about nihon buyou

Nihon Buyou
Nihon buyou is a generic term used to refer to traditional Japanese dance forms. The earliest mention of Japanese dance is in the Kojiki. Best-known are the kabuki dances which use elements from the kabuki stage, although the kamigata dances which developed in the 19th century Kyouto-Oosaka area and is patterned after nou (noh) dance is also an important tradition. Both are performed to shamisen-centered accompaniment, the kabuki dancing retaining the stage's vigorous movements and the kamigata dance showing powerful restraint and taking place in a small area.
Nihon buyou differs conspicuously from ballet and other Western dance forms in that, while ballet dancers wear toeshoes to dance and perform leaps, Nihon buyou performers tend to move in shuffling motions. Among the many Nihon buyou schools existing today under the traditional iemoto system of master-led schools are the Nishikawa, Fujima, Inoue, and (most popular) Hanayagi schools. As with flower arrangement and the tea ceremony, most Nihon buyou students are women.