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Theater/Dance

Take on the world with street dance that transcends language barriers! Interview with 4-person dance team “s**t kingz”

言葉の壁を越えたストリートダンスで世界へ!  4人組ダンスチーム「s**t kingz」インタビュー

――S**t Kingz's activities are familiar to dance fans, but could you please introduce us to what kind of dance group they are?
 

shoji : s**t kingz will celebrate their 10th anniversary next year. Originally, all of us were performing separately at clubs, but Kazuki approached the four of us and that's when we started dancing together, and as we trained together in America, I had the chance to win a big dance contest called ``BODY ROCK'' for two years in a row. Since then, we have had more opportunities to hold performances and workshops overseas, and to choreograph for domestic and Korean artists, and three years ago, we started doing stage performances ourselves.
 

s-skg_0158 shoji

――In addition to dance, there are many other ways to express yourself using your body, such as singing, playing in a band, and performing on stage. What do you think is the most appealing thing about dance?
 

Oguri : I love listening to music and singing, but when I think about why I dance...I think it's because I can feel the music with my whole body. When I'm dancing, I feel like the music is flowing through my entire body, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, and it feels like I'm diving in a pool. I love the feeling of my whole body becoming one with the music.
 
NOPPO : Dance is really packed with so many different things. It's like being able to become one with the music, and just like in sports, the more you train, the better you get at it, and there's also the comfort of mastering it stoically. And when creating a show, there is a lot to be learned from genres other than dance, such as plays, musicals, and movies. That kind of almighty aspect is appealing.
 
kazuki : Yes, the possibilities are endless in dance, not just the street dance we do. You can do anything depending on your training, the song, and the situation. I think people who sing or act have a similar feeling, but for me it feels even more limitless than singing or acting.
 
shoji : And because dance doesn't require words, it's easy to communicate to people from different cultures. There are many great musicals and theater productions in the world, but without subtitles, you may not be able to understand the story, or the play may advance while you are reading the subtitles, and you may miss out on some great performances. . But with dance, you can just follow what's in front of you and enjoy it without any prior knowledge, and you can react with intuition and sensitivity. I think the appeal of dance is that it can be very exciting as entertainment.
 

--S**t Kingz's specialty is street dance, which was born from the hip-hop music and culture of the 1980s. It is a very popular dance genre, with many young people aiming to become street dancers.
 

NOPPO : Street dance, like hip-hop, is closely tied to music that is popular among young people. That kind of music changes quickly, and new dances are discovered and become popular as the music trends. The fun of following these changes may be one of the great appeals of street dance.
 
shoji : However, even amidst all this, the Japanese scene has undergone an unusual evolution...For example, the genre called "old school", which has a long history among street dances, such as rock dance, break dance, and pop dance, will never go out of style. is. Young and wonderful dancers are always being born and constantly evolving. Overseas, especially in Europe, some countries only do new dances. That's why there are so many artisan-type dancers in Japan. However, there are many young dancers who are flexible enough to adapt to trending styles, and are even creating new styles. What's interesting about Japan's street dance scene is that both of these things coexist.
 
kazuki : We don't know everything about the world, but each country has a completely different style and atmosphere. Japanese people are very craftsman-like, and are good at group dances with full of skill and interesting formations, and are also strong in battle. I can see that you are doing a lot of training. However...like us, it's a little quiet. I guess that's what makes it so Japanese.
 

s-skg_0165 kazuki

--The temperament of dancers differs depending on the country.
 

shoji : Yes, that's not true. Spain and the Philippines are especially enthusiastic. When we go to give lessons, they keep making flutes and drums, so I wonder if they're not listening to what we're saying. (laughs) Italy is also very lively.
 
NOPPO : It's an atmosphere that would never exist in Japan, but it's really fun to meet dancers of various styles.
 

--You've said that the appeal of street dance is that it's closely related to music, and the members of s**t kingz have also choreographed for many Japanese artists. How do you feel about the relationship between Japanese street dance and music?
 

Oguri : There are some people who dance coolly to hip-hop and R&B, which is commonly known as street dance, but the mainstream is more about idols dancing to catchy and easy-to-remember music. Therefore, Japanese music choreography has a unique relationship with the rest of the world. For us, we would be happy if street dance became the main focus, but the music itself has its own individuality.
 
shoji : However, through our lessons and other activities, we feel that the number of elementary school and junior high school students participating in street dance is increasing dramatically, so we hope that street dance will become even more popular in the future. Opportunities to come into contact with street dance in compulsory education are increasing.
 
Oguri : We are also happy that dance has become a compulsory subject at school, broadening the range of possibilities. From there, I would be even happier if more people learned about us, became interested in other wonderful dancers, and started taking lessons.
 

s-skg_0148 Oguri

--In that sense, the "2nd National High School Nihon Odori Street Dance Battle" to be held on November 6th, in which everyone from s**t kingz will be making guest appearances, will be an event where excellent high school dance clubs from all over the country will participate. It's a competition where you can witness the passion of young people for dancing as they compete to show their skills.
 

kazuki : It's really great that a tournament like this is held. I was also a member of the dance club in high school, and participated in inter-school contests and the TV program "Dance Koshien." NOPPO and I participated in the national high school competition called "DANCE ATTACK!!" almost every year, so...it was exciting! (Laughs) When it's limited to high school students, everyone starts at roughly the same level, so it's really stimulating.
 
NOPPO : I often thought, "Even though we're the same age, he can dance like this! Seriously? I need to practice more!" (bitter smile). It was a valuable opportunity to learn that there are other ways to dance.
 
shoji : I wasn't dancing yet when I was in high school, so I'm really jealous. Just being able to see people dancing outside of the area we know is a very valuable experience. It would be great if we could stimulate each other and interact, leading to opportunities to dance together again as adults. Also, out of the four of us, all three of us except Oguri are from Kanagawa Prefecture, so we're really happy to be able to participate as guests in a big street dance competition in our hometown.
 
Oguri : By the way...I was born in Tokyo, but my mother used to work at the Kanagawa Prefectural Office, so I'm very close to Kanagawa (lol). It puts you in a good mood.
 
shoji : After all, the main venue for the tournament is Nihon Odori Street, which runs in front of the Kanagawa Prefectural Office! (Laughs) Also, what I like about this tournament is that it's free to watch. Anyone can feel free to come and see it.
 

--Even if you have never experienced street dance live, I would like you to come and see it. What should I pay attention to on the day of the event to enjoy the high school students' performance more?
 

Oguri : It's best to enjoy street dance intuitively without thinking too much about it, but I want people to pay more attention to their facial expressions while dancing than the technique. No matter how good you are at dancing, it's not fun if you frown. A child with a good facial expression will put more emotion into the dance.
 
shoji : Street dance is much more fun to watch as entertainment than to worry about the superiority or inferiority of the technique. In order to participate in the national competition, I think all the teams put in a lot of effort and finely tuned their choreography. I think the passion they put into dancing and the time they put into it will be reflected in their performance, so I hope you can feel the children's passion from the stage.
 
kazuki : The individuality of each team can be seen in the song selection, costumes, and formation. There may be schools that simply rely on their athletic skills, and there may be schools that unify everything around a single theme of appealing dance. I hope you can get a feel for what theme each dancer is dancing to, and give a lot of applause and cheers to the performances you think are good.
 
NOPPO : Please shout out loud!
 
shoji : When the audience gets excited, the performers will come too! Whether you are dancing or watching street dance, the one who enjoys it wins. Please continue to call out to them even during the dance.
 

--Of course, I'm sure many of the high school students participating are aiming to become professional dancers like their idol S**t Kingz. What advice would you give to everyone?
 

NOPPO : Dance isn't something you can say, ``If you train this part first, you'll become good at this.'' I think that if you try dancing and realize what you're lacking in, you'll be able to improve by training on that area, so just dance as much as you can.
 

s-skg_0061 NOPPO

Oguri : At that time, I would like you to broaden your horizons and experience a variety of dances. It's important to use your dance skills as a weapon, but other experiences are never wasted. And hone your senses. I want them to experience a lot of good things, not just dance, but music and fashion as well. Also, don't forget to stretch and take good care of your body.
 
kazuki : I also think it's important to experience various dances. I myself practiced breakdancing for three years in my high school dance club. It's completely different from the genre I'm dancing now, but the fact that I did breakdancing in high school has been very helpful later on, and if I hadn't discovered breakdancing then, I don't think I would have had the chance to dance in my life. . No matter what you do, if you're interested, try your best.
 
shoji : And studying English! Many people are afraid to go abroad because of the language barrier, even though there are many encounters and various stimulations waiting for them outside. There is no language barrier in dance itself, but to understand it more deeply, you need language. Dance camps are held in Japan that invite dancers from overseas, and there are many people who come from Japan to teach. I'm sure there will be more in the future. It would be a waste to waste your chance to expand your horizons, so it would be a good idea to study English well from your school days!
 

――This advice comes from s**t kingz, who has a wealth of overseas experience. What is S**t Kingz aiming for in the future?
 

shoji : Our number one goal is to create works that everyone can enjoy and make them smile. I want people who are not familiar with dance to enjoy the content of the work, and I want people who love dance to enjoy the quality of the dance. This year as well, the new dance entertainment "Wonderful Clunker" will be held at the Zepp Blue Theater Roppongi in Tokyo from September 9th for 10 days, with Mari Yamazaki, author of the manga "Thermae Romae", writing a story on the theme of "toilet". -The Wonderful Ponkotsu” will be performed. In the future, I would like to pursue the possibilities of s**t kingz's dance and performance, with the goal of touring the world with stage productions.
 

[s**t kingz also appears! ] National High School Nihon Odori Street Dance Battle PR Announcement

– – –
s**t kingz official site: http://shitkingz.jp/
Kanachan TV: http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/osirase/1197/ktv/
2nd National High School Nihon Odori Street Dance Battle 2016: https://streetdancebattle2016.mycontest.jp/detail

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