The way of Geisha dance demonstrates to us the importance of maiko in the traditional Japanese culture. The difficult times that the character goes through serve to prepare her for the tedious maiko training. Maiko entertains people from all cadres.
This, at the same time brings to us the rich Japanese culture. The whole process through the dance displays the thorough training the Maiko usually go through. Geisha lessons prepare women to become independent with little dependence on men.
Their sanctity when training shows how the trainers value developing maiko women who respect themselves. The main character loses parents and a sister. The death of parents and the punishment do not serve any good to the character.
The dance reveals the element of jealousy among women as they compete for the attention of men. The concept behind may not be men as depicted because maiko grow up women who never get married but it seems the push is economic gain.
An appreciation by men comes in terms of monetary rewards. The dance is crucial to the lives of many Japanese women. It has created a constant source of income to these women.
Maiko is an avenue for trainers to make income. The training is formal and schools exist. The tutors who are specially trained must be paid. The geisha houses, recruitment, and training are income-generating stages. The structure of the training itself creates a continuum that is a source of income to people at every level.
From art training, learning in teahouses through to the teachings on the navigation of social networking people earn income. The trainers, entrepreneurs who run geisha houses, hairdressers and stylists all get income. The maiko girls are very successful businesspeople.
The dance attracts tourists in Japan (Masuda 77). The visitors who are always very enthusiastic about the dance, come to purchase the traditional costumes called kimono along with the geisha makeup. Geisha has been expanded to cover modeling and taking international tours.
Through this, the Japanese culture that is considered the impeccable form of art is spread across the world. Geisha has succeeded in giving women economic and financial independence.
The comparison between Geisha and Japanese dance draws many differences. Whereas the Japanese dance has two types i.e. Odori and Mai, geisha is one dance that has two divisions that are Tchikata and Jikata. Geisha is a dance dominated by women, and the Japanese dance is male oriented.
Geisha is performed in public places that include social functions while the Japanese dance is performed in rooms. Ballet is a western traditional dance. It has its own vocabulary that compares to the special regalia won by geisha dancers.
There are several types of the ballet depending on the geographical origin including the French ballet, Russian ballet, and Italian ballet. This is different from geisha that only has one origin.
Other similarities include the training that is intensive and takes time to sharpen skills that cover a range of issues such as dancing, acting, and other artistic displays. The two dances also prominently feature women who sing and play musical instruments.
Both dances stem from the cultures of respective communities. We can confidently conclude that as much as the dances originated from countries that are far apart, they have more similarities than differences and most of them promote their respective cultures.
Works Cited
Masuda, Sayo. Autobiography of a Geisha. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. Print.