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Arts & Entertainment

Japanese Folk Dance Obon Odori

Let the Dancing Begin! A summer evening of Japanese folk dance known as Bon Odori will take place 7pm Saturday July 16 at the Enmanji Buddhist Temple in Sebastopol This free community outdoor dance held in Japanese communities around the world as well as in the San Francisco Bay Area during July and August traditionally honors the ancestors who are believed to return once a year to enjoy earthly pleasures. Free dance lessons will also be provided July 12-15 in the Enmanji Memorial Hall from 7-9 pm at 1200 Gravenstein Hwy. South in Sebastopol.

 

Bon Odori
Bon Odori are Japanese folk dances that are joyful and welcome the spirits. The simple dances are repetitive and are performed in two or more concentric circles. In the middle of the circles is the yagura; a tall wooden structure made for this festival and in some cases is large enough for the instructors to dance inside allowing the rest of the participants to watch the steps and to follow along. Cultural dress returns with this annual event, many women and children wear kimonos and the men don their yukata and happi coats.

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Some tools and instruments are incorporated into each of the dances including two different fans- round and folding, cotton towels and small wooden clappers. The round uchiwa fan and round paper lanterns are the symbols of this festival as they both represent the full moon and the ‘light’ to guide those who have passed, back to the heavens after their visit.

The Enmanji Buddhist community was first organized in 1926.  Its main worship hall was originally built by the Manchurian Railroad Company and used as part of their exhibit hall at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933.

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