RISING SUN SHINES ON DANCE DUO
DAVID Cowland-Cooper is not rehearsing for the next instalment of martial arts classic Karate Kid.
The 38-year-old Upper Coomera man and his wife, Masumi, say they are the only two in Queensland who perform the traditional Japanese dance awa odori.
And they have to be dedicated as getting ready takes more than an hour – and that’s just putting the kimono together.
“(Female dancers) start preparing an hour or two before performing,” Mr Cowland-Cooper said, adding the way a kimono was put together for awa odori was different to a regular kimono.
“Males dress in a standard yukata so dressing is pretty straight forward.”
The 400-year-old dance can involve up to 400 dancers and musicians at the annual awa odori obon festival.
“(Awa odori) is known for being a bit different, a unique experience of Tokushima culture,” he said.
He hoped to start a dance group because “anyone could do it. It’s a participation sport, it’s very social.”
The pair held their first class last Saturday in Nerang and hope to hold more.