These dancers are beautiful inside and out

"Preserving this tradition is important." 2/5/19 Indonesia's Tradition of Cross-Gender Dancing When Didik Nini Thowok performs, the audience is transported into a beautiful world full of intricate costumes, dancing and colors. Thowok is famous for a unique style of cross-gender dance rooted in Indonesian culture. Differing from drag, this type of performance combines Indonesian dance forms and characters with storytelling.  Fake Food, Real Art: Crafting Display Delicacies In Japan, it's customary for restaurants to display their offerings inside their front windows. Think restaurant window shopping. The displays come from one city only: Gujo. This ancient town is the epicenter of artificial food. The people who make the displays are real artists, but the "food" they create is not.   This Great Big Story was made possible by Japan Airlines.  The Aluminum Ball Challenge's Messy Beginnings Remember when the internet went wild for people crafting smooth, shiny aluminum foil balls? The so-called "aluminum ball challenge" originated in Japan, where there's a long-standing tradition of making elegantly polished balls called dorodango—literally translating to, "mud balls." Let Kiyoko Mikie, one of Japan's most famous dorodango makers and judge at the art form's national competition, show you how it's done.  View this email in your browser.  Copyright © 2019 Great Big Story, LLC, All rights reserved.You are receiving this message because you subscribed to the Great Big Story newsletter. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list