Nihon Buyo (Japanese Traditional Dance)
  Japanese dance refers to a type of performing art conceived to be performed on stage. It consists of a refined combination of elements of dance from kabuki, a form of classical drama; elements of older performing arts traditions in the form of court dance and music (bugaku and noh); and the essence of a variety of folk performing arts traditions. A number of traditional instruments play an important role as accompaniments. In short, Japanese dance can be described as the culmination of Japanese performing arts from ancient to contemporary times. Today, performers study and carry on the techniques of these earlier traditions, even as they continue to develop the underlying forms by adding techniques that have been innovated to suit new times.
  In its current form, Japanese dance, which has more than 400 years of history, can be broadly classified into kabuki dance, centered around Edo (Tokyo), and kamigata-style dance, which draws on the traditions of the Kamigata region (consisting of Kyoto and Osaka). These two forms are like the twin wheels of a car, and both have facilitated the creation of exceptional works. Against the backdrop of the influence of kabuki and kamigata-style dance, creative dance has developed as a style dedicated to the creation of new forms, for example by incorporating not only Japanese traditional music, but also Western music.
  Furthermore, a neo-Japanese dance movement (shin-buyo) featuring such elements as Japanese folk songs and popular songs has flourished in recent years.
  Today, more than 120 schools of dance are affiliated with the Japanese Dance Association, and there are 200 schools in total when non-affiliated styles are included.
  Okinawa, an area where Japanese culture has mixed with unique local influences over time, is known for Ryukyu dance, a general term that encompasses the three traditions of classical, mixed, and creative dance. Classical dance incorporating elements of Okinawa folk performing arts and foreign performing arts was used to entertain emissaries from foreign countries during the Ryukyu Kingdom era. Mixed dance developed starting in the Meiji period by dispensing with the forms of classical dance and instead drawing on themes taken from the lives of common people. Creative dance, which was born after World War II, incorporates new melodies from sources such as classical Japanese music and folk songs.

Ballet
  The history of Japanese ballet extends back 100 years, and several ballet companies were formed during the 1930s. The art developed quickly after the end of World War II, a period of great activity by numerous ballet companies and dancers. The New National Theatre, Tokyo, opened in 1997 to promote and cultivate contemporary performing arts including opera, ballet, contemporary dance, and drama. The associated New National Theatre Ballet, Tokyo, began activities at the same time the new theater opened, and the New National Theatre Ballet School opened in 2001. Today, the School occupies an important position in Japanese ballet, and it has graduated numerous dancers who are active at the forefront of the ballet world, including with the New National Theatre Ballet, Tokyo.

Dance (Contemporary dance)
  One area in which Japanese dance has won a great deal of acclaim from overseas critics is contemporary dance. Many Japanese dancers are active internationally, including dancer and choreographer Saburo Teshigawara, who won the Prix d'Auteur du Conseil general de la Seine-Saint-Denis in 1986 at France's Rencontres chorégraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, a contest in which choreographers from around the world participate. Teshigawara has choreographed performances for international companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet and the Frankfurt Ballet. Kim Itoh, who has given overseas performances in the United States and throughout Europe since his debut in 1990, won the Prix d'Auteur du Conseil general de la Seine-Saint-Denis in 1996. More recently, Kota Yamazaki and Yoshiko Chuma have joined Saburo Teshigawara in receiving Bessie Awards, which honor artists who have earned high critical acclaim throughout their careers, together with dance performances in New York during the year in which it is awarded.
  Japan is also home to a unique genre known as "dark dance", or butoh. The butoh school of dance was created by Tatsumi Hijikata in 1961, and developed as an extremely avant-garde dance form. Despite a lull in activity during the 1970s, the school became the focus of renewed interest in Japan as a result of critical acclaim for the Ushio Amagatsu-led Sankai Juku group and for dancers Min Tanaka, Akira Kasai, and Kazuo Ohno at the 14th International Festival in Nancy, France, in 1980. Today, large butoh festivals held in the United States, Russia, and other locations are popular events. The expressive style of butoh lies at the heart of contemporary dance, and the form has come to occupy an important position in Japanese dance.