or , also known as dance or dance-drama, is a type of

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

play based on

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

. It is one of the three genres of kabuki, together with (historical plays) and (contemporary plays). A central element of kabuki since its origin in 1603, plays became an important part of the kabuki repertoire towards the end of the

17th century The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 ( MDCI), to December 31, 1700 ( MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized by the Baroque cultural movemen ...

, and still forms a key part of the kabuki repertoire today. For example, the January 2018 program at the Kabuki-za in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

included three performances. There are several types of kabuki dances. An important difference is between the mainly non-narrative dances with accompaniment (such as ), and the more dramatic ones, with complex storylines and characters (such as ). The musicians are often seated in rows on stepped platforms behind the dancers. There are many other distinctions and styles. For example, dances include particularly theatricalized sets and costumes, often including quick on-stage changes of clothes (called ). dances involve a single actor playing different roles.

History

From the very origin of

in 1603, when

Izumo no Okuni was a Japanese shrine maiden who is believed to have invented the theatrical art form of kabuki. She is thought to have begun performing her new art style of (lit., "the art of singing and dancing") theatre in the dry riverbed of the Kamo Ri ...

began performing in the dry riverbeds of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

- a style referred to as - dance has been a central element of kabuki, and in fact those first performances involved more dance and music than drama. An important early development of dance in kabuki was the incorporation of elements from , dance scenes. However, proper dances, performed by (lit. "female role") actors, entered the kabuki repertoire in the Genroku period (1688-1704) (see also ). The form was further developed from the Kyoho to the Horeki period (1716–1764), and became the main form of accompaniment. The first actor to perfect the genre was Segawa Kikunojo I (), considered an excellent dancer and the best in

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

during the first half of the 18th century. He became very successful shortly after arriving to the city in 1730 by performing the leading role on the dance at the

Nakamura-za was one of the three main ''kabuki'' theatres of Edo alongside the Morita-za and Ichimura-za. History It was founded in 1624 by Nakamura Kanzaburō 1st. The Nakamura-za relocated to the new capital Tokyo in 1868 and reopened under Nakamura ...

. He specialized in the performance of (such as ) and dances. Some other important dance roles he performed in those early years were (1736), (1739), and (1742), and (1746). Another important actor in the early development of was

Nakamura Tomijuro I Nakamura may refer to: Places *Nakamura, Kōchi, a former city in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan *Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, a ward in Nagoya city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan People *Nakamura (surname), a list of people with the surname Other uses *Nakamura s ...

(1719–1786), also said to have perfected kabuki dance. A native of

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, he achieved great success early in his career with performances of a dance, particularly in

at the

in 1741 and then again in 1748. His greatest accomplishment was his performance of the main role in the debut of one of the most famous kabuki dances, , in 1753, again at the Nakamura-za. The performance was so successful that it was staged for several months, and Tomijuro became one of the most famous actors in Edo.

References

{{Authority control Kabuki Japanese words and phrases