JET Programme Series: From Contestant #5 to Dansu no Sensei - Patricia Lewis
2022/8/23
JET Programme Series: From Contestant #5 to Dansu no Sensei - Patricia Lewis
Consider two extraordinary cultures so close physically, yet so far apart, now being melded by a Caribbean infused East Asian. This was the case on July 22nd, when the community of Uchiko got their first ever real life taste of East Indian and Trinbagonian culture. I was privileged with the opportunity to share our culture by teaching a Bollywood dance to the most amazing group of Japanese ladies. By no means am I a professional, but I have been dancing for many years and I simply love dance, whether it be Indian, African or Latin. It was such a pleasure to spend time with my new community and witness them discover the immense talent hidden within each of them.
The turn-out was strong and so was their zeal to learn, laugh and chamkay. Each year ALT’s are allowed the opportunity to put on a cultural exhibition for the community to participate in. In this event the ALT is expected to share some facet about their culture or about their country. I initially opted to teach them how to cook a tasty curried chicken and dumplings but because of Covid, that proposal was not accepted. So, I did the next best thing. I presented on the background of East Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago, with Diwali highlighted as the main event. I even showed them Mehindi and all the traditional Indian wears and food. In Japan, tattoos are considered very taboo. People who have tattoos are usually associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mob).
But, I wanted to show them the beauty of Mehindi and its meaning and that it is temporary. As such I had Mehindi flown in from India and did some designs on my hands and feet. The ladies loved it and were even excited for me to do Mehindi for them. Although, I wore a very simple Indian wear for the dance presentation the participants expressed that they thought it was stunning. Oh how I regret not forcing a more elaborate outfit into my suitcase, even sacrificing some other article of clothing I love.
Japanese styled dances typically include Mai and Odori, which are more slow styles of dance compared to Bollywood styled dance. These styles of dance are graceful but a bit slow so I was a bit worried about the participants’ ability to move at such an accelerated pace. But, to my surprise they all adapted well and were able to remember the steps and execute them very energetically.
Throughout the evening of dance practice they all helped each other perfect the dance and the end product was beautiful. It was such an encouraging experience because I could see how genuinely interested and fascinated the attendees were with Trinbagonian culture. I am the first Trinidadian ALT to live in Uchiko and I feel honored to be their first impression of Trinidad and Tobago and our rich multinational, multicultural nation.
This was the first tangible thing I have taught so far in Uchiko and it was immensely successful. Even after the cultural day, the ladies asked if I would be willing to teach them the rest of the dance as the session was not long enough to learn the entire thing. Of course my answer was yes, I am happy they enjoyed it and I am glad to share with them.
I want to highlight that this isn’t a one way street of culture sharing. In the past 5 months I have been learning to play Taiko, which is the Japanese drums, as well as learning the Japanese language. This is only possible because the community members here donate their time and effort to teaching us the ALT’s about their culture as much as they are learning from us. I marvel at the cultural highway that has been formed between us and expect much more exciting things in the near future. Until next time Sayonara from Uchiko.
JET Series: From Contestant #5 to Dansu no Sensei (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
Video Session
JET Programme Series Archives
The turn-out was strong and so was their zeal to learn, laugh and chamkay. Each year ALT’s are allowed the opportunity to put on a cultural exhibition for the community to participate in. In this event the ALT is expected to share some facet about their culture or about their country. I initially opted to teach them how to cook a tasty curried chicken and dumplings but because of Covid, that proposal was not accepted. So, I did the next best thing. I presented on the background of East Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago, with Diwali highlighted as the main event. I even showed them Mehindi and all the traditional Indian wears and food. In Japan, tattoos are considered very taboo. People who have tattoos are usually associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mob).
But, I wanted to show them the beauty of Mehindi and its meaning and that it is temporary. As such I had Mehindi flown in from India and did some designs on my hands and feet. The ladies loved it and were even excited for me to do Mehindi for them. Although, I wore a very simple Indian wear for the dance presentation the participants expressed that they thought it was stunning. Oh how I regret not forcing a more elaborate outfit into my suitcase, even sacrificing some other article of clothing I love.
Japanese styled dances typically include Mai and Odori, which are more slow styles of dance compared to Bollywood styled dance. These styles of dance are graceful but a bit slow so I was a bit worried about the participants’ ability to move at such an accelerated pace. But, to my surprise they all adapted well and were able to remember the steps and execute them very energetically.
Throughout the evening of dance practice they all helped each other perfect the dance and the end product was beautiful. It was such an encouraging experience because I could see how genuinely interested and fascinated the attendees were with Trinbagonian culture. I am the first Trinidadian ALT to live in Uchiko and I feel honored to be their first impression of Trinidad and Tobago and our rich multinational, multicultural nation.
This was the first tangible thing I have taught so far in Uchiko and it was immensely successful. Even after the cultural day, the ladies asked if I would be willing to teach them the rest of the dance as the session was not long enough to learn the entire thing. Of course my answer was yes, I am happy they enjoyed it and I am glad to share with them.
I want to highlight that this isn’t a one way street of culture sharing. In the past 5 months I have been learning to play Taiko, which is the Japanese drums, as well as learning the Japanese language. This is only possible because the community members here donate their time and effort to teaching us the ALT’s about their culture as much as they are learning from us. I marvel at the cultural highway that has been formed between us and expect much more exciting things in the near future. Until next time Sayonara from Uchiko.
JET Series: From Contestant #5 to Dansu no Sensei (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
Video Session
JET Programme Series Archives