Taisuke, Japan’s most prominent B-Boy, talks about rivalry, the African origins of dancing and the next Red Bull BC One taking place in his home country.
Can you remember your very first dance steps?
For as far back as I can remember, I have always loved dance. I started B-Boying properly at the age of eight. I started by watching the Kool Crew, two guys who danced in Osaka and I loved their style. I wanted to do the same, but they were much older than me.
Did your age cause any problems for you?
It was only really myself who made a problem of it, I think. There were a lot of dancers in Osaka, but they were all much older than me, which made me think it was a sport for adults. Even though I wanted to be noticed, I kept myself on the sidelines. But then a time came when I stopped asking myself these questions, and I just got on with it.
Who were your role models?
I didn’t have any role models. In Japan, a lot of dancers were really good with moves, but I was more into the footwork so I started looking outside of Japan. The Zulu Kingz particularly meant a lot to me, and I was also impressed just like Kazuhiro who I dance with now. I progressed quite fast, but I didn’t really have any mentors.
Your cousin Toshiki, who is also a dancer, seems to have been very important in your training?
We started out together, but when I went into the sixth grade, Toshiki became better known. He was moving around a lot, dancing with a lot of crews and I was a little bit alone. He won some major competitions in Japan, and even went to the Battle of the Year. He wasn’t so much better than me, but I think he already had established a true style, an identity. That is perhaps what I was missing at the time.
Did that help to motivate you?
Yes, because I was afraid. I started to have doubts. So I stayed in Osaka and trained, while doing athleticsat the same time. But I started to feel cramped in Nagasaki, and so I went to Tokyo. There I found a dance school, the International Dance College. Bizarrely, they actually called me and invited me to go and study with them free of charge, and even asked me to give some lessons to earn a bit of pin money. Having me as a student was apparently quite important for them, and so I became a dance teacher in Tokyo.
Was it a major change for you?
It changed everything. I met Katsu there, and Katsu taught me about the history of dance, and its connection with Hip-Hop and Africa. I once more felt like I belonged to something, and rediscovered my appetite for dance, that’s when I developed my own style. Then it was my cousin’s turn to be jealous… But we were able to talk about it, and I managed to get him into my crew, All Area. Since then, we have started dancing together again.
You have a lively, quick and light style. What do you think about during a battle?
I don’t really know. I watch what my adversary is doing; I get a feel for the music and that is all that matters. It is difficult to describe, above all it is a physical sensation. You don’t “think”.
Japan is hosting the next Red Bull BC One in November. How will you approach that?
I'm thinking about it a lot. I have won a lot of competitions, in Australia, France, the UK and even in Japan; but the Red Bull BC One is something else. First of all because it is “1-on-1”, just you alone with your own style, and you have to win on your own. Since it is happening in Japan, of course I feel an added pressure; I feel as though I have to win. In 2008, I was knocked-out in the final, so this time around I am setting out to win.
Find out more about Taisuke and Turn It Loose.
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