Emotion

Mameaya debuted of Ninben in Gion Kobu on the very lucky day of May 9th 2019. Even though she has had a more thorough training as a Shikomi than in any other district in Kyoto, her dancing as a junior Maiko is not expected to be as expressive as that of her onesan Mameryo, a true veteran and seasoned performer. Keeping this in mind, one can only marvel at the depth of emotion this photo managed to capture. A magic moment of intense feeling.

Inoue’s dance school is deeply rooted in Noh and characterized by controlled and sparse movements and gestures while the facial expressions are kept to a minimum to emulate the Noh mask. So in a sense Mameaya still has a way to go to learn to convey the feelings of the dance to her audience with her eyes only but i find it incredibly charming to see her in this state of emotional sacrifice to the observer. Evidently, when examining this photo, it is easy to see why Gion Kobu’s Maiko go through such an intense and long training, they are disciplined to be the elite of their trade. Mameaya is already a gifted dancer and i have no doubt that she has the talent and drive to become just a polished dancer as her onesan before her. I can’t wait to see her progress as an artist and as a student of the Inoue school, a style unique to the Geiko of Gion Kobu.

Source: Lonny Chic on Instagram