June 10 , 2003 - page 2

Next up were several dance performances. Again there was a tremendous amount of variety in the performances with one group working their mojo to the beats of N’sync while another performed Japanese hip-hop.

The highlight of the show was the Yosakoi dance. While Yosakoi is a traditional Japanese dance form, the music is quite different. It is actually a hybrid of techno mixed with a little koto and shamisen (traditional Japanese instruments). To call the Yosakoi a high-energy dance form would be an understatement. The dancers were performing tons of acrobatic moves at a rapid pace throughout the entire show. About halfway through the performance one of the leaders scanned the crowd, and little did I know what would be in store for me. Because I was sitting in the second row dead center, I was a sitting duck. The leader walked up to me and pulled me against my will out onto the stage. I started rolling because there were at least 200 Japanese people in the audience, and here I was the foreign kid who hadn't the slightest clue as to how to properly dance the Yosakoi. The dancers never lost a beat and I stood there for a few seconds pondering what I would do next. I could hear my friends laughing from the crowd and at this point my only

option was to go ahead and dance and enjoy making a fool out of myself. I just mimicked what the “professionals” were doing, and I even found time to work in a little American flare. After my 5 minutes of fame were over, I walked back to my seat and joined my friends where we all laughed hysterically at my once in a lifetime performance. I certainly won’t ever forget that moment. I’ve been making a concerted effort to educate you all about the differences between the Japanese and American cultures while writing my journal, and today’s topics are ones that I think most of you will find very interesting. If you were like me then you might have had the image that Japanese people are very clean and neat.