Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the development of street dance culture and the practice places used by street dancers in the Kyoto and Osaka areas. In Japan, many street dancers practice outdoors. Certain outdoor places were vital for keeping street dance culture alive in that area. In this study, eight dancers, of a wide range of ages, were interviewed about their dance history by a semi-structural interview. Through this study, the three following points were revealed: by making a chronological record of practice places, the transition of practice places in Kyoto and Osaka was separated into seven eras. The process of using the place by street dancers, including the reason why they seek new places and the way they deal with problems that happened in the place was illustrated by a flow chart. The differences in the use of practice spaces between Japan and other countries such as Denmark and Germany were also revealed. Overall, this study highlights the importance of public places and their role in culture development.