OKEIKO 20

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OKEIKO20
’Koshi wo ireru”. Translated word for word it means: ’to put the hip/lower back in', which also shows how difficult it is to translate this sentence. Even as a Japanese phrase it feels a bit strange. What do you put in your hip? Where do you put your hip in? You do not put anything in it, and do not put it anywhere. You do not put strength into your lower back, and also do not just lower your hip. Whether you are standing or sitting, whether you are playing a male or a female role, you 'apply your hips and lower back', i.e. ’koshi wo ireru’. There are many ways to do it, for instance when protraying a sophisticated man the dancer applies the lower back and hip area while straightening up (their back). It seems that the only way to really understand, what 'applying the lower back and hips' means is to do a lot of OKEIKO.
(Mitsuko T. Sakurai)

(Translator's note: the concept on 'koshi wo ireru' might be easier to grasp, when one thinks of is as that by engaging the core muscles around the body's centre of gravity - i.e. the waist and hip girdle - , the dancer creates a stable base for the various movements, or stands on the floor with a stable, almost unyielding balance.)