Kawagoe Matsuri Strathspey
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Kawagoe Matsuri Strathspey (S4x32) 4C (4C set) 32 bar Strathspey for 4 Couples in a 4 Couple Set, devised by Peter Marshall, 2018, Published in 4 Dances devised by Peter Marshall.1- 8 1st and 2nd couples, along with 3rd and 4th couples, dance a Poussette
9-16 Four-couple Espagnole:
Bars 9-10: 1st and 2nd ladies, 2nd and 3rd men, and 3rd and 4th ladies lead across and cross over
Meanwhile, 1st and 4th men dance across, one above and the other below
Bars 11-12: Repeat the pattern from new positions
(Men's side: 3rd, 1st, 4th, 2nd; Ladies' side: 2nd, 4th, 1st, 3rd)
Bars 13-16: All turn opposite dancer - 3rd man with 2nd lady right hand, 1st man with 4th lady left hand, 4th man with 1st lady right hand, and 1st man with 4th lady left hand
17-24 All ladies cross, passing opposite right shoulder
Chase clockwise to own side. 3142
25-32 All set and turn partner both hands
3rd and 1st couples, along with 4th and 2nd couples, dance four hands round to the left. 3142
(WEECRIB)
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Keith Rose's Crib Diagram
Dance Instruction Videos
Kawagoe Matsuri Strathspey - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
This dance is dedicated to the Alba Scottish Country Dance Groups based in Japan. It acknowledges the warm hospitality the deviser received and the generous guidance provided by Masako Nomura, who leads and teaches the groups there (c. 2018).The Kawagoe Festival, officially named the Kawagoe Hikawa Festival, (Kawagoe Hikawa Matsuri) is a traditional Japanese festival held annually on the third weekend of October in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
Matsuri is the Japanese word for festival. It refers to traditional celebrations, often with religious or cultural significance, usually connected to Shinto or Buddhist practices.
Matsuri can range from small local events to large, well-known festivals like Gion Matsuri in Kyoto or the Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori.
With a history spanning over 360 years, the Kawagoe Festival is the city's most significant cultural celebration, attracting approximately one million visitors over its two-day duration.
The festival's origins trace back to 1648 when Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the lord of the Kawagoe Domain, donated a portable shrine and other ceremonial items to the Hikawa Shrine. This act initiated a new festival, complementing the existing Reitaisai, and eventually evolved into the grand event observed today.
A central feature of the festival is the "Hikkawase", a musical contest where floats from different neighbourhoods face each other at intersections, engaging in performances of traditional music and dance. These performances, known as "Ohayashi", involve ensembles playing flutes, drums, and handbells, accompanied by dancers wearing fox or lion masks.
The festival showcases 29 ornate floats, with about 20 participating each year. These two-tiered structures feature a lower stage for performances and an upper platform displaying a doll representing a historical or mythical figure. The upper platform can be lowered into the lower stage, allowing the float's height to adjust from approximately 8 metres to 4 metres. Additionally, the stage can rotate 360 degrees, facilitating the face-to-face performances during the Hikkawase.
In recognition of its cultural importance, the Kawagoe Hikawa Festival was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2005. Further, in 2016, 2 years before this dance was devised, it was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as part of the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, Float Festivals in Japan".
Kawagoe Festival At Night, 2008
Published in MiniCrib - 4 Scottish Country Dances Devised By Peter Marshall.
This page uses content under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, along with original copyrighted content and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources.
Text from this original Kawagoe Hikawa Festival article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Kounosu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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