As part of on-going research in ethnology and notation I have been documenting Japanese bon dancing in Hawaii. Notating the dances has proved to be a challenge, not so much because of the difficulty of movement patterns, but because of the problem of deciding what to notate. Perhaps because of the emphasis on the event itself and the stress on community participation, uniformity in movement style (of the type found in professional theatrical traditions) is not important. Dancers tend to emulate the style of a favorite dancer or move in a manner that looks good or feels good to themselves. Because of the age and cultural differences of participants – which today range from children of elementary school age to senior citizens, and include Americans of Japanese, non-Japanese, and mixed ancestry – what looks good or feels good is tremendously variable.