And this year, 50 guest dancers from Tokushima Yebisuren joined in! Oh, sorry… 5 guest dancers.
I think the biggest difference between Koenji and Tokushima is the way that the audience enjoys the dance. In Tokushima, Awa Odori is seen as a traditional local dance, and many of the spectators are interested in scrutinising the very fine details. Koenji, it feels much more like the audience are there to enjoy the whole spectacle of the event. Tokushima audiences delight in savouring it, while Koenji audiences enjoy the overall festivities to the point of joining in. This difference may be the reason that so many Tokushima dancers have recently been heading for Koenji come festival time.
Being able to spend even a small amount of time with all the different people at Koenji, not to mention the members of Tokyo Ebisuren, is another of its charms. Some years I only have the one opportunity to go to Tokyo, but I'm always grateful to Tokyo Ebisuren for allowing me to naturally slot right into their group as if I were one of their own members.
Tokyo and Tokushima. I often think that if it weren't for Awa Odori, I would never have gotten to know all these fine people… Awa Odori as a common language for meeting people is just amazing!
Dancing in Tokushima is a lot of fun, but dancing in Tokyo too has allowed me to increase my interest in Awa Odori and to find new ways to enjoy it.
Tokyo and Tokushima. I'm looking forward to having many more opportunities to meet all sorts of people and deepen my experience through Awa Odori in the future.
