; bentos will be sold at the event for $7.

Think of traditional Japanese dance — then crumple up the image and throw it away. Because zenidaiko is nothing you've ever seen before.

A twisted blend of folk and modern dance, zenidaiko is a rhythmic collage of costumes and colors, moving to percussion patterns that are anything but traditional.

More than 100 members of the Miyasaka-ryu Tsuyama Zenidaiko Preservation Society, headed by grand master Shinji Miyasaka, perform tonight and tomorrow at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. The troupe's first show in the Islands is a benefit for the center.

"It's just very exciting for the cultural center to have something like this," said center president Susan Kodani. "We're grateful that they want to do it for us. They believe that the center, being an educational center, needs to show what's going on in Japan."

Miyasaka-ryu is no stranger to the dance scene in Japan. Featured on several popular TV shows and competitions, the troupe also has earned many awards and honors, including the Nihon Minyo Dance competition grand championship.

A Japanese version of STOMP!, the dance company has modernized traditional zenidaiko to incorporate contemporary sounds and acrobatics while maintaining the movements of classical and kabuki dance. It's a pairing of old and new: Synthesizers in traditional minyo (folk) songs and contemporary costumes contrast with kabuki faces.

"It's such an interesting, modern, very professional show," Kodani said. "It's not what people may think of a Japanese kind of dance."

The performers use zenidaiko, which are long, hollow tubes, typically made of bamboo, with perforated coins inside. In the zenidaiko odori (dance), the performer holds one of these instruments in each hand and shakes or hits them together, creating a distinct sound that compliments both the choreography and the music. They also incorporate the colorful kasa (umbrella), turning the performance into a visual spectacle.

Said Kodani: "It's very fast, and the dancers are very precise."