During the past years oriental dancing got more and more to the forefront of public interest. The media coverage as well as the growing number of shows and means for studying this dance style served as strong boost for the interst.

Nowadays Tokyo offers public bellydance in restaurants of typically Egyptian or Turkish style - or even Indian... just as well as clubs, bars and citizen halls do. Restaurants are known to increase their bookings of live dancers.

The means of getting instruction on belly dance also has increased considerably – especially during the last years. Before it was feasible only in  major cities like Tokyo to get instruction on belly dance, but today the popularity of oriental dancing has spread to many districts of Japan. The market for dance accessories also is in full swing: Japanese dancers want to dress to the tune and even during instruction hours some students glitter in their bellydance attire. Japanese spectators first are taken aback by the uncommon music, dance movements and costumes - but within minutes they acclimate and fully support the dancers.

Some of the conservative elder Japanese citizens take offense because of the more sensual aspects of belly dance movements - but the young generation - as all over the world - views them as cool and trendy.

One explication of the fascination of Japanese women with bellydance is that they regard it as a means of self liberation and freedom from a strict social corset - not unlike western women did at first. A growing perception of therapeutic effects of belly dance is also being found in Japan - partly because of western-born instructors and their wholistic view of this dance and other recreational forms like yoga. Students learning the oriental dance use it as a safe and enjoyable possibility for self expression.

Japanese dancers thirst for knowlege, thus they are travelling in droves to the renowed dance festivals in Egypt and Turkey – and you can find them regularly represented at master workshops in other countries. It appears that the classic Egyptian Raqs Sharqi is the preferred dance style of most Japanese dance students.

More and more Live-Music!

Most belly dance shows in Japan still are done with recorded music, but there is a growing number of Japanese musicians who perform for dance shows either Middle Eastern or gypsy-style musc. Some even have a male Saidi in their program - of course underlaid with the proper amount of humor.

The Middle Eastern music scene is a natural result of the interest shown towards this type of dance, but it's running deeper. It's also a product of the growing offer and the demand on world music in contemporary Japan. 

Fro the past years the younger members of the scene showed a vivid interest in in drumming. Many Japanese towns offer the means for musician to learn the music of the Middle East, Turkey or from Gypsies both from resident Japanese musicians just as well as by travelling to other countries.

The maturing of the Japanese dance scene can be felt worldwide. As a nation Japan profits from its own artists of Middle Eastern music and dance. They are the leading roles for international exchange of culture, which is somehow opposite to the traditional Japanese sense of a cultural island.  These artists are stepping over limits and boundaries in a means that will enhance their own culture by accepting others.

An important part of Japanese culture is, to give more than to take. This way of mind plus the very disciplined dedication of Japanese dancers and musicians will enable them to quickly develop in a teaching environment. 

                                                         Source: Gilded Serpent, report by Ranya