This time we would like to report on “See you in Kitanomachi Blue Sky Dance Workshop” which was held in Cosmos Park Kitano from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm on October 27, 2024.  

On this day the workshop was organized in the open air for the first time as 
a part of the Cosmo Festival. Ms. Shiori Susaki, who is a dancer, led the event. Twenty people including walk-in visitors participated. 

At the beginning, participants did a warm-up on the grass, following the cue by Ms. Susaki. While walking they waved their hands from side to side, and up and down, putting their arms around themselves. Then they jogged in a circle.

After their bodies relaxed little by little, they moved to an aquatic stage, walking slowly to the music. Then they jumped and turned around in pairs to perform in their own ways.

They moved to a cosmos field after the intermission. Ms. Susaki told them to dance with nature like flowers and wind there, and they tried hard to stretch their arms and crouched down, imagining that they were trees and grass, etc. They pretended to be a part of the full bloom cosmos flowers.

Then they moved back to the aquatic stage to jump up and down, and turn around 
across the stage in their own ways in groups of three. As they acted together giving eye contact and getting in sync with each other, they all opened up to one another. They naturally became one, holding hands with each other to form a circle, stepping, moving away and getting close from front to back and from side to side. 

In closing they danced in a circle along to “Tanko bushi”, a folk song from Fukuoka, clapping to the beat as if they were dancing to a Bon odori. The one-hour workshop concluded in a friendly atmosphere. 

A commemorative photo in front of the cosmos field. They couldn’t help but smile.

After working up a good sweat under the blue sky, the participants happily commented, "I'm glad the weather was nice," and "The breeze felt good."

The next "See you in Kitanomachi" will be held on December 8th at the Cosmo Smile Kitano Multipurpose Room. If you are interested in international exchange, or if you want to challenge yourself by using your body to communicate, we look forward to your participation!