Hiroichi Tatekata's Danceable LIFE Vol. 5

"Tatekata's World": Searching for songs that are uniquely his own.
Hirokazu Tatekata (Actor, Dancer, Choreographer)

I recently held a live performance featuring singing and dancing. Due to space limitations, I couldn't do much in the way of large movements, so the main focus was singing. Of course, I do both dancing and singing on stage with The Convoy Show, but it's only been about three years since I started doing solo live performances where singing was the main focus. Before that, it was unthinkable... or rather, I was terrible at singing. I had a complex about it, so I had a fear of singing, and I was terrified of it. I just hated it so much...
But in Convoy, we have to sing. And because there are so many of us, we have to harmonize. At first, I couldn't hit the notes, and harmonizing was incredibly difficult. But as I kept singing, even if I had to force myself, it gradually became fun, I got better at hitting the notes, and I was able to harmonize, and then I started to understand the joy of singing together. It's the same with dancing and acting, but I'm clumsy at everything, so it seems I always start with a complex (laughs).
However, I had never even considered doing a live performance where singing was the main focus. It was Ai Nishina, a pianist and electronic organ player, who gave me the push I needed. It all started when I planned a private event where I would sing and asked Ms. Nishina to accompany me.

"The important thing is to get used to singing, and to sing with a live band. Even if you're not good at it, you'll definitely get better if you keep singing in front of people."

I felt like I was being told that I couldn't afford to be a bad singer and that this was no time to be complacent. Since then, I've been challenging myself with live singing performances with a live band that includes bass, drums, and percussion.
Of course, learning the basics is important. By properly learning how to produce sound and how to open your mouth, your pitch will stabilize, and you'll be able to sing more easily. Perhaps because of that, lately I've been thinking more about things like, "Wouldn't it be fun to sing it this way?"

I'm not a particularly skillful dancer, so when it comes to dance, I've always aimed to express my own unique worldview, what you might call "Tategata-ness."
The same applies to singing.
In order to develop something that is more true to myself and to acquire a unique kind of persuasive power, I want to be able to sing in a way that is true to myself, rather than just singing well.

When I was younger, I was desperate to acquire technique. I think that was absolutely necessary, but as I got older, what was required of me changed. In my case, since I was in an environment where I could learn singing and acting as well, it would be a waste to stick to just dancing. I came to think that mixing various elements would allow me to have a broader and longer-lasting career.

I'm still learning, but lately I feel like the boundaries between "singing," "dancing," and "acting" have blurred when it comes to expressing my own worldview.