I think Westerners are always impressed by the way these dancers can move in such long costumes, with all that cumbersome, draped fabric. Yet their movements are dainty, and they are very picture of feminine grace and elegance. Poetry in motion...Beautiful.
As someone learned the traditional Hawaiian hula dance as a youth, I am always amazed by the similarities between these ancient Japanese dances and the Hawaiian dance tradition. Traditional hula is modest and refined just like this elegant dance.
There was a video made a few years ago that featured a professional hula dancer and Tayuu Kisaragi-san. Tayuu are different than geisha but perform dances of the nobility and other various arts ^^ They bonded over preserving their culture through their arts ^^
