Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also "Para-Para" or "ParaPara") is a popular
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese synchronised
group danceGroup dances are danced by groups of people simultaneously, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually, and as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any....
. Unlike most
club dancingClub Dance was a TV show The Nashville Network aired for 7 years between 1991 and February 5, 1999, with re-runs until June 28, 1999The show was filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee set at a fictional "White Horse Cafe"...
and rave dancing, there are specific, preset movements for each song, and everyone does the same moves at once, much like
line dancingA line dance is choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the sex of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact with...
. Para Para is said to have existed since the early 80's, when Europe started selling
Italo DiscoItalo Disco is a very broad term, encompassing much of the disco music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of completely electronic dance music that evolved during the late 1970s / early 1980s in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and other parts of Europe.Italo...
,
Euro DiscoEuro Disco is a term that was first used during the 1970s to describe a variety of non UK-based European disco pop music...
, and later
New Wave musicNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
in Japan (New Wave came about in the mid-80's), but did not achieve much popularity outside of Japan until the late 90's, when the popularity boom of para para took place.
Para Para is performed using mostly arm movements; very little lower body movement is involved save for perhaps moving one's hips or stepping in place, although a few routines require more detailed leg motions.
Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also "Para-Para" or "ParaPara") is a popular
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese synchronised
group danceGroup dances are danced by groups of people simultaneously, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually, and as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any....
. Unlike most
club dancingClub Dance was a TV show The Nashville Network aired for 7 years between 1991 and February 5, 1999, with re-runs until June 28, 1999The show was filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee set at a fictional "White Horse Cafe"...
and rave dancing, there are specific, preset movements for each song, and everyone does the same moves at once, much like
line dancingA line dance is choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the sex of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact with...
. Para Para is said to have existed since the early 80's, when Europe started selling
Italo DiscoItalo Disco is a very broad term, encompassing much of the disco music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of completely electronic dance music that evolved during the late 1970s / early 1980s in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and other parts of Europe.Italo...
,
Euro DiscoEuro Disco is a term that was first used during the 1970s to describe a variety of non UK-based European disco pop music...
, and later
New Wave musicNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
in Japan (New Wave came about in the mid-80's), but did not achieve much popularity outside of Japan until the late 90's, when the popularity boom of para para took place.
Description
Para Para is performed using mostly arm movements; very little lower body movement is involved save for perhaps moving one's hips or stepping in place, although a few routines require more detailed leg motions. It has been speculated that it is a descendant of the traditional Bon Odori dance, however there is no known link. The dance originated from the early days in the 80's when men working in the VIP room in clubs would choreograph dances to impress the women. The dance style then grew from there. The dances are performed to fast, upbeat
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
such as
EurobeatEurobeat, as the name implies, is a music genre from Europe. It is a sub-genre of 80s italo disco . In the USA, it was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
, Hyper Techno and
EurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music originated in the early 1990s. It combines many elements from House, Hi-NRG, Italo-Disco. Starting in the early 1990s and continuing these days, Eurodance production continues to evolve with a more modernized style that incorporates elements from...
. Fans of Para Para dancing often call themselves "Paralists".
Variants
Some variants of Para Para are also present, such as
TechPara (which would be danced to Hyper techno) and
TraPara (which would be danced to
tranceTrance is a style of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s. Trance music is generally characterized by a tempo of between 130 and 155 BPM, short melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down throughout a track. Trance can be understood as a combination of...
). This is also known as
Torapara due to trance being written as トランス (
toransu) in Japanese.
Para para in popular culture
- Para Para experienced a huge boom in Japan in 1998–1999 when pop idol Takuya Kimura
is an actor and a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan. He has become one of the most well-known and successful actors/singers/entertainers in Japan and Asia.-Early life and pre-fame:...
of SMAPSMAP is a Japanese "idol" group, formed by Johnny & Associates. Originally, there were six members in the group; current members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori....
performed it on television. It was such a great impact that even Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
danced it in Tokyo Disneylandis a 115 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and was opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering in the same style as Disneyland in...
. People in Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
and other Tokyo Disneyland costumes appeared on television dancing it with Takuya Kimurais an actor and a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan. He has become one of the most well-known and successful actors/singers/entertainers in Japan and Asia.-Early life and pre-fame:...
.
- The Japanese video game company Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
has released a series of video games called ParaParaParadise, often abbreviated PPP, is an arcade and Playstation 2 dance game made by the Japanese company Konami and released under the Bemani moniker following the booming Para Para fad.-Gameplay:...
as part of its Bemaniis Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G.M.D., it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games.-Bemani video games:...
series of music-based games. The game features an octagonal platform with motion detectingMotion can be detected by measuring change in speed or vector of an object or objects in the field of view. This can be achieved either by mechanical devices that physically interact with the field or by electronic devices that quantifies and measures changes in the given environment.When motion...
sensors above it. Players must trigger the sensors by moving their arms (or other body parts) under the sensors when a corresponding arrow reaches the top of the screen placed at the front of the platform.
- Para Para Sakura, a film
Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
starring Aaron KwokAaron Kwok Fu-Shing is a Hong Kong singer and film actor from the 1990s to the present. The media refer to him, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . Kwok's onstage dancing and displays is influenced by Michael Jackson...
, features some Para Para dancing in the context of a romantic plot. The theme song for the film, Para Para Sakura, is not related to any form of Para Para based music.
- In Chapter 30 of the manga
Manga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
series Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Don Patch performs the Para Para with a group of catThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s.
- In one episode of the anime
is animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
Dragon Ball GT, Goku, his granddaughter Pan, their friend Trunks, and even the robot Giru are put under a Para Para-type dance by the three Para Para Brothers.
- In a number of Japanese pop star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
Ayumi Hamasakiis a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also called Ayu by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment...
's concerts, Ayumi taught her fans the routines for her songs 'Trauma' and 'Independent' and got her fans to dance along with her. The same situation was with a very famous Japanese band called - Psycho le CemuPsycho le Cému is a Japanese Visual rock band. Its members are Aya, Daishi, Lida, Seek, and Yuraサマ...
. Guitarist Aya and drummer Yura-sama danced a lot to their songs: Gekiai merry-go-round, Yume Kazuguruma, Prism, Ai no Uta and MEGATRON. They even recorded a "How to dance" video, so people could learn and dance with them.
- In the anime
is animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
School Rumble - Second Termis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Jin Kobayashi and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The final chapter was released on July 23, 2008, and the 283 chapters were collected in 22 bound volumes by Kodansha. The sequel, School Rumble Z, is published in the monthly Shōnen...
, Tenma Tsukamoto does the para para in Episode 17 in an attempt to ruin an arranged marriage between Eri Sawachika, who she is posing as, and an unnamed groom, whom Kenji Harima is posing as.
- In the anime
is animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
Super Gals!, para para dancing is a popular pastime for the main character, Kotobuki Ran.
- Para Para dancing can be seen in parts of the 2006 film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 film directed by Justin Lin and the third installment of The Fast and the Furious film series. The film features an all-new cast and a different setting from the previous two films...
.
- Para Para dancing appeared in one of the bonus features from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 film directed by Justin Lin and the third installment of The Fast and the Furious film series. The film features an all-new cast and a different setting from the previous two films...
DVD where one of the co-actors gives the viewer a short lesson of Para Para Basic Dance.
- A line of Yoko Ishida CDs have remixes of anime songs with a Para Para beat, appropriately named Para Para.
- In the video game Rumble Roses XX
Rumble Roses XX is a female fighting game that was developed by YUKE's Future Media Creators and Konami for the Xbox 360 and is the sequel to the PlayStation 2 game, Rumble Roses...
, one of the penalty games of Queen's Match is Para-Para Dancing and that girl who lost is forced to perform it and depending on the costume the player chose, the girl may have a positive, neutral or negative reaction.
- In the video game Gitaroo Man, on the second level, the background characters are doing para para.
- Para Para dancing is performed and mentioned in the 2001 Hello! Project
is the umbrella name for all female idol Japanese pop recording artists collective that are under contract with the Up-Front Group. The "mothership" group of Hello! Project is the supergroup Morning Musume. The main producer and songwriter is Tsunku, the lead singer of Sharan Q.- History :In 2007,...
Shuffle Group song by .
- Para Para is also used in the Soran Happies Video for Odore! Soran Parapara.
- Para Para dancing appears briefly near the end of the video for the KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria Tunstall better known as KT Tunstall is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. She broke into the public eye with a live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
song Hold On"Hold On" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic . The song was released as the album's first single on 16 July 2007 in the United States and on 13 August 2007...
.
- Para Para dancing is featured heavily in the 2006 Japanese dorama Gal Circle. Many of the episodes revolve around it and nearly all of the major characters belong to a gal circle that is dedicated to it.
- Para para is danced in La Revolución Sexual music video by the Spanish Group La Casa Azul
La Casa Azul is a Spanish pop band that combines many of the qualities of 1960s American pop bands like the Beach Boys and 1970s European disco-pop acts like ABBA with clean, clear production reminiscent of Shibuya-kei. This distinctive sound was created by producer Guille Milkyway, who also writes...
- The eighth opening for Detective Conan features the main character Para Para dancing.
- Para Para dancing appears in one episode of the popular drama serie Seigi no Mikata (Ally of justice)
- J-pop band, Hinoi Team did Para Para dances for some of their songs.
Current trends
In April 2005, the Para Para dance for "
Dragostea Din Tei"Dragostea din tei" , also known as "The Numa Numa Song", is the most successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone. It shot to the #1 spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004. It reached number 1 in Germany and stayed there for 14...
" was aired on the popular show
SMAP×SMAPSMAP×SMAP is an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it airs from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday...
in Japan (the same programme which created the '98 boom). The
Para Para Paradiseis a video series, produced by AVEX Records, that shows various dancers doing Para Para. It featured the ParaPara AllStars - Richiyo "Richie" Watanabe, Satoko Yamazaki, Ryoko Odakura, Tomomi Kudo, Maki Koyata, and Miho Kawara.-Para Para Stadium:*Release Date...
video series has since been replaced by the Gazen Para Para!! series of CDs and DVDs, marketed to younger teens using popular
ganguroGanguro is an alternative fashion trend of blonde or orange hair and tanned skin among young Japanese women that peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains evident today. The purpose is to elicit the iconic look of tanned, blonde girls of California, USA...
models from
Egg magazineEgg is a style magazine for gyaru fashion, distributed in Japan. It features photos of ganguro girls and synopses about what they like or a popular trend. Egg also usually has photos of the newest fashions, where to buy them, latest hairstyles, cell phones, and make up tips...
. However, as with past trends, the boom has quieted down, though Avex continues to promote Para Para through its
Super EurobeatSuper Eurobeat is a CD compilation series of Eurobeat music in Japan. The series itself is one of the longest running in the entire world. It has been running for over eighteen years and consists of 199 volumes as of July 2009...
, We Love Techpara, and Gazen Para Para!! compilation series.
As of 2008, Gazen Para Para!! has ended, and Chouzen Para Para!!, a slight reinvention of the series, has begun. Avex is currently preparing for the release of Super Eurobeat Volume 200 and many events are expected to be held in the Summer of 2009.
Para Para outside of Japan
Para para has devoted fan bases in all countries outside Japan. Many paralists often gather a few times a year for performances and events at conventions and parties.
The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Russia and Spain are notable for having para para teams and more active fanbases.
However, most events in the United States occur at anime conventions, due to the fan base being very scattered.
In the United States, Geneon Entertainment has released the
Para Para MAX US Mix series of CDs. The discs contain
remixA remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. This name is also used for any alterations of medias other than a song ....
es of
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
theme musicTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
from
Neon Genesis EvangelionThe franchise is a multi-billion dollar umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax. The central works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic mecha action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization Nerv to fight monstrous...
,
Pokémonis a media franchise published by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video game-based media franchise in the world,...
,
Magic Knight Rayearthis a Japanese manga series created by Clamp, a mangaka team made up by Satsuki Igarashi, Ageha Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi and Mokona. Rayearth combines elements from the magical girl and mecha anime genres with parallel world fantasy....
, and many other different anime productions. Volumes 1, 2 and 3 were released in August, October, and December 2005, respectively. Geneon also held contests to promote the CD and its anime series. 2005's contest was held at
OtakonOtakon is a fan convention in the United States focusing on East Asian popular culture and its fandom. The name is a portmanteau derived from convention and the Japanese word otaku...
on 20 August 2005. Geneon's efforts failed to expand the reach of Para Para in the United States, and the series is generally considered a failure by American fans. Regardless of this, Geneon released a Para Para instructional DVD called
ParaPara MAX: The Moves 101, featuring several well-known United States paralists. The DVD did not sell well due to an exclusive sales agreement with
Media PlayMedia Play was a chain of retail stores founded in 1992 by Musicland that sold movies on video, DVDs, music, Electronics, video games, books, and games in the United States. Each store essentially contained a book store, a movie store, a music store, and a video game store under one roof. At...
,
Sam GoodySam Goody was a music and entertainment retailer in the United States and United Kingdom. It is owned and operated by Trans World Entertainment which also runs FYE, Saturday Matinee, and Suncoast Motion Picture Company...
and
Suncoast Motion Picture CompanySuncoast Motion Picture Company is an American chain of retail stores specializing in pre-recorded videos, particularly movies but also carries television series. The stores sell them in the DVD, and Blu-ray formats. The stores also carry various other items, including movie-related posters, toys,...
, as they soon went out of business. The DVD can still be purchased online or from various vendors at anime conventions. After the Anime Fusion Tour's conclusion in the summer of 2006,
Yoko Ishidais a Japanese singer, employed under Hyper Voice. She is known for having performed theme songs for anime shows such as Prétear, Ai Yori Aoshi and the Ah! My Goddess TV series, as well as for having sung for the Para Para Max CD series....
's management changed, which lead to the end of Geneon's promotion of Para Para in the United States.
Recently, Super Eurobeat Artist Collections have been made available worldwide on iTunes. Some of the artists included are Dave Rodgers, Domino and Mega NRG Man.
Many Para Para teams have also been forming in the USA and performing at Japanese and Anime related events. The groups are regional.
See also
- Gazen ParaPara!!
Gazen ParaPara!! is the new wave of ParaPara merchandise from avex trax focused on Japanese teenagers...
- Para Para Paradise
is a video series, produced by AVEX Records, that shows various dancers doing Para Para. It featured the ParaPara AllStars - Richiyo "Richie" Watanabe, Satoko Yamazaki, Ryoko Odakura, Tomomi Kudo, Maki Koyata, and Miho Kawara.-Para Para Stadium:*Release Date...
- AVEX Records
- Eurobeat
Eurobeat, as the name implies, is a music genre from Europe. It is a sub-genre of 80s italo disco . In the USA, it was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
- Hand jive
The Hand jive is a dance particularly associated with rock and roll and rhythm and blues music of the 1950s. It involves a complicated pattern of hand moves and claps at various parts of the body, following and/or imitating the percussion instruments. It resembles a highly elaborate version of...
External links