ZEN- 燃 Japanese Dancing/Culture Team in Melbourne

09/02/2024

Highlight from recent event
✨️Charity concert for Japan's earthquake, organised by Wadaiko Rindo

#よさこい #メルボルン #よさこい好きと繋がりたい

16/05/2023

[Upcoming event]
Japan festival in Box Hill is back!!
We will be performing on the main stage and outside stage.
We are excited to introduce new songs.

Please come and support us😊

Date: Sunday 21st May
Time: Main stage - 12:35pm
Outside stage - 1:40pm
Place: Box Hill Town Hall

21/04/2021

JCV Picnic 🍙🌼

Here is a look from our latest performance📸
We performed at Japan Club Victoria's picnic event.

As they were unable to hold the Box Hill Japanese Festival last year and this year, they organised a picnic for the JCV members instead☀️

We performed two dances, Yosakoi Night and a new song called Soul of Fire! It was great to be able to dance again with such energy. We really enjoyed the event and its performances!🎶

先日Japan Club Victoria 主催で行われたピクニックでの演舞の様子です📸

今回はナイトと、とてもエナジティックな新曲のSoul of Fireの2曲を踊りました🎶

コロナ禍でBox Hill Japan Festival イベントが中止になってしまっている中、直接皆さんの前での演舞はオーディエンス、また他のパーフォーマーの皆様からたくさんの声援をいただき楽しく演舞できました😊

08/04/2021

Two of our members did an interview for Asian Pop Nation recently to discuss the history of Zen, what Yosakoi is about and a whole lot of other fun topics!

You can listen to the interview here:

http://syn.org.au/asian-pop-nation-interview-zen-yosakoi/

Hopefully we have managed to portray how fun Yosakoi is!
Thanks again to Asian Pop Nation for the interview!

Daniel and Will are members of Japanese yosakoi dance group, Zen Yosakoi. Don’t know what yosakoi is? Well, Daniel and Will are …

24/02/2021

【The Yosakoi Challenge Campaign】

世界で大活躍の「DJ KAORI」さんと「よさこい8」さんによる参加型のプロジェクト！なんだかとっても楽しそう…
我らがZenも参加しようじゃありませんか！

〜 Yosakoi makes the World Smile 〜 【The Yosakoi Challenge Campaign】への１分動画チャレンジです！

Music : Yosakoi Remix / DJ KAORI
Choreography : りのちゃん & Phongちゃん / 燃~Zen~
Event : http://yosakoi-nippon.jp/remix

21/02/2021

Dancers wanted! 1 day left till the application close.
踊り子募集中！申し込み締め切りまであと1日！

[Yosakoi Instruments]
The most popular instrument among Yosakoi dancers are called 'naruko', which is a wooden hand clapping instrument.

Naruko were historically used to scare birds away from fields to stop them from eating the rice plants, to improve the harvest.
Today they are used to add rhythm to the Yosakoi festival dance routines.

Traditional naruko have black and yellow beaters on a red wooden body, but most modern yosakoi groups create their own, choosing colours and materials that match their costumes.
There are other hand-held props, such as drums, percussion instruments,flags, fans, paper umbrellas or lanterns.
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Dancer wanted! Let's dance Yosakoi together!
1 day left till the application close!

Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021

18/02/2021

One of our members wrote an amazing article introducing Yosakoi! You can find the article here:
ZENのメンバーがよさこいについての素敵な記事を書いてくれました👏
https://www.asiaoptions.org/yosakoi-the-japanese-dance-you-need-to-know-about/

Hopefully the article shows how fun and exciting Yosakoi can be! If you are interested, you'll be pleased to know that we are currently recruiting. Please contact us or complete the form down below to join us!

よさこいの歴史、お祭り、楽しさなどなど紹介しているのでぜひ読んでみて下さい😊
ただいまZENでは新しいメンバーを募集しています！興味ある方は下のリンクの申し込みフォームを記入または、気軽にご連絡ください。
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Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021
Email: [email protected]

Are you: - curious about Japanese culture, - keen to perform at Japanese culture and art events, - someone who likes to dance as a hobby, - or just someone simply wants to try something new? - interested in Yosakoi? If your answer is yes for any of those questions, don’t hesitate to fill this form...

15/02/2021

Dancer wanted! Let's dance with us 🌟
7 days left until applications close!

Are you:
- curious about Japanese culture,
- keen to perform at Japanese culture and art events,
- someone who likes to dance as a hobby,
- or just someone simply wants to try something new?
- interested in Yosakoi?
If your answer is yes or have any of those questions, don’t hesitate to contact us or fill the below form and join us.
We welcome everyone, even without Yosakoi experience. We are more than happy to show you what it is!
We hope to see you at our practice!

------------------
Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021
Email: [email protected]

12/02/2021

[Yosakoi Costumes]
The costumes used by Yosakoi teams are very diverse. Happi coats and yukata are the predominant costumes, in every colour imaginable. Happi originated from the clothing of shopkeepers from stalls at festivals and shopping malls in Japan.
Ordinary happi coats are patterned (often with natural motifs like waves, mountain ranges or the sun) and usually printed with kanji (commonly 祭, meaning Festival) on the back and neck.
Some groups choose costumes based on historical attire, popular fashion or ethnic fashion. Typically, all members of a team wear similar costumes.

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Dancer wanted! Let's dance with us 🌟
Please feel free to contact us😊
Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021
Email: [email protected]

09/02/2021

[History of Yosakoi]

After World War 2, Japan fell into crisis. In order to instill the spirit to overcome difficulties, people from Kochi province created a cheerful dance. This was the birth of Yosakoi in 1954 (Showa 29).

Yosakoi is joyful and exciting, and the special characteristic of the dance is found in the bright smiles of the dancers. The dance was originally accompanied by a Kochi folk song called Yosakoi-bushi.
Spreading out of Kochi, Yosakoi is now widely enjoyed across the country.

In 1992, the Yosakoi Soran Festival began in the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido, showcasing an evolution of Yosakoi called Yosakoi Soran.
Following its success, a number of Yosakoi festivals began throughout Japan.

In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the Yosakoi Japan Project was established to connect regional Yosakoi teams all over Japan and to collaborate in recovery efforts.

------------------
Dancer wanted! Let's dance with us 🌟
Please feel free to contact us😊

Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021
Email: [email protected]

06/02/2021

[What is Yosakoi?]

Yosakoi (よさこい) is claimed to be a variation of Awa Odori - a traditional summer dance originating in Tokushima, Japan. Yosakoi combines traditional Japanese dancing with modern music for an energetic feel.

The choreographed dances are usually performed by large teams. Aside from the professional scene, Yosakoi is a popular activity for schools and universities.

Yosakoi participants include people of all ages – often within a single team. Yosakoi-style dance has spread all over the world, to countries such as Vietnam, Australia, England, and the United States.
In the local dialect of Kochi (historically known as Tosa), Yosakoi (夜さ来い) is derived from 'Yosshakoi', meaning "Please come at night".

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Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021
Email: [email protected]

02/02/2021

[ZEN YOSAKOI FEB 2021 APPLICATION]

Are you:
- curious about Japanese culture,
- keen to perform at Japanese culture and art events,
- someone who likes to dance as a hobby,
- or just someone simply wants to try something new?
- interested in Yosakoi?

If your answer is yes or have any of those questions, don’t hesitate to contact us or fill the below form and join us.
We welcome everyone, even without Yosakoi experience. We are more than happy to show you what it is!

We hope to see you at our practice!
------------------
Online Application Form: https://forms.gle/ZR1HUmQvBoq8iZBo7
Application Period: 02/02/2021-22/02/2021