This is a first post of what I hope will become a series of posts relating to my interest in traditional dance, in this case Japanese dance but I am interested in all sorts of traditional dance.

Since completing my first book, Traditional Japanese Dances of Himeshima I realized that I had not described how the dances were performed in detail. This is only a first draft so if you happen to notice any errors please let me know. First of all, one cycle of the Kitsune (or Fox) dance has 13 counts or 13 different positions, which are repeated throughout the performance. The distinguishing feature being the footing: left, right, right, left; always beginning with the left foot. In Himeshima this is called the Obon footing or bon ashi in Japanese. Traditionally, elementary school aged boys get their faces painted in white with red whiskers painted on top. They wear white long sleeved shirts and long underwear and a long tail to symbolize the mystical white fox.

A Chinese friend once told me that foreign English teachers are supposed to be kind, gentle and make the students laugh. This is the general thinking of most Asian students. Asian teachers on the other hand tend to be stricter with their students. I will never forget the comment made by a former colleague of mine who said how much he respected me in that I took the best of both the foreign teacher and the Asian teacher and used them both in the classroom. He further said that the foreign teachers tend to know how to stimulate their classes but they were hardly ever strict with their students, while an Asian teacher would be so strict but would lack ideas to stimulate their classes. This was one the greatest things I have heard about me especially after having being fired for being “too Chinese” looking. I remember how some students would say how much they liked me but they also said that I was just too strict.
I finally came to accept that maybe it is true that there perhaps is a difference between foreign and Asian teachers and that although I was brought up in Canada I do tend to have more Asian traits than foreign traits despite an education mainly in Canada.