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The Mainichi
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: Big traditional 'Awa Odori' dance event held at Osaka Expo
On May 2 and 3, there was a big traditional dance event at Expo 2025 in Osaka. Around 700 dancers performed the "Awa Odori" dance. About 10,000 people joined in for one big circle dance at the end. The Tokushima Prefecture government organized this event. They did this to celebrate "World Dance Day." The dancers were in nine groups. Each group showed their dance to the visitors. They danced beautifully with drums, Japanese flutes, and other instruments making special music called "Zomeki-bayashi." On the night of May 3, all dancers came together for the final dance at a place in the Expo called Expo Arena "Matsuri." This arena is outside, and 16,000 people can watch there. The dancers made a very big circle together with people from the audience. The circle looked like the Expo's well-known building, the "Grand Ring." About 10,000 people joined in this circle. Minoru Yamada, 71, from the Awa Odori Promotion Association, was one of the dancers. He also danced at another Expo in Osaka in 1970. He said, "Dance does not need words. It was great to see the circle become bigger and everyone dance together." (Japanese original by Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Tokushima Bureau) Vocabulary Expo: A big event where many countries show culture or technology. traditional: Old or special things from a country's culture. audience: People who watch a show or performance. instruments: Things we use to make music, like drums or flutes. circle: A round shape where people stand together.
The Mainichi
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
10,000 participants join biggest ever Awa Odori circle dance at World Expo in Osaka
OSAKA -- Some 700 dancers descended on Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai on May 2 and 3 for a traditional Awa Odori dance event hosted by western Japan's Tokushima Prefecture, with a huge circle dance on the final day drawing in some 10,000 participants. The Tokushima Prefectural Government, which is taking part in the Expo as a member of the Union of Kansai Governments, staged the event under the "World Dance Day" theme. The dancers, divided into nine groups, showcased their Awa Odori performances on stage in turns. Visitors were captivated by their dynamic and graceful moves synchronized to "Zomeki-bayashi" music played with Japanese flutes, drums and other instruments. During the finale on the night of May 3, all the dancers gathered at the Expo Arena "Matsuri," an outdoor venue which holds 16,000 people, to attempt the largest circle dance in history. As they expanded the circle by involving the audience, it ultimately formed a single large ring, symbolizing the Expo's iconic wooden structure, the "Grand Ring." According to the Tokushima Prefectural Government, the number of participants in the dance eventually grew to 10,000. Minoru Yamada, 71, from the Awa Odori Promotion Association, who also performed at the World Expo in Osaka back in 1970, reflected, "Dance needs no words. Watching it expand and become one big circle was amazing." (Japanese original by Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Tokushima Bureau)
