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Photo courtesy of Wakana Hanayagi |
Nihon Buyo, a form of Japanese classical dance that is performed in the Kabuki Theater, is an art form that has been passed on, refined, and cherished for generations and requires years of training and studying under a qualified master artist. Wakana Hanayagi is a leading instructor of Japanese dance, with over 50 years experience as a professional dancer. Now 17 years old, Erika Wada, who began Japanese dance lessons as a three-year-old, has been studying with Wakana Hanayagi for three years. Her goal in this apprenticeship is to prepare for the Natori examination for professional dancer status, which is administered in Japan.
Update as of July, 2002
ACTA is pleased to learn that Erika has successfully passed the test in Japan to become recognized as a "professional" Japanese classical dancer! After some rescheduling on the part of the Grand Master, Erika went to Tokyo and took the exam on Wednesday, July 3, 2002. She performed excerpts from two dances that she had been preparing as part of her apprenticeship with her teacher Mme. Wakana Hanayagi. Along with her new professional name, Wakanana Hanayagi, Erika received "special recognition" from the Grand Master, Jusuke Hanayagi III.
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Photo courtesy of Wakana Hanayagi |
"I was first introduced to Japanese Classical Dance as a child. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that I was born into it. My mother was a teacher of 'Nagauta,' a type of Japanese classical music which is oftentimes used as accompaniment for dance. Dancers and msuicians alike would come in and out of our house daily, so it was only natural that my sister and I begin training in dance while we were in elementary school." -- Wakana Hanayagi
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"The moment I saw Mme. Wakana Hanayagi perform, I knew that I wanted to study dance with her. She is not just a 'dancer'--she is an 'artist.' Each movement, each step serves a purpose. There is no such thing as 'excess' in her dancing."
-- Erika Wada
Mme. Hanayagi helping Erika perfect her technique
(February 2002) |
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