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Yosakoi Festivals: The Global Phenomenon of a Local Dance
Kochi’s Yosakoi festival has spread around the world due to the way it uniquely centers creativity and freedom.
By Eric Margolis
It’s prime summer. That means that Japan’s city centers, streets, and shrines come alive with the song, dance, parades, and food stalls of festival season. Most festivals are hyper-local to the history, culture, mythology, and religion of their respective towns. However, one festival has expanded to cross borders, not just within Japan’s prefectures but across the globe: Yosakoi.
While the Yosakoi dance festival has hyper-local origins in Kochi City, it’s become a global phenomenon. The dances are now held in Osaka and Sapporo, New York, Paris, and Sao Paulo. Kochi’s main festival features Yosakoi dance teams coming from 34 different countries and regions.
Unlike the specific sets for most festival dances, dancers create their own choreography in massive, fiercely competitive contests held every year. Yosakoi uniquely centers creativity and freedom, which has led to all sorts of…
