Miyako Odori

Through years of travel, the Japanese culture is one I feel a deep connection to. Traveling to Kyoto during the cherry blossom season, there is an event that I had desired a long time to witness, the “Miyako Odori.”  This is the one time during the spring that the maiko and geico (geisha as they are known in Kyoto) perform for the public. To become geisha, it takes years of training in dance, music and etiquette, and only the privileged few get to appreciate their performing arts year round. The “Miyako Odori” is a cultural event where the geico community of the Gion Kobu, the most conservative of the geisha community, perform. It is unique in that an entire ensemble of artists performs together on a stage in a beautiful theatre, as opposed to a select few in a teahouse. These three women maiko, or apprentice geisha, were part of the dance ensemble. They are represented in watercolor using elements I’ve studied in the Japanese arts, and techniques that are used in the making of kimono fabric. I am using the same textile techniques on paper.