Ono, Sayako (2015) Ballet as liberation : Dreams, desire and resistance among urban Japanese women. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/22783 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. 1 Ballet as Liberation: Dreams, Desire and Resistance among Urban Japanese Women Sayako Ono Department of Anthropology and Sociology School of Oriental and African Studies University of London Thesis presented to the University of London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 2 Declaration for PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: _____ _________________ Date: 26/06/2015_____________ 3 Abstract This thesis explores how ballet, a western performing art, provides middle-class women with a sense of fulfillment and an opportunity to escape hegemonic gender ideals in Japan. In everyday situations Japanese women are expected to dedicate their time and energy to others – husbands, parents, children and workplace superiors. I argue that indulging their own personal enjoyment is not encouraged by broader society, while in the post-bubble era the expression of neoliberal and globalised individualism is recognised among younger generations. Within this context of expected behaviour, some women use and consume ballet as a tool of resistance, albeit a fragile one, against the ‘traditional’ gender norms of Japanese society. Among anthropologists ballet is rarely a mainstream topic for analysis becauseit is seen as a western ‘high art’, far removed from their traditional fields of study. Therefore the following thesis offers a novel anthropological perspective on the study of ballet as performed by middle- class amateur housewives and by doing so highlights contemporary Japanese notions of gender relations and sense of embodied selfhood. 4 Acknowledgements It was my long cherished dream to research ballet in an academic way because of my happy memories of dancing ballet during my childhood years in Japan. As an anthropologist, it was a great joy for me to go back to my homeland and visit my old ballet schools although my main research area focused on unfamiliar ballet studios for ethical reasons. Ballet schools, regardless of whether they are for amateur or professional dancers, remain a closed world to curious onlookers and researchers. Therefore without my old classmates, their mothers, as well as junior and senior students from my old ballet schools, I could never have obtained such rich data within the time frame of my field research. In particular, I am grateful to Shintani-san, Kaoru-san and Noriko-san, who made special efforts during my fieldwork so that I could meet, observe and interview various practitioners of ballet. I express my deep-felt gratitude to Dr. Lola Martinez, who supervised my doctoral work at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Without her understanding and insights into ballet and her critical accompaniment through my PhD studies, this thesis would have never been completed. My special thanks also to Dr. Stephen Hughes, the Research Tutor at SOAS, for his support and understanding. I also thank Professor David Slater at Sophia University, Japan, for his help and guidance during my fieldwork and writing-up. I would like to thank my colleagues, Dr. Emma Cook (at Hokkaido University) and Gabriel Klaeger (at Goethe University) who supported and encouraged me during my moments of doubt and struggle. I extend my thanks to Dr. George Kunnath (at University of Oxford) and Dr. Paul Hansen (at Hokkaido University) for their insightful comments on my work. My biggest thanks are due to my parents and sister. Their kindness, endurance and understanding encouraged me towards the completion of this research. In particular, when my research visa in the UK expired and I had no choice but complete my thesis from Japan, their cooperation, support and accompaniment made my long-cherished dream come true at last. From the depth of my heart, I say thank you. 5 Table of Contents Declaration for PhD thesis ........................................................................................................... 2 Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 5 List of photographs ....................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 9 Finding a Methodological approach: Being a native anthropologist .........................................11 The Anthropology of Dance ...................................................................................................... 21 The Anthropology of Classical Ballet ....................................................................................... 32 The Anthropology of Dance and Classical Ballet in Japan ....................................................... 36 Ballet as okeikogoto .................................................................................................................. 37 Dance okeikogoto: Women, ballet and consumption ................................................................ 42 Thesis structure ......................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 2 Middle-class Ethos and Selfhood: A Historical look at the female consumption of ballet in a male dominant society .......................................................................................... 54 Pre- and early post-war era: Ballet for the upper-classes .......................................................... 56 Post-war era and professional housewives; Ballet for a rising middle-class and consumer culture ....................................................................................................................................... 62 Contextualising ballet in Japan ................................................................................................. 79 Chapter 3 Cultural Capital and Distinction: Mothers who take their children to ballet class............................................................................................................................................... 84 The class system in Japan: Neoliberalism, distinction and taste differences within the shared fields of the middle-class .......................................................................................................... 86 Observing the Observers: Interactions with Ballet Mothers at T.K. Ballet Studio and Fairy Ballet Studio .............................................................................................................................. 90 Ethnography Part 1: Exploring Social status, different tastes and the lifestyle of mothers ...... 98 Shared tastes among mothers in Group A ............................................................................... 101 Mothers in Group B ................................................................................................................ 107 6 Analysis ....................................................................................................................................114 Part 2: The Body ..................................................................................................................... 127 A historical view of the westernised body .............................................................................. 127 Upright posture, a flexible body and good proportions .......................................................... 130 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 135 Chapter 4 Agency within Ballet’s Hierarchy: Descriptions of dancing women ................. 138 Discussion and Debate: Senses of self in the pre and post-bubble era ................................... 139 Ethnography ...........................................................................................................................