As the story goes, a few thousand years ago a disciple, worried that his mother was suffering after passing away, asked Buddha what he might do to ease her pain. Not much, the faithful man was advised, because she had already passed. But for the living, he could get some food and gather some people, and dance and share the joy of living and the teachings of the Buddha.
From that celebration, the Japanese Obon dance evolved. Donna Noguchi, 46, an Aurora pension administrator and second-generation member of the Minyo Kai Dancers, describes the dance performed in Denver every year during the TriState/Denver Buddhist Temple Cherry Blossom Festival, as an annual “gathering of joy.” She described what visitors may see if they go to the dance and promised that anyone who wants to join in will be able to follow along. – Dana Coffield, Denver Post staff writer
Is this for Buddhists only? We do this every year, and it’s turned into a community thing where when we have the practices, we see a lot of non-Buddhists coming in.
So anyone can join in? Everyone is welcome to come and sit and watch. If they feel inclined, they can jump in and start dancing, as well.
Are all the dances slow and meditative? We have some fast songs and some slower songs. All of these dances we have learned, they are for the most part the same that have been handed down from hundreds of years ago. They come from different provinces of Japan, so we always give a little description, like “this is from a place known for azaleas, and it is in celebration of the blossoms.”
So all the dances are very traditional? We do have a couple of newer dances. One originated several years ago in Brazil, and it has a Samba tone to it. It’s one of the favorites. And it’s kind of cool because people might not realize there is a large Japanese population in Brazil.
Someone has described this as being like line dancing but in circles. It’s very repetitive, like line dancing, and you do the same moves over and over and over.
Is it tough to figure out? We have some that are very easy. One dance that most can do is called Tanko Bushi. We call it the coal miners dance because you can see mining in the moves – digging and throwing things over the shoulder and pushing. There are some that are a little more complicated, but on the whole it’s not that bad.
What if you mess up? It’s not necessarily about how you look but how you feel when you’re doing it. Nobody ever says “OH MY GOD. Look at them!” It’s just nice that people try.
BEHIND THE DANCES
You can plunge right in when the Obon dance begins at 7 p.m. Saturday (look to the center of the concentric circles and follow along with the expert Minyo Kai dancers.) But if you’d like to get a handle on the 11 dances before you go, attend an informal practice – open to all – 7-9 p.m. today and Monday in the gym at the Tri-State/ Denver Buddhist Temple, 1947 Lawrence St., Denver.
For details about the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, celebrating Japanese culture with art, performance and food, visit tsdbt.org/cherryblossom. The event begins at 11 a.m. Saturday and June 24, on Lawrence Street, between 19th and 20th streets in downtown Denver.
