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Hiroichi Tategata's Danceable LIFE Vol.1

舘形比呂一のDanceable LIFE Vol.1

I discovered dance and found my place.
Hiroichi Tategata (dancer/choreographer)

Nowadays, everything is becoming digital, so what is the joy of going to the theater? I think it's a "live feeling".
A sense of dynamism that can only be experienced by being there on that day, at that time, and at that place. It disappears moment by moment. Although you can record it as a video, it is difficult to convey the ``atmosphere'' of that moment.

When it comes to dancing, it's a world where we use our bodies to express ourselves, so as we get older, it becomes difficult to continue dancing in the same style. But that can't be helped. That's why I want people to feel the ephemerality of each passing moment with their eyes, ears, skin, and pores, and I believe that this will remain in the hearts of the viewers.
The reason I started dancing was not because I wanted to express something or stand on stage. I've been an introvert since I was a child, and because I longed to express myself, I entered university to study acting, but my teachers always scolded me. I couldn't do even basic lines or acting well, and I completely lost confidence. Then, one of my seniors took me to a jazz dance studio, and it turned out to be an eye-opening experience.
That's probably because dance was a world where words were excluded. Although I couldn't say my lines well, I had a lot of fun expressing myself through dancing, and for the first time I felt like I was discovering the value of my existence. Yes, I found "my place".

By the time I graduated from university, I had decided to pursue dance as a career, but around the age of 25, I hit a wall like most people. It's not enough just to dance because you like it. So I went to New York, but here I suffered an even bigger setback. The levels are too different. If you take lessons as hard as you can, work harder than others, and gradually improve your skills, you will never be able to catch up. I've always had a stiff body, and I started dancing late. To begin with, since I am Japanese, my skeletal structure is different, so I felt there was a limit to pursuing Western dance.

What does it take for me to stand shoulder to shoulder with them on stage?

I was drawn to the Japanese world of Noh, Kabuki, and Butoh.

The Western world is an image of expanding, as the ballet term ``andeor'' means outward facing. In contrast, the Japanese world has an image of being stripped down and condensed. It was a very convincing world that really touched my heart.
Since then, he has been searching for a stoic expression that mixes "stillness and movement" through his independent performances and other styles. Of course, the world of entertainment that includes singing, dancing, and acting like THE CONVOY is my starting point, so I would like to continue pursuing that in the future.

If you have a chance, please see us at the theater next time!

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