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Parapara Pop
I found out about Para Para dancing accidentally a few weeks ago while looking around for the latest version of the DDR Simulator StepMania (www.stepmania.com). While looking through the downloads and add-ons, I found one for a game called ParaPara Paradise (Konami). Well, of course I Googled the heck out of the word and after finding various business websites and even one about handguns, I finally found what I was looking for! It was a website about Para Para dancing! Then I realized my Japanese sucked and I went off to find one in English! What is Para Para? Mynippon.com described it like this: “Since the dance is a combination of Japanese and non-Japanese dance forms, it is easy for everyone to enjoy it even if they do not fully understand the movements. There are several people who think that this dance borrows heavily from the movements of bon-odori, which is a more traditional dance in Japan.” Para Para combines traditional dance with something similar to a rave’s liquid dance hand movements. Well, this is a bit harder to explain than I thought, but trust me it’s fun! Call it DDR for your arms! Para Para dance is basically in the hands. Your feet, for the most part, only do a side-to-side two-step movement on the main part of the beat. This is great for people with bad knees because it doesn’t give you the same kind of strain as Dance Dance Revolution. While Para Para dancing has been done as a stand alone dance in some Japanese clubs, Konami also released several Japanese Para Para arcade machines and a Japanese PS2 and Dreamcast game under the title ParaPara Paradise. This game uses a special controller, which uses five sensors that are located in a semi-circle in front of the player. You try to match the arm movements to activate the sensors in time with the arrows on the screen. It sounds simple enough, but you attempt to do this to the choreographed dance that goes along with each song. Now it gets interesting! The music in the game is mostly from the wonderful AVEX studios that have many songs in DDR. Most songs are Eurobeat or Japanese hybrids, which means that they are very bouncy and upbeat. And of course you can expect some crazy song titles that range from Mickey Mouse March to My Sweet Banana. But don’t let the titles fool you; there are so many great songs! If you’ve played DDR then you’ll recognize songs like Dynamite Rave and Luv To Me in a remixed form.
If you’re looking for some heart-pumping cardio exercise with awesome music then I suggest you give Para Para Paradise a try. It’s great for those who have bad knees or are limited in their ability to move around. I seriously believe that the wheelchair bound could do it because the side-to-side movement isn’t really necessary. It’s just something to help give the game more activity and excitement. If you like DDR, then you will probably love ParaPara. The movements or Para Para are geared toward female players, but male players can always freestyle their own movements to match the arrows. The game allows for a lot of freedom of play. The special Para Para controller can usually be found on Ebay or just looking at shops online. There is also an adapter for Playstation controllers that can be found online as well. This will allow Playstation controllers to be hooked up to your computer. Cynthia Threadgill ParaPara Paradise arcade machine photo from ParaParaStage.com
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ParaPara LinksParaParaStage.comParapara Online@DDROnline Para Mania (Japanese) |
I’ve been infected! It starts with wobbly knees and then before you know it, your hands go flailing around everywhere! What in the world could cause this? ParaPara Dancing! I’m ashamed to say it, but I’ve got dance fever now and I don’t want it to stop!
