Places to go Ballroom Dancing in Japan (Tokyo, anyway...)
Shahrukh Merchant
1. Toho Dance Hall, 7th floor, Toho Twin Tower Building ("Hibiya"
subway stop). Tel: 3504-1761 or 3504-1763. M-F 5-11 p.m.
Sa 2-11 p.m. Su/Hol 2-10 p.m. Admission Yen 1,900 (~US$14).
2. Stereo Dance Hall, Shinjuku, Tel: 3200-9035. M-F 5-11 p.m.
Sa/Su/Hol 12:30-11:00 p.m. Admission Yen 1,900
3. Rendezvous (Japanese pronunciation is closer to Lon-day-boo),
Shinjuku, Tel: 3208-5041
4. Odeon, Shinjuku, no additional information.
5. Shinseike, Ueno, no additional information.
6. (In Yokohama) Shirobasha. Only have vague directions:
Near Yokohama Station--take West exit. Near the river, on
a street along the Sagami line railroad tracks.
Notes:
a. Those I went to all have live bands that appear to play non-stop(!);
perhaps band members rotate in and out.
b. Music is pretty much standard international tempos. Dancers are a
mix of social (perhaps 90%) and competitive (about 10%).
c. Seating at the Toho Dance Hall was mainly on chairs around the
floor and at the bar. There is an extra charge for seating at
tables in a separate area.
d. I only went to (1) and (2) above. I tried to check out the Rendezvous
(3) and was told at the entrance "Only for Japanese"! I didn't make
a fuss, but when I lingered a couple of seconds just to look, I was
led out quite firmly! This xenophobia was really the exception,
though (and shocked a Japanese friend of mine to whom I described
the incident); I did not get any indication of being unwelcomed
at either of the other places, even though in all cases I was the
only non-Japanese.
e. All the dance places have "professional dance partners" (female only)
whose dance services you can obtain for 1,700 Yen or so per half
hour. (I think this disappeared in the US about 50 years ago!)
They also have male professionals, whose services are limited to
instruction (including private instruction). The female
professionals either instruct or partner. (No flames to *me* about
sexism, please--I'm only the reporter!)
f. Most people seemed to come as couples; there were a few singles--
men and women, but probably more men.
g. Most of these places were identified to me by a friendly and
slightly drunk man whom I met at the Toho Dance Hall which, in turn,
was located for me by the "Social Director"(!) at the New Otani
Hotel. According to the latter, her research on my behalf
indicated that there is nothing in Tokyo equivalent to the
studio dance parties that are quite common in the US.
h. Ballroom dancing is apparently known mainly as "social dancing" in
Japan (at least by the non-ballroom-dancers). When I enquired about
ballroom dance places, I got lots of puzzled looks, until I named
some ballroom dances. "Oh," said the Social Director, "you mean
'Social Dancing'!"
Can anyone add to this list or fill in the gaps?
Shahrukh Merchant
merc...@mvuxn.att.com
kren...@gmail.com
I have learned of the Dance Hall Shinseiki, which we hope to dance at later this year:
Website(only Japanese): http://bossiweb.com/shinseiki/
Address: 1-1-14 Negishi, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Phone: +81-3-3874-7984
Access: 1 min walking from Uguisudani station
The concierges at the New Otani and Dai-Ichi Tokyo told me about it as well as someone from the Japanese Social Dance Club. I was told they welcome foreign visitors, although there is no one on the premises that speaks English. Not sure about the dress code but the limited number of photos on the website show men in white shirt, tie, and vest or coat.