Ryukyuan Dance

During Okinawa's days as a fiefdom of Japan, tax collectors would travel to the villages and islands extracting payments from the people. This Zo or Popular Dance is set to a song telling this tale.
The song comically portrays the arrogance of the tax collectors as they visit their constituents, and of the young girls assigned to serve the boorish men.
This dance is one of the many maiden's dances (angwa moi) choreographed in the late Meiji years and later. The dancers wear short hemmed kimono, firmly fastened with broad obi. With a single tisaji scarf is draped over both shoulders, the delicate moves of the young female dancer gives an unstinting portrayal of the innocence and robustness of the village girls.
The foot and hand movements set to the music, and the beauty of the hand gestures give full play to the fullness and richness of this Zo dance.
From the text of the song, it is apparent that the original was meant for several dancers but on occasion, this is danced as a character piece or solo.