My Journey as a Flute Player in the Awa Dance Group

Today is Setsubun,which is a holiday for the change of seasons. On our calendar, today is considered to be the last day of winter and the beginning of spring. But it seems we still have cold days ahead! At Setsubun we do a ritual of bean throwing. We throw soybeans to in the streets or at demon to represent getting rid of bad luck.





Suiren had the first performance of the new year! We visited a nursery school to join the Setsubun party. A man dancer played the role of a demon. Kids were so excited and threw balls at him! Some little kids are scared of the demon, though. We hope that we were able to get rid of the demon and bring good luck to the school.

Each Ren(Team) has their own musical band. It is called “Narimono.” “Narimono” usually consists of some instruments such as the bell, drum, Japanese flute, and Shamisen(Japanese guitar). The “Kane”, which is the dish typed bell. The “Kane” player is the conductor of the band. He or she unifies the performers, including dancers. He/She sets the tempo, dynamics, and the beats. Other members always listen to the bell sound as an indication for them to start and follow the instructions. For example, when the bell player rings a slow and big sound, the other musicians will know if they will slow down with their beat. When the music becomes slow, the dancers will also start to move slowly too. The bell player takes control of the musical band and dancers.

The drum also has an important role in the team. A dancer always follows its rhythms and make the steps. A big drum, called “Odaiko,” makes big and low sounds. A musician carries the drum and plays with two wooden sticks. A small drum called “Shime-daiko” makes the high sounds. This drum creates an accent.

Along with the Japanese flute called “Shinobue”, which makes a beautiful melody. In Awa-odori, there are several typical songs. Each Ren(Team) has a slightly different melody line. When dancers compose their sequences, they sometimes follow the tune of the flute. If the song has a melancholy melody, they will dance slowly.

“Shamisen” is the different type of guitar. Shamisen can play melody, rhythm, and beats. It can add great accent in the music.

As for Suiren, Narimono consists of a bell, big and small drums, and Japanese flutes.

Kodomo-Odori: The Kid’s Dance
Kodomo means children, Odori means dance. The Ren (team) decides on which dance to learn first. Usually, the Ren (team) chooses to learn the Men’s dance first but it is still up to the Ren (team) on which dance they would prefer to study first.

What Do They Wear?
The costumes of the kids belongs to the Ren’s (Team’s) rule. For example, "Happi" and short pants. Happi is a short kimono that resembles a jacket. The girls' costume who perform the Women’s dance usually wear the women’s dance costumes. However, the color of the children's costumes sometimes vary from that and of the adults. As for Suiren, older women wears a blue costume and young girls wear a pink one.