I cannot help but show contemporary aspects of the body when dancing the classics, because I am a woman living today. I make it a point to put my conscious mind close to the body image of male dancers, and then I apply my feelings onto the final output as my physique. This process makes me realize women’s beauty within onnagata, focusing on and transcending time.
―Ranshou Fujima

Kabuki dance (歌舞伎舞踊) refers to either the dance performances that take place in a kabuki play or a kabuki play centered on dance, also known as shosagoto (所作事). Developed after the Genroku period (1688-1704), kabuki dance has always been closely tied to onnagata, a form of performance in which male actors play female roles. The practice first emerged in the 17th century, when women were barred from acting in kabuki theatre. The most notable kabuki dance programs, such as Dōjōji (道成寺), Sagi Musume (鷺娘), and Sekinoto (積恋雪関扉), first premiered in the 18th century and were subsequently developed further by male onnagata actors. Examples of early onnagata grandmasters include Segawa Kikunojō (瀬川菊之丞) and Nakamura Tomijūrō (中村富十郎), both of whom established key programs in the Dōjōji genre—respectively, Keisei Dōjōji (傾城道成寺) and Kyokanoko Musume Dōjōji (京鹿子娘道成寺). In the early 20th century, when female dancers were once again allowed to appear on stage, they started creating new works (e.g. Rangiku (乱菊)) that inherited many of the traditional onnagata expressions developed by men for the male physique.

The “PREMIERE” sidebar below can be used to filter the Ranshou’s performances by the Japanese era in which each program first premiered.