An interview with the four-member dance team "s**t kingz" - taking their street dance to the world beyond language barriers

--Dance fans are already familiar with s**t kingz's achievements, but could you tell us again what kind of dance group you are?
 

shoji : s**t kingz will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. Originally, we all performed separately at clubs, but when kazuki called out to the four of us, we started dancing together, and while we were training together in the United States, we had the opportunity to win the big dance contest "BODY ROCK" two years in a row. From there, we had more opportunities to perform and hold workshops overseas, and to choreograph for artists in Japan and Korea, and three years ago, we started performing on stage ourselves.
 

Shoji

--There are many ways to express yourself using your body, such as dancing, singing, playing in a band, and stage plays, but what do you think is the greatest appeal of dance?
 

Oguri : I love listening to music and singing, but when I think about "why 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 whole body, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, 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 a lot of different things. It can be one with music, and like sports, the more you train, the higher your level will be, and there is a sense of satisfaction in perfecting it. And when creating a show, there is a lot to absorb from genres other than dance, such as theater, musicals, and movies. That kind of versatility is what makes it so appealing.
 
Kazuki : Yes, not just the street dance we do, but dance has infinite possibilities. 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 infinite than singing or acting.
 
shoji : And because dance doesn't require words, it's easy for people of different cultures to understand. There are tons of great musicals and theatrical productions in the world, but without subtitles you might not understand the story, or the play might move on while you're reading the subtitles, and you might miss a great performance. But with dance, even if you don't have any prior knowledge, you can just follow what's in front of you and enjoy it, and you can react with intuition and sensibility. I think the appeal of dance is that it's so exciting as entertainment.
 

--S**t Kingz specializes in street dance, which was born from the hip-hop music and culture of the 1980s. There are many young people who want to become street dancers, and it is a very popular dance genre.
 

NOPPO : Street dance, like hip hop, is closely linked to the music that is popular among young people. That kind of music changes quickly, and new dances are discovered and become popular along with the music trends. The fun of following those changes may be a big attraction of street dance.
 
shoji : But even in that situation, the Japanese scene is evolving in a rare way... For example, the "old school" genres, such as rock dance, break dance, and pop dance, which are considered to be the oldest genres of street dance, never go out of style. Young and wonderful dancers are always being born and are always evolving. Overseas, especially in Europe, some countries only do new dances. That's how many artisan-type dancers there are in Japan. But they are also flexible in responding to popular styles, and there are many young dancers who are actually creating new styles. The coexistence of both is what makes the Japanese street dance scene interesting.
 
Kazuki : We don't know everything about the world, but the style and atmosphere are completely different depending on the country. Japanese people are very artisan-like, skilled, good at group dances with interesting formations, and strong in battles. You can see that they do a lot of training. However... like us, they are a bit quiet. I think that's what makes them Japanese.
 

Kazuki

--Dancers' temperaments differ depending on the country.
 

shoji : Yes, that's not true. Spain and the Philippines are especially enthusiastic. Even when we go to give lessons, they're banging flutes and drums, so I wonder if they're listening to what we're saying? (laughs). Italy is also lively.
 
NOPPO : It's an atmosphere that would never exist in Japan, but it's a lot of fun meeting dancers of different styles.
 

--You said that the appeal of street dance is that it is closely related to music, but the members of s**t kingz have also worked on choreography for many Japanese artists. What do you think about the relationship between Japanese street dance and music?
 

Oguri : Street dance is usually danced in the style of hip-hop or R&B, and there are people who dance coolly to that style, but the mainstream is idol dance that goes with catchy and easy-to-remember music. That's why Japanese music choreography has a unique relationship with the world. We would be happy if street dance became more mainstream, but the music itself has its own individuality.
 
shoji : However, through lessons and other things, we feel that the number of elementary and junior high school students doing street dance is increasing overwhelmingly, so we hope that street dance will become even more popular in the future. There are also more opportunities to come into contact with street dance during compulsory education.
 
Oguri : We are very happy that dance is becoming a required subject in schools and the base is expanding. From there, for example, it would be even more wonderful if more people get to know us, become interested in other great dancers, and start taking lessons.
 

Oguri

--In that sense, the 2nd National High School Japan Boulevard Street Dance Battle, which will be held on November 6th and in which s**t kingz will also be making a guest appearance, will be a competition where outstanding high school dance clubs from all over the country will compete, allowing you to witness the dance passion of young people.
 

Kazuki : It's really good that these kinds of competitions are held. I was in the dance club in high school and participated in school competitions and the TV program "Dance Koshien." NOPPO and I also participated in the national high school competition "DANCE ATTACK!!" almost every year...it's exciting! (laughs) Since it's limited to high school students, everyone starts at roughly the same level, so it's really stimulating.
 
NOPPO : "Even though we're the same age, that person can dance so well! Seriously, I need to practice more!" I often thought that (bitter laugh). It was a valuable opportunity to learn "There are other ways to dance like this."
 
shoji : I was not dancing in high school, so I am very envious. Just being able to see people dancing outside of the areas 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, all three of us except Oguri are from Kanagawa Prefecture, so I am very happy that a big street dance competition will be held in my hometown and I will be able to participate as a guest there.
 
Oguri : Speaking of which... I was born in Tokyo, but my mother used to work at the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, so I'm quite close to Kanagawa (laughs). It really gives you a sense of purpose.
 
shoji : After all, the main venue for the tournament is Nihon-Odori, which runs in front of the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office! (laughs) And what I like about this tournament is that it's free to watch. Anyone can come and watch it.
 

--I would like to encourage even those who have never experienced live street dance to come and watch. What should you pay attention to on the day so you can enjoy the high school students' performance even more?
 

Oguri : Street dance is best enjoyed intuitively without thinking too hard about it, but I want you to pay attention to your facial expressions while dancing more than your dancing technique. No matter how good a dancer you are, it's not fun if you're frowning. Kids with good facial expressions put that much more feeling into their dancing.
 
shoji : Street dance is much more fun to watch as entertainment rather than worrying about the quality of the techniques. I think that each team has worked hard to fine-tune their choreography in order to participate in the national competition. I think that the enthusiasm and time spent on dance is reflected in the performance, so I hope that you can feel the passion of the children from the stage.
 
Kazuki : The individuality of each team is also reflected in the song selection, costumes, and formations. There will be schools that compete simply on athletic skills, and there will be schools that unify everything with one theme as a dance to impress. I hope you will sense what theme each team is dancing to and give lots of applause and cheers to the performances you think are good.
 
NOPPO : Please shout out loud!
 
Shoji : When the audience gets excited, the performers get into it too! In street dance, the winner is the one who has fun, both the dancers and the spectators. Please keep calling out to the performers even during the dance.
 

--Of course, I'm sure there are many high school students competing who are aiming to become professional dancers like their idols, s**t kingz. What advice would you give to them?
 

NOPPO : Dancing isn't something that you can do by training this first. When you try dancing and realize that you're lacking in some areas, I think you'll improve by training those areas, so I guess the key is to just dance a lot.
 

NOPPO

Oguri : When that time comes, I want you to have a broad perspective and experience many different kinds of dance. It's important to use your dancing skills as a weapon, but other experiences will never be a waste. And hone your sense. This is not just about dance, but also about music and fashion, so I want you to be exposed to a lot of good things. Also, make sure to stretch and take good care of your body.
 
Kazuki : I also think it's important to experience different kinds of dance. I was in the dance club in high school and practiced breakdancing for three years. It's a completely different genre from what I dance now, but doing breakdancing in high school has been very helpful later on, and if I hadn't encountered breakdancing then, I don't think I would have had a chance to dance in my life. Whatever you're interested in, try it with all your might.
 
Shoji : And study English! There are many encounters and stimuli waiting for you outside, but many people are afraid to go abroad because the language is a barrier. There is no language barrier in dance itself, but you need the language to understand it more deeply. There are also dance camps in Japan that invite dancers from overseas, and many people from Japan go there to teach. I'm sure this will increase in the future. It would be a waste to miss out on this opportunity to expand your world, so it's a good idea to start studying English thoroughly from your student days!
 

--This is advice that only s**t kingz, who has a lot of overseas experience, can give. What are your goals for the future?
 

shoji : Our biggest goal is to create a work that everyone can enjoy and smile at. We want people who are not familiar with dance to enjoy the content of the work, and we want people who love dance to enjoy the quality of the dance. This year, we will be performing our new dance entertainment "Wonderful Clunker - Subarashiki Ponkotsu", a story written by Mari Yamazaki, the author of the manga "Thermae Romae", for 10 days from September 9th at the Zepp Blue Theater Roppongi in Tokyo. In the future, we would like to pursue the possibilities of s**t kingz's dance and performance with the goal of a world tour of stage productions.
 

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s**t kingz Official Site: http://shitkingz.jp/