As far as a I can tell, these guys dance to rockabilly in front of City Hall every Sunday afternoon. With slicked hair, scuffed shoes, and a formidable boombox, they dance individually in a small rotating circle to almost no fanfare. A couple friends quietly sit and watch. These guys dance with a controlled intensity, one that is recaptured after every short break and sustained throughout the afternoon. The music, the clothes, and the dancing would be nostalgic for someone who grew up seeing Elvis or
Jerry Lee Lewis on TV, but it is more likely these guys were part of the
Stray Cats generation. I have seen larger groups in Nagoya and Tokyo, always doing more or less the same thing in a very public place. I bet every major city has at least a few groups. You can go so far as to call this a sub-culture, one that has now come full-circle after brief periods of mainstream popularity. Hats off to the brave three of Kyoto.
