札幌市大學生載歌載舞

Recently NHK News reported the following:

北海道の民謡「ソーラン節」に合わせて激しく舞い踊る恒例の「ＹＯＳＡＫＯＩソーラン祭り」が札幌市で始まりました。祭りは今月１３日まで、大通公園など札幌市内の２７の会場で開かれます。
祭りは、札幌市中心部にある大通公園の特設ステージで、午後５時半すぎから、地元の大学生を中心にした「学生ソーラン」と子どもたちの踊りで幕を開けました。ＹＯＳＡＫＯＩソーラン祭りは、高知県のよさこい節と北海道のソーラン節を組み合わせた曲で、チームごとに躍動感あふれる力強い踊りの独創性と美しさを競います。参加した大学生たちは、「みんなで心を一つにして踊りたいと思います」、「仲間といっしょに頑張ってきたので、その思いをぶつけます」と話していました。祭りは今月１３日まで、大通公園など札幌市内の２７の会場で開かれます。組織委員会によりますと、１９回目のことしは、国内と海外のあわせて３０４チームのおよそ３万人が参加し、期間中はおよそ２００万人の人出が見込まれるということです。

The "Yosakoi Sohran Festival" that as a custom had intense dance and included the folk song "Soran Festival" of Hokkaido was started in Sapporo City. The festival would be held until the 13th of this month in 27 locations of the Sapporo city such as Ohdohri Park.

The festival was held at the specially-installed stage set up at Ohdohri Park which located at the center of Sapporo City, with local university students as the center the opening was started from 5.30 pm and marked by "Student Soran" and children dancing. Yosakoi Sohran Festival was a combination of the Yosakoi Festival of Kochi Prefecture and the Soran Festival of Hokkaido which saw competition among teams in term of originality and beauty in the powerful dancing that overflowed with moving feeling based on tunes. The participating university students said, "I think everyone would adjust their mind to dance" and " absorbed into the thinking of working hard with their companion". The festival would be held in 27 locations of the Sapporo city such as Ohdohri Park until the 13th this month. According to the organizing committee, 304 teams of about 30,000 people from all over the country and from foreign countries would participate, and additionally a crowd of about two million people were expected this year being the 19th round.

I wish I could visit the Sapporo City to share the joy of this event.