The pandemic has encouraged many performing artists to stream their shows online, and performers of traditional Japanese dance, or Nihon buyo, are no exception. A group of five male Nihon buyo performers, who danced with the hope that the pandemic will come to an end, recorded their performance using a drone and other video equipment and will stream it online in November.
The performance was recorded without an audience and is produced by Nihon buyo unit Goyokai, which was launched in 2009 by five big-name dancers: Nishikawa Minosuke, Hanayagi Juraku, Hanayagi Motoi, Fujima Ranko and Yamamura Tomogoro, who all came together despite belonging to different schools of dance.
The group obtained permission from the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry to use a drone inside the National Theatre in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, where they recorded the performance on Oct. 7. The group also used about 10 video cameras.
The videos for "Shichifukujin Funade no Kachidoki" (The triumphant shout of the seven gods setting sail) and other dances will be streamed for a fee under the title "Makenaizo! Korona ni katsu Nihon buyo Goyokai koen" (We won't be defeated! The Nihon buyo performance by Goyokai that will beat the coronavirus).
During the recording, the drone approached the dancers from the back of the auditorium or passed in front of the stage, capturing their performance from angles that would normally be difficult if it had been a regular performance with a live audience.
"The entertainment industry has been hit hard by the virus," Minosuke said. "I thought we must take on a challenge we've never faced before, to remain undefeated despite the circumstances."
The first part of the two-part performance will be shown from Nov. 8, and the second part from Nov. 22.
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