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Eisa, a dance that transmits emotions (Spanish)

(Spanish) I came to eisa by chance. I have always enjoyed artistic expressions, but that I had come to eisa purely by chance. It was a result of some friends…I was one of those invited to join the group. Then during the preparations for the centenary they told me, “Let’s go!” “Someday I’ll go, don’t you worry about it,” “Yes, I’ll go,” “On Sunday I’ll go,” but I never went until one day on a…suddenly one day a member from Japan arrived, from Okinawa, from the head office, and someone from Argentina also arrived, from the Argentine branch which formed a year earlier than us. They came, danced, and [it was] only their form of dancing [that] completely changed my way of thinking about the dance(eisa). It was there that I understood that I was able to include mysticism within the dance, within what you do. [Dancing] can come to transmit emotions; it can come to transmit a sentiment, which makes the people identify with you. It was at that point when I began to practice. Paradoxically it was December 31, 1998, when I began to dance. The following day, after a New Year’s Eve party, they said that I had a rehearsal. I thought that nobody was going to come. Incredibly, on the first of January, we were approximately 85 or 90 people rehearsing in Dai Hall, [and] everyone with bags under their eyes, sleepy and tired, but with the desire to move forward [and learn how to dance the eisa].


dance eisa (dance) folk dances Matsuri Daiko Okinawa

Date: September 14, 2007

Location: Lima, Peru

Interviewer: Harumi Nako

Contributed by: Asociación Peruano Japonesa (APJ)

Interviewee Bio

Akira Watanabe Osada was born on October 6, 1974, in Lima, Peru. His grandparents are Japanese immigrants who came to Peru from Fukushima Ken. An engineer, Akira is also director of the Peru branch of the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Group. Founded in 1999, the branch grew out of the festivities commemorating Japanese immigration to Peru. Akira promotes the Okinawa eisa dance throughout the country. As a member of this group, Akira has performed quite often in Peru, which the most important of these performances have been the centennial celebrations marking Japanese immigration to Peru (1999), and the Centenary of Okinawense Immigration to Peru (2006). (September 14, 2007)

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