VOA文化艺术2024--Inspired by Olympics, Japanese Seniors Learn Breakdancing

 

Inspired by Olympics, Japanese Seniors Learn Breakdancing

Saruwaka Kiyoshie is a 74-year-old surfer and classical Japanese dancer. Now Saruwaka is interested in a new event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris: breakdancing.

"I used to see kids breakdancing under the railroad¹ tracks and would think to myself, 'I'd probably be one of them if I were young'," Saruwaka said. "And now, breaking is going to be added in Paris, and Japan even has a gold medal candidate²."

Saruwaka is a member of a seniors' breakdancing group. It is Ara Style Senior, Japan's only breakdancing group made up of older citizens.

A rehearsal³

On a recent Friday, eight members gathered in a community center to prepare for a performance at a local celebration. They wore orange and green T-shirts.

The team is the result of work by Reiko Maruyama, 71, an elected official in Tokyo's Edogawa area.

Maruyama had been speaking with Yusuke Arai, the son of a friend and a former national breaking champion. Maruyama presented the idea of getting older people into breakdancing.

"I told him, now that it's going to be an Olympic discipline, this is the breakthrough moment!" she said.

Arai, who has judged breaking competitions, agreed.

Arai started with Maruyama as his only older student early last year.

He suggested that Maruyama join the children he teaches in a performance that would be held at a community center last spring.

Not wanting to be the only adult in a sea of schoolchildren, Maruyama asked Saruwaka to join.

"I want to spread breaking among seniors in Edogawa..., and from Edogawa to the rest of Japan and maybe even the world," Maruyama said.

At the recent gathering⁴, music played. The women took their places and did their dance movements. There were plenty of smiles.

"You can't help but laugh when you see yourself in these funny poses," said the councilwoman. She added, "I think it's great that you can laugh, dance, and stay healthy, and that's why I recommend it to people around me."

'There's no way I can breakdance at my age'

Ara Style Senior now has about 15 members.

The moves the dancers attempt are different from the impossibly difficult moves that competitors will perform at the Olympics. The point for Ara Style's dancers, though, is to have fun and stay healthy.

"At first I thought, 'There's no way I can breakdance at my age,'" said 69-year-old Hitomi Oda. "And of course, we can't do anything extreme, but it's fun just to do the easy moves and get the body working."

For Saruwaka, breaking is a welcome change from her responsibility of passing on the art of the 400-year-old Saruwaka school of classical dance.

"I suspect I'll be breakdancing for as long as I live," she said, noting that it helped strengthen her lower body so she could continue with classical dance.

"I bet⁶ I can do it until I'm 100, if I'm still alive," she said.

surf - v. to ride on ocean waves using a special board

breakdance - v. to perform a kind of dancing (breakdancing) that involves touching⁷ the ground with various parts of the body

senior - n. an older person

discipline - n. a field or subject of study; an athletic⁸ event that requires study and practice

breakthrough - n. an important success or event

pose⁵ -- n. the position in which someone stands, sits, or lies down (especially for the purposes of art - photography, painting, dancing, etc.)

1 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

2 candidate   

n.候选人；候补者；投考者，申请求职者

参考例句：

• Voters like a candidate who has the common touch. 投票者喜欢那些平易近人的候选人。
• The local newspapers dressed up the candidate as a boxer.当地报纸把那个候选人描绘成一个拳击手。

3 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 pose   

vt.造成，陈述；vi.摆姿势，装腔作势；n.姿势

参考例句：

• He sat in a relaxed pose.他轻松自如地坐着。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend.他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

6 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

7 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

8 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。