My first public Narimono performance

On June 26, in Ota-ku, I participated in a Narimono show which was organised by my Narimono teacher’s teacher.
It had originally been planned to be held in March, however it was cancelled to pay respect to the victims of the M9 Tohoku earthquake.

Before March, my narimono contemporaries and I practiced very hard, however when I heard that the show had been cancelled, I was disappointed.

Subsequently, my narimono teacher said to us that the show would be rescheduled for June.
Nevertheless my enthusiasm was still down.

Last month, we restarted the group practice sessions for the show. Nevertheless I had already forgotten some parts of the song that I knew perfectly before March.
So I started to listen to the song in the train, on my way to and from Hachioji everyday.

However I had another issue, which the my skin trouble on my hands.
My skin has never been very strong and in this summer in particular, my skin condition has become worse, more so than in March. My hands are sensitive and painful and it is more difficult to play the Tsuzumi.

In the early morning of the day of the show, we gathered at the okiya and changed into our kimonos.
It took about 1 hour from Hachioji to the venue in Ota-ku by car.

When we arrived at the hotel where the show was being held, we greeted our Narimono teacher, her teacher, and his pupils.

After greeting everyone we prepared the venue for the performance, and then I went to a coffee shop with my geisha sister to buy our lunch.
After a short break, the show started. My turn came soon.

Contrary to my expectation, I didn’t get nervous. When I appeared on the stage, I felt that everyone was staring at us.

In that show, we played with some singers and shamisen players. Usually we practice the Narimono to cassette tape or CD, so it was my first time to play the Narimono with live singers and shamisen players. I was excited.
I felt the performance was very short. I really enjoyed my first public Narimono performance.

After the show, my geisha mother said to me that I should focus my gaze on the floor a little in front. When I saw the photos of the performance, I realized what she was saying.
I was looking directly into the audience and it looked strange.
I also realized that the direction of the eye line of a performer is as important as their pose.

I think doing regular shows is valuable for us in order to improve our performance.