ABOUT MAEBASHI FESTIVAL AND DANBEE ODORIThe Maebashi Festival is one of the Three Greatest Festivals of the cityand it is traditionally held for two days on the second weekend ofOctober. The city organized it for the first time in 1948 to keep thecitizens’ hopes high for the reconstruction they were putting efforts
into after the Second World War ended.
The festival is a joyful and animated event taking place all over thestreets of the city center and every year is attended by crowds ofcitizens and tourists. The festival consists of many events and includes a parade of Maebashi neighborhoods’
floats, dance parades, music performances, exhibition of portable shrines and stalls with delicious food.
However, one of the most peculiar events is the Danbee Odori Parade,a dance event taking place in the afternoon of both the two festival
days.
Several companies, organizations and associations in the city join theevent forming groups that perform this famous dance, wearing colorful
costumes or traditional clothes and dancing in turns for 2-3 hours.
Each group shows its own style of dancing, which may be extremely
professional or typical of amateurs, and wear its own colored uniform and make up. Citizens who are not part ofany organization or company but still want to join the dancing parade can participate by joining to the activitiesof the well-known Genki 21 Danbee Odori Dance Group, headed by Mr. Ito Kenichi.
The Danbee Odori parade was included for the first time as an activity of the Maebashi Festival celebrations in1995. The dance choreography is specifically created for a traditional song from the 1960s titled “MaebashiOndo” (Maebashi Ballad) and includes a mix of jazz, funk and samba rhythms giving the dance a very peculiarinternational atmosphere. At the same time, the use of the Japanese
castanets gives it a traditional character too, with their traditional
gingko tree leaf shape. These castanets are called ōichō (big gingko)
and their shape reminds everyone about the gingko tree, one of thesymbols adopted by the city. At certain times during the performancethe dancers also shout the phrase “sō danbee”, an expression typical of
Gunma dialect meaning “isn’t like this?” that makes the dance evenmore lively, fun and exciting.

ENJOY THE FESTIVAL: DANCE WITH US!
Every year, from September, the Maebashi City Hall
cooperates with the Maebashi International Associationand the Genki 21 Danbee Odori Dance Group to offer an
opportunity for international residents to join the Danbee
Dance Parade. This is a chance for non-Japanese residents
living in Maebashi and other closer areas to experience thecity culture, make new friends and know more about thecity and the community the live in.
The activity consists of at least 4 lessons held by Mr. Itobetween September and October every Monday eveningfrom 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. The castanets, as well as the “uniforms” to wear during the festival, will be lent out tothe participants by the Maebashi International Association. So, the only things you will need to bring are
yourselves, your drinks, your towels and your smiles!
Of course, participating to the practice is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended if you want to meet newfriends, or if you wish to refine your dancing skills to surprise the audience with your great performance.
In case you cannot join the practice, you can also try learning the dance by watching the video lessons Mr. Itouploaded on Youtube! (Ref. to the link and the QR Code included below)
When the date and time of our performance is decided, we will meet at the designated place and then join thedance parade for about one hour.

★ Participation is free and everybody is welcome to join★

But applying beforehand is required□ Dates: every Monday from Sept. 4th – Oct. 2ndMaebashi Festival Performance on Oct. 8th (TBD)□ Time: 7:30pm to 8:30 pm□ Place: Maebashi Genki 21 Nigiwai Hall (1F)
Address: Maebashi City, Honmachi 2-12-1□ Target: foreign nationals living in Maebashi & surroundings□ Limited to: 30 participants□ No registration fees required!
□ Things you may need = towels, drinks, sportswear
Please apply via e-mail or phone providing your name, addressand contacts to the office below.

Maebashi City Hall - Cultural and International Affairs Division
Telephone: 027-898-6516 / E-mail: cir@city.maebashi.gunma.jp
Learn thedance here