Wow. I still do not believe what just happened.
So, I went out like I intended to. I started at Harimayabashi because I wanted to buy a pair of painted naruko, and I had seen them in a shop there. I bought the naruko and watched a team dance in the gallery, but left because the music was so loud that I actually felt sick.
I walked along the tram street and briefly stopped in at Obiyamachi, but it was also incredibly loud, so I moved on to Chuo Koen (Central Park). There was a large group of kids on stage. I watched them for a while, then continued down the street.
I thought to myself, "There are teams dancing at Masugata, and it's not covered, so it won't be so loud. I should go there." And I went. I found a spot near the beginning point and stood there to watch. Then I noticed that the International Team was next up to participate. I couldn't believe the timing. I thought, "This is great, I'll get to see what our dance actually looks like." A couple of my teammates noticed me standing there and waved to me, so I smiled and waved back. I gave them a thumbs up in encouragement and kept watching. One of them pointed me out to Yamanaka-sensei, and she waved as well. Then she came over, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out into the middle of the street. She put me in the formation and someone handed me a pair of naruko. Bear in mind, I am the only person not in costume. I was probably the only person in the entire festival who was not in costume. The music started, so I smiled and danced. It was the most bizarre experience. Along the way, a judge gave me a medal. He probably thought, "Oh, that poor foreigner doesn't even have a costume, and she hasn't gotten a single medal in two days of dancing." We were supposed to wear our medals from the first day on the second day so that the judges would give medals to people who didn't have them. I was incredibly embarrassed because that medal should have gone to someone else; I already had two.
When we reached the end of the street, we all went to the drinks table to get some tea. Everyone came over and laughed and talked with me. I kept saying, "I thought I was just going to watch tonight!" We took some pictures, I gave back my naruko, and someone returned my purse and shopping bag to me. They had taken them so I could dance. Yamanaka-sensei told me (with another person interpreting) that there would be dances in other towns, and that she would call me. Then they all left, and I came back home.
There is not a single other team in all of Yosakoi that would have let a member dance out of costume. I am sure of it. And they all seemed so happy to see me! I had felt like a total cop-out for not dancing the second day when I had originally signed up to. I still can't believe that they included me like that. This has got to be the weirdest experience I've had in a long time. Even as I write this, I can't believe it's actually true.
No comments:
Post a Comment