RL Fifield performing Botan with Ichifujikai in 2006. My height earned me male roles, along with accompanying tummy padding under my kimono and hakama.

I used to be involved in a Japanese dance troupe in New York city. Most people aren’t familiar with the dance style, and describing it as akin to kabuki still drew blank looks.

Within the dance, there is a correct place for your feet, your head, your hands, and even your eyes – at all times. There are breathless golden moments in which you do not move, or breathe. The body of the dancer frames images that the song brings forth, views of mountains, shy looks, the power of goddesses, the joking of street minstrels, rain on an afternoon. The fan is precisely managed in the hand, the lead weights in the guards assist in righting it when the fan is tossed in the air. Your thumbs are tucked against your palm, hands curving into an elegant shape. You learn not only to place your feet for the dance, but also to use your feet to maneuver the trailing hem of your kimono. Observe her crouch, never are her knees locked – try it for a minute or two, and then try to walk while maintaining that crouch, knees always pressed together. Not only does the dancer’s body have to be strong to excel at the dance, the maiko must also gracefully carry the weight of 30-40 extra pounds of clothing, much of it concentrated in the densely woven obi dangling from her shoulder blades.

Click here for the video: Maiko dance

A different maiko and geisha dancing. They have specific characteristics to their dress that indicate their status and experience. For example, the maiko wears a long trailing obi and sleeves, while the geisha’s are short. Photo: By Joi Ito https://www.flickr.com/people/joi/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/2916308593/) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons