Ryukyuan folk dancing;Dance--Japan;Festivals--Japan;Okinawa-ken (Japan)--Social life and customs;Dance for women--Japan

A group of dancers at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "One of the group dances with fruit-bowl hats and some of the brightest costumes in the foreground."

A group of dancers at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "One of the group dances with the straw sun helmets nearby; girls' hands uplifted."

A group of dancers at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "One of the group dances, again with the straw sun helmets in foreground, some highly decorated."

A group of dancers at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "One of the dances by the entire group, perhaps 20 in all, with the "dressing rooms" in the background shown by the white curtains of nylon parachute cloth. These were jammed with people during the whole performance, which lasted some 4 hours."

Three dancers performing a story dance at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "One of the story dances with woman crouching in foreground and two others in conversation behind her."

Performers dancing in a circle, hands uplifted, at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "The girls dancing in a ring around the revelers who are milling about the flag moved into the dance arena. There was much shouting and flailing of the air with bamboo switches."

Three dancers performing a comedy sketch at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Comedy dance by three women, with two costumed as sedanchair porters stamping about arguing. Woman supposed to be in sedan chair (big cardboard box) at edge."

Three dancers imitating canoeing at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Story dance with girls impersonating men, dressed in abaca fiber cloth, pulling paddles in an imaginary canoe."

Two dancers at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "Dance by two women in flowered kimonos and 'fruitbasket' hats, hands out forward level with shoulders, side view."

Two dancers at the school grounds in Shioya, Okinawa, celebrating the Festival for the Sea God (Umigami). Description provided by photographer Roy Simonson reads: "A dance by two women with white headdresses; dark, short skirts; and white jackets."