Para Para (パラパラ^?, "Para-Para" or "ParaPara") is a synchronized group dance that originated in Japan. Unlike most club dancing and rave dancing there are specific synchronized movements for each song much like line dancing. Para Para is said to have existed since the early '80s when European countries started selling Italo Disco, Euro Disco, and in the mid- to late-1970s New Wave music in Japan, but did not achieve much popularity outside of Japan until the late '90s.

Para Para is strongly associated with eurobeat. Dave Rodgers, a highly-recognized^{[citation needed]} eurobeat producer, has described Para Para as the only way to dance to eurobeat, which is usually "so fast".^[1]

Description[link]

Para Para dancing consists of 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^{[citation needed]}. The dance originated in the early 80's when men working in the VIP room in clubs would choreograph dances to impress women^{[citation needed]}. The dance style then grew from there. The dances are performed to fast, upbeat music such as Eurobeat, Hyper Techno, and Eurodance. Fans of Para Para dancing often call themselves "Paralists"^{[citation needed]}.

Variants[link]

Some variants of Para Para dancing are TechPara (which would be danced to Hyper techno) and TraPara (which would be danced to trance). This is also known as Torapara due to the word trance being written as toransu (トランス^?) in Japanese.

In Popular Culture[link]

• Para Para experienced a huge boom in Japan in 1998–1999 when pop idol Takuya Kimura of SMAP performed it on television^{[citation needed]}. It had such a large impact that even Mickey Mouse danced it in Tokyo Disneyland^{[citation needed]}. People in Mickey Mouse and other Tokyo Disneyland costumes appeared on television dancing it with Takuya Kimura^{[citation needed]}.

• The Japanese video game company Konami has released a series of video games called ParaParaParadise as part of its Bemani series of music-based games. The games feature an octagonal platform with motion detecting sensors above it. Players must trigger the sensors by moving their arms (or other body parts) under the sensors when the corresponding arrow reaches the top of the screen placed at the front of the platform.

• Para Para Sakura, a film starring Aaron Kwok, features some Para Para dancing. The theme song for the film, Para Para Sakura, is not related to any form of Para Para based music.

• In one episode of the anime 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 the anime Super Gals!, Para Para dancing is a popular pastime for the main character Kotobuki Ran.

• In the video game Rumble Roses XX, one of the penalty games of Queen's Match is Para Para dancing. The girl who loses is forced to perform the dance and depending on the costume the player chose the girl may have a positive, neutral, or negative reaction.

• 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.

• K-Pop girl group Kara (band) created a rendition of the Para Para dance (also known as the "KARAPARA") for their fourth Japanese single "Go Go Summer".

Current trends[link]

In April 2005, the Para Para dance for "Dragostea Din Tei" was aired on the show SMAP×SMAP in Japan (the same program which started the '98 boom). The Para Para Paradise video series has since been replaced by the Gazen Para Para!! series of CDs and DVDs marketed to younger teens using popular ganguro models from Egg magazine. However, as with past trends, the boom has quieted down^{[citation needed]}, though Avex continues to promote Para Para through its Super Eurobeat, 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^{[citation needed]} .

Outside of Japan[link]

The United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Finland, France, Taiwan, Spain, Chile, Scandinavia, Brazil, and other countries outside of Japan have an active fanbase doing refilms on the internet^{[citation needed]}. These fans have circles and groups who perform at various gatherings, mainly anime conventions^{[citation needed]}. Some of the non-Japanese paralists have been able to travel to Japan to perform at large Para Para gatherings^{[citation needed]}.

In the United States Geneon Entertainment released the Para Para MAX US Mix series of CDs, which contain remixes of anime theme music from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pokémon, Magic Knight Rayearth, and many other different anime productions. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 were released in 2005. Geneon also held contests to promote the CD and its anime series. 2005's contest was held at Otakon on 20 August 2005. Geneon's efforts failed to expand the reach of Para Para in the United States. Regardless of this, Geneon released a Para Para instructional DVD called ParaPara MAX: The Moves 101, featuring several well-known United States paralists^[who?]. The DVD did not sell well due to an exclusive sales agreement with Media Play, Sam Goody and Suncoast Motion Picture Company, which soon went out of business. After the Anime Fusion Tour's conclusion in the summer of 2006, Yoko Ishida's management changed, which lead to the end of Geneon's promotion of Para Para in the United States.

Recently^[when?], Super Eurobeat Artist Collections have been made available worldwide on iTunes, with extended versions of certain eurobeat songs.

See also[link]

• Gazen ParaPara!!
• Para Para Paradise
• AVEX Records
• Eurobeat
• Hand jive

References[link]

External links[link]

• SUPER EUROBEAT@Web Official Super Eurobeat series website
• we love Techpara Official We Love Techpara website
• 超然パラパラ！！ Official 超然パラパラ！！(Chouzen ParaPara!!) website
• Eurobeat Prime contains information about many eurobeat albums

Look up para or para- in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Para may refer to:

• Para Loga, one among the seven Logas (seven upper worlds) in Ayyavazhi mythology
• Para-quaternions, expression from algebra in mathematics
• Paramedic is a first response ambulance crew member
• Para, a member of the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)
• Para, an arene substitution pattern in which two substituents occupy positions on an aromatic ring separated by two unsubstituted carbon atoms
• Parapraxis or Freudian slip (Fehlleistung), is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is believed to be caused by the unconscious mind
• Para (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in Purulia district, West Bengal, India
• Para (community development block) in Purulia district, West Bengal, India
• Juz', a division of the Quran
• para- a prefix widely used in various compound words (para-olypic, para-medic, para-glyding etc.) which can signify alternately: "alongside, altered, beyond, contrary," originating from the Greek preposition para that means: "beside, next to, near, from," and also, "against, contrary to," similar with Sanskrit para "beyond;" Latin pro "before, for, in favor of," per- "through;" and Gothic faur "along." ^[1]
• para in Malayalam and Indian language is a drum-like wooden measuring vessel with metal fasteners used for measuring grains. Also has ritualistic values.

Sports[link]

• André Cordeiro (water polo) (born 1967), Brazilian water polo player who is nicknamed Pará
• Para Draine (born 1972), American female boxer
• Paralympic Games are the international games for disabled athletes
• PARA Pan American Championship, the major international rugby tournament held in the Americas, organized by the Pan American Rugby Association

Biology[link]

• Para Dog-faced Bat, a bat species from South and Central America
• Para rubber tree, often simply called rubber tree
• Para Spiny Rat, a species from South America
• Para (Ptisana salicina), a fern found in New Zealand and Norfolk Island

Companies and organizations[link]

• Para-Ordnance, a firearms manufacturer located in Toronto, Ontario
• Philippine Amateur Radio Association, a national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in the Philippines
• Peoples Action for Rural Awakening, is a social action initiative of Don Bosco Mission in India. PARA is located in Ravulapalem in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh in South India
• Parachute Regiment (disambiguation)
• Para-statals, state-owned corporations that play a major role in the government and economy of many countries around the world
• Para Rubber, a New Zealand-based brand of rubber foam products, originally part of the Skellerup Group

Entertainment[link]

• Para-balloon, a tool for games or a series of games around this tools
• Para Handy, the anglicized Gaelic nickname of the fictional character Peter Macfarlane, a character created by the journalist and writer Neil Munro
  • The Tales of Para Handy, a Scottish television series
• Para Para, a popular Japanese solo dance
  • Para Para Paradise, a 2000 video series, showing various dancers doing Para Para
• Para Toda Vida (2001), a 2002 album by The New Amsterdams
• Paramore an American rock band

Places[link]

• Grão-Pará, was one of the two Portuguese vice-kingdoms in South America
• Pará, one of the states of Brazil
• Para District, a district in the north of Suriname (country in South America)
• Pará River (Portuguese: Rio Pará), the southern arm of the mouth of the Amazon River
• North Para River, through the Barossa Valley in South Australia
• South Para River, South Australia
  • South Para Reservoir, the second largest reservoir in South Australia
• Electoral district of Little Para, an electorate for the South Australian Legislative Assembly
• Little Para River, through Salisbury in South Australia
  • Little Para Reservoir, a reservoir in South Australia serving the city of Adelaide. It was built between 1974 and 1977, costing AU$11.5 million, and commissioned in January 1979
• La Para, a summit in the Swiss Alps

Currency[link]

• Para (currency), various currency units
  • Para was a subunit of Ottoman currency
  • Para was ⅟4000 of the Turkish lira
  • Para was ⅟40 of the Romanian leu
  • Para is ⅟100 of the Yugoslav dinar and Serbian dinar
  • Para was ⅟100 of the Montenegrin perper

Chemistry[link]

• Para isomer in chemistry, a type of arene substitution pattern
• Para Red, a chemical dye

ARTICLES[link]

para in Malayalam a regional language of India means a drum sped wooden vessel for measuring grains and having ritualistic disposition.

References[link]

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Neko Hiroshi running a marathon in Saitama wearing his trademark Neko Damashii (猫魂^?) T-shirt

Kuniaki Takizaki (瀧﨑 邦明, Takizaki Kuniaki^?, born August 8, 1977 in Ichihara, Chiba), more commonly known as Neko Hiroshi (猫 ひろし, Neko Hiroshi^?), is a Japanese-born Cambodian owarai comedian who uses his short stature, at 145 centimeters (4 ft 9 in) and 45 kilograms (99 lb), and cat persona in his act. He attended Mejiro University.^{[citation needed]} He was in the 17th Sasuka competition. He has also appeared in dramas and movies such as Bishōjo Celebrity Panchanne and the film adaptation of Saiyūki as Cho Hakkai.^{[citation needed]}

Cambodian citizenship[link]

In March 2012, the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia announced that Hiroshi had been nominated to represent Cambodia in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, having been chosen for a "special exemption" after no Cambodian athletes met the qualifying standard.^[1] Hiroshi, a naturalized Cambodian citizen since 2011, had participated in half-marathons held in Cambodia for over a year and reached the podium at least twice.^[2] He received criticism from, among others, Japanese double Olympic marathon medalist Yuko Arimori, whose charity helps develop and train Cambodian athletes in addition to funding their journeys to international competitions. Opponents of Hiroshi's selection for the Olympic Games claim that there are Cambodian-born athletes more deserving of the special exemption,^[1] such as Hem Bunting who has won two long-distance medals at the Southeast Asian Games since 2007.^[3]

In May 2012, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled that Hiroshi was not eligible to represent Cambodia in the 2012 Olympic Games, as a period of one year had not elapsed since his gaining Cambodian nationality.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Japan portal
	Biography portal
	Comedy portal

• Official blog (Japanese)