Dance in Asia

Until very recently, dance in Japan has been a formal, rather than informal and social, occupation. Dance has also been aligned with theater in the form of Noh and kabuki. It is one of the classical art forms of Japan and has been at the center of the Japanese aesthetic for centuries. According to Shawn, dance is to Japan what opera is to the Italian people (Shawn 19). It is understood and appreciated by all, not just the elites.

Japanese dance began with religious dance, primarily from the Shinto tradition. Shinto is still a primary religion in Japan, although possibly more associated with rural, than urban areas. It provides the central myth of Japanese culture, since the sun goddess Amaterasu is considered the descendant of all the people of the land, and the emperor is considered as her direct descendant. Within Shinto, the dance of Ume is an important part of ritual, and dancing itself, in other forms, is a primary