The Parade of 10,000 Dancers

An Okinawan women’s dance group performs with yotsutake castanets during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan. Eisa dancers used traditional taiko drums and choreographed music to pay homage to their ancestors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)

An Okinawan women’s dance group performs with yotsutake castanets during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan. Eisa dancers used traditional taiko drums and choreographed music to pay homage to their ancestors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)

A small child waits to perform during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan.

A children’s Eisa dance group performs on Kokusai-Dori street during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan. U.S. Service members and their families gathered on the sidewalks alongside their Okinawan counterparts to watch the traditional dance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)

A youth Eisa dance group performs on Kokusai-Dori street during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 4, 2018, in Naha, Japan. Eisa is a traditional dance that goes back several hundred years and originates from a folk song, used by groups of young people to pay respect to their ancestors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)

A performer holds a Bachi, a stick used specifically on the taiko drum, during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan. Eisa dancers used traditional taiko drums and choreographed music to pay homage to their ancestors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)

Performers beat on traditional Japanese taiko drums during the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan. The event was open to all participants on the day of the event as a member of the Niwaka Eisa Dance Group. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)

Two Eisa dancers bow after performing in the annual 10,000 Eisa Dance Parade Aug. 5, 2018, in Naha, Japan. Three types of drums were used during the parade: the odaiko, a large barrel drum; the shimedaiko, a medium-sized drum; and the paraankuu, a small ceremonial hand drum. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristan Campbell)