American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Tanko Bushi: Designing a Japanese-American Dance Experience
Terry Sweeting, Peter Werner, Lori H. Williams, & Alyssa Crump

Abstract: Many folk dances reflect the everyday activities of the people, celebrating the commonplace through physical forms of expression. The traditional Japanese folk dance, Tanko Bushi, is still performed in Japan and among Japanese-Americans today, and its theme of coal mining makes it relatable to many cultures around the world. With its traditional background and universal theme, Tanko Bushi can be used as an important teaching tool to exemplify aspects of traditional folk dance, to explain the customs of other cultures, and to illustrate similarities among people from different countries around the world.