Waves Across Time: Traditional Dance and Music of Okinawa

Japan Society celebrates the arts of the Okinawan islands with a program selected by Michihiko Kakazu, the artistic director of the National Theatre Okinawa. The focus is on kumiodori, a noh-inspired dance-theater tradition that dates back to the Ryukyu kingdom, and the later folk dance style known as zo odori. Beautiful costumes and local instruments (sanshin, yotsudake, koto, fue) add to the interest. Each performance is preceded by an optional one-hour lecture about the history of Okinawa.