Bon Odori: Slow Circle with Work Gestures

Bon odori is the circle dance of Japan's summer Obon festivals, when families honor their ancestors; people dance around a drum with simple gestures that often imitate work. The class uses it to cool down with slow, repeated movements.

How to play

1. Short background: circle around a student with the drum, walking slowly to the slow beat (2 min).
2. Work gestures, as in the well-known coal miners' dance: dig twice, toss the dirt over your shoulder, look at the moon with a hand at your brow and push the cart (3 min).
3. Full sequence with two claps at the end and two steps forward, slower each time (2 min).
4. Last round with no music: only the drum, softer and softer, until it stops (1 min).

Rules

• Make the gestures big but smooth.
• Keep your distance from the person in front.
• The drummer keeps a slow beat and changes each round.
• It is a dance of celebration and remembrance: dance it calmly and respectfully.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility: do the arm gestures from the wheelchair and travel with the circle.
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: follow the person ahead and feel the drum's vibration when close.
• Restless students: take the drum and have to play slower and slower.

Learning goals

• Settle down with slow, rhythmic movement.
• Act out everyday actions with expressive gestures.
• Learn about a Japanese festival tradition and its meaning.

Equipment for a class of 25

• speaker: 1
• hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

No drum? An upside-down bucket and a soft stick work. Common mistake: turning it into a joke by exaggerating the gestures; remind them it is a festival for remembering family.

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