Dancing in the Streets!
Remember Martha and the Vandellas’ big radio hit? I was never that much tuned into the Motown sound, but something about the idea of Dancing in the Streets grabbed me, and has stuck with me for those many years.
On the first of August (2009) we had the annual Matsumoto Bon Bon. Now, that’s what I call a festival! Unfortunately, many of Japan’s festivals seem to have devolved into just a lot of booths selling expensive snack food and this year’s flashy cheap toys. But Bon Bon is serious fun! The entire city gets out for one glorious evening, and dances through the downtown streets. Those who don’t dance come to watch the spectacle and cheer the dancers on. See Youtube videos here and here.
The dress of the day is “happi” a festival jacket for the men, and yukata (a light summer kimono) for the women. Some groups have a group tee-shirt, or other uniform. Many wear hachimaki, a traditional headband of folded cloth. The dancing goes for 3 ½ hours. As might be expected for Japan, there is a set dance step which everyone follows, and there are 10 minute breaks scheduled every half hour. The dance step is complex enough not to be boring, but simple enough that even I could catch on after the first 15 or 20 minutes (a lot depends on who you are next to. If nobody in your area knows what they’re doing it can be difficult. If someone with
experience is in your line of vision, it helps a lot). The dancers are divided up into groups. Many companies will have dance groups, as will hospitals, service clubs, other types of clubs, and almost any type of circle. I have been to Bon Bon a few times in previous years, and being an enthusiastic foreigner, I’ve been invited to dance with various groups, which I did for a few minutes only. However, this year, I danced the whole time with the foreign students’
group. Some of the desk jockeys were complaining that they were tired, but perhaps in part because I’ve taken to getting around as much as possible by bicycle, I didn’t find it particularly tiring. However, I wore sandals that I’m not very used to with no socks, and found that by the end I was chafed on the tops of my feet.
All in all, it was great fun.
But I am particularly impressed by the idea of the whole town getting out in the streets, fulfilling Martha's dream, and certainly building community!
