Summer Festival Season -Yosakoi Icchorai Dance (Yosakoi style dance in Fukui)-

As I introduced in our previous blog that one of the main events in the first day of

Fukui Phoenix Festival is Fukui Phoenix Fireworks, which will be held on August 3rd, 2018.

 

On the second day of the festival (Aug. 4th, 2018), you can definitely enjoy watching

Yosakoi Icchorai Dance (Yosakoi style dance in Fukui) which is very popular among

foreign people as well. It starts at 15:45 and ends at 21:20. 39 teams will be competing.

 

I asked a few foreigners who like the Yosakoi Icchorai Dance the reason why they like it

so much. Most of them have said that they like it because the costumes are bright and colorful

which catch the eye. They also have mentioned about how the aggressive type of music and

the energetic dance are very exciting and overwhelming. One of them also said that

the female dancers who wrap themselves with cloth called “sarashi” look very cool as well.

 

 

The video was taken last year (2017) at Fukui Phoenix Festival

during the Yosakoi Icchorai Dance event.

 

The dancers had the bright and colorful costume waving a tall and large flag and shouting

something in Japanese (I think they were saying “let’s go” or something like it).

Their powerful synchronized dance was really overwhelming.

 

The Yosakoi Icchorai Dance started in 1999.

The members of the youth group of Fukui Chamber of Commerce learned about

Yosakoi Soaran Festival which is a mixture of Hokkaido’s Soran Bhushi folk melodies and

an energetic dancing event based on the Yosakoi Festival of Kochi Prefecture.

The members of the youth group of Fukui Chamber of Commerce wanted to start

a similar event for local residents to participate in the Fukui Phoenix Festival.

This was the start of Yosakoi Icchorai Dance.

 

There are only two rules and they are very simple.

The dancers must dance with “Naruko (clappers)” and they also must have phrases of

Fukui’s Soran Bhushi folk melodies in the music they dance to.

 

If you have a chance to visit Fukui during summer time,

how about enjoying the Yosakoi Icchorai Dance?

 

T.F