Appreciate
70th Gagaku Concert, Large Hall, National Theatre, Tokyo
Musicians and dancers of the Music Department, Board of Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency
Outline
The Dance of the Right Nasori (meaning unclear; perhaps ‘Demon Song’) is a Dance of the Right of the hashirimai (running dance) category for two dancers, in which dancers move vigorously around the stage. When performed by a single dancer, it is called Rakuson (‘Dropping to the Knees’), referring to a characteristic movement in the dance. (* In Nara, two names are reversed, so that Nasori is for one dancer and Rakuson for two.)
The dance is said to depict two playful dragons, perhaps a pair; it is often performed as a children’s dance. It has long been performed as the ‘answering dance’ (tōbu) to Ryōō, and both are frequently performed.
In the Heian period (9th to 12th centuries) it was often performed as a victory dance at horse-riding, archery, and wrestling contests at court. Ryōō and Nasori served as victory dances for teams of the Left and Right respectively.
Structure of the Dance
The accompaniment for the dance as a whole is made up of three sections: 1. Koma-koranjō; 2. Tōkyoku no ha, the ha movement of Nasori; and 3. Tōkyoku no kyū, the kyū movement of Nasori.
Koma-koranjō is an instrumental prelude for solo transverse flute komabue, large drum taiko and gong shōko. The dancers begin their entrance and move to their prescribed place on the stage after the ha movement begins. The ha is in a distinctive yohyōshi agebyōshi meter (repeated cycles of 4 measures of 4/4), which is comparatively lively for a ha movement. The kyū is in the faster karahyōshi meter (repeated cycles of 2 measures of 2/4). Once the dance is finished, the dancers leave the stage while the kyū is being repeated.
Costume
The dancers wear a costume unique to this dance, with a ryōtō (battle tunic) of the fringed type (keberi), typical for vigorous dances of the hashirimai (running dance) category. The ryōtō has colorful embroidery on a blue-green base, while the outer robe (hō) is brownish yellow.
The dancers wear dragon masks, and hold silver batons. The mask is a large one, with a hanging chin and eyes that move up and down with the movements of the dancers. The eyeballs, fangs and teeth are covered with silver leaf.
Points for appreciation
The mask for Nasori, with its moving eyes and jaw, has an interesting color contrast in the green or blue-green of the face and the red of the lips and what appear to be eyelids drawn around the eyeballs.
The rhythmical meter used in the ha movement is an unusual one for use from the beginning of an individual movement; it is used as the kuwae-byōshi pattern toward the end of movements in certain other Dances of the Right.
The most important characteristic of the dance in its form for two dancers is the way in which the dancers match each other’s movements, moving in either the same way as each other or in mirror reverse. It is very impressive when two dancers of similar stature manage to match the timing and angles of their movements successfully, especially when they produce a perfect symmetry, sometimes facing each other and sometimes with their backs to each other.
* Nasori is also known as Rakuson (‘Dropping to the Knees’), referring to a characteristic movement in the dance.
