Report: “See you in Kitano-machi” Dance workshop (2)
The second Dance workshop was held on Sunday 25 June 2023 from 13:00 to 14:00 in the Multipurpose Room at Cosmo Smile Kitano.
Fourteen technical intern trainees, five students taking intercultural communication theory at Kurume University and three staff members participated in the workshop.
It started with the call of "Let's Dance!" by the facilitator, Ms. Un Yamada. As they imitated the dancers' movements while light music played in the background, smiles naturally filled the air.
In an activity where participants were paired up and spun around hand in hand, a "Change Pairs!" was called out, they were paired with a new person they had never met before. After a few repetitions, they started to hold hands with someone they didn't know more often.
The performance repeated scenes in which the participants danced to the movements of Ms. Un Yamada, and scenes in which they moved their bodies as they wished in response to the call to 'dance freely'. When occasional instructions for 'high-five' or 'put your hand on the shoulder of the person in front' were given with gestures, laughter increased as they became physically closer to each other.
After the break, the participants danced in pairs. They performed 'contact improvisation', in which they alternately put their weight on the other person and move according to the flow of movement that occurs. It is like a physical dialogue without words, and no movement can be created without the two people facing each other. Therefore, there are difficulties. Some of the groups found dynamic movement by boldly yielding their weight to their partner.
After the workshop, they formed a circle and became engrossed in chatting. According to assistant Ms. Shiori Susaki, they had a lot of fun talking about delicacies from Japan and the Philippines, and some even exchanged social networking sites.
Here are some of the comments from participants.
・As I expected we meet new friends and we also met friends that we are not able to meet everyday because of busy schedule. It was really fun and enjoyable.
・It was our second time today and it is still fun and enjoyable.we also got the chance to met new Nihonjin friends.
・もともとわたしはダンスが得意ではなかったけど、ダンスをして言葉が通じなくても仲良くなれたことが嬉しかったです！そのため、最初は少し緊張したけど、ダンスが好きになりました！（Originally, I wasn't good at dancing, but I was happy that I was able to make friends through dancing, even though I didn't understand the language! So I was a little nervous at first, but now I love dancing!）
・言葉を発さなくても目があったり、手をつないだり、体が触れ合うだけでコミュニケーションが取れて、嬉しい気持ちになりました。（It made me happy to be able to communicate with them just by making eye contact, holding hands, and touching their bodies without saying a word.）
★Click here for the Kurume City Plaza Art Project “See you in Kitano-machi”
