The geishas glide with measured steps across a wooden stage, offering a glimpse of a long-misunderstood tradition that is becoming a rare sight in Japan.
Dancing with paper fans and dressed in kimonos, the entertainers were rehearsing without the striking white make-up and sculpted hairstyles they are famous for.
But for seven days until May 27, the women will perform in full splendour at the 100-year-old Azuma Odori festival at a theatre in the heart of the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
โJapanese people themselves often donโt understand or have the wrong idea about what geishas do,โ Hisafumi Iwashita, a writer specialised in geisha culture, says.