Japan is an enchanting country and Tokyo is its heartbeat. An affirmed metropolis, it resides at the intersection of culture and technology, and neither of those things suffer any losses at the presence of the other. I’m from America where typically where culture and history exist technology and new arts fade a little, and in concentrated areas of tech and advancement we seem to lose a sense of culture and an appreciation for history in those spaces.
Tokyo has mastered the flow and continuum of both.
I attended an event by Legend Tokyo in the Asakusa prefecture right outside the core of the city and was totally blown away.
On invitation by the org’s board member, Mayumi Nagatoshi, I made my way on the super clean and organized railway system over to the station to meet her. She’s a pretty and bold woman whose spent time in both Japan and America as a dancer and producer.
This was our first time meeting but we hit it off instantly and as she walked me through the main fairway I marveled at all the amazing architecture, culture, and storefronts she barely seemed to notice being that she’s a native. I was doing my best to keep my focus on what she was saying as we moved through the district towards the venue.
The event had been described to me as a ‘Street Dance Competition’, and I didn’t really know what to expect. Instead of asking questions I decided to enjoy not knowing and just followed alongside Mayumi who had been gracious enough to go way below her professional post in life to escort me from a train station. She talked causally as we moved quickly towards the venue.
She slows down, a sign to me that we had arrived at the venue, and the first thing to catch my attention was this gorgeous young woman stretching and half practicing a Hip-Hop-esque dance routine right on the front steps of the theater. She was a brown Asian woman, Japanese- but had the hairstyle and outfit on of a Puerto Rican B-Girl in New York. I was… Intrigued :)
As soon as the young woman noticed Mayumi she straightened up respectfully (and half embarrassed). Mayumi stood there for a moment long enough to observe and receive the young woman collect herself out of respect for her before smiling and teasing her a little in Japanese.
We walked inside and the place was buzzing. The doors hadn’t opened yet and that last minute pre-show vibe and tension was in some of the dancers and choreographers. Others lounged around casually awaiting the start of the day.
Mayumi and I found a corner of a large greenroom to sit and talk shop and once our meeting was over she headed back into the production wings and I was escorted to my seat in the theater.
Even before entering the theater for what unbenounced to me would end up being the most impressive live dance show I’ve ever attended, the lobby was a show in itself. All of these anime like cut outs had been produced depicting the show’s choreographers in a dramatic and fantasy like way that was so compelling to me. Here’s an example from the program below. These elaborate booklets that are literally custom made comic books blended in with the program. On the right is a photo of one of the show’s choreographers, BEZI - who also goes by Busta Jakk Boogie. (We’ll talk Hip-Hop in a second)...
So turned out it would be a meeting of the street dance masters, so to speak. Each choreographer was presenting their talented camps, all with varying styles and genres.
The lights went dark in the room and then the stage erupted with lights and a raging multi-media projection on the centered screen. The program was totally in Japanese, so I had to rely on interpreting the dance movements as my sole way to interpret and understand the artists intention. My ignorance of the language gave me a special advantage I guess. I was at a dance show only able to read the movement, so that kept my focus the whole time.
The production began with an explosive montage previewing the different crews that would be presenting throughout the afternoon....
The host was comical and animated, engaging the audience of several hundred in laughter between acts with gimmicks and sketches.
Then… Boom…
A burlesque show starts. A Japanese Burlesque show, cousin. Choreographed by national treasure and total diva of sauce, Anri...
Within an 8 minute routine there were at least three full on wardrobe and theme changes. It was clear that I wasn’t at some novel dance showcase, but a bonafide production that was like sitting at a live taping on a film or television stage.
As the thrill from the burlesque act and the ecstatic round of applause fell low, on walked a beautifully peculiar act...
Acclaimed choreographer Zoo-Zoo’s presentation rolled out dozens of children and young people, painted with white faces and white gloves. A repeated gesture was a wagging finger as they shifted fluidly between one another gracefully and in a flurry of choreographed movements.
Ok, let’s talk that Hip-Hop...
When the Hip-Hop dancers hit supported by traditional Japanese music (photo above) I was reminded of the connectivity of the human fabric that unites us all. I hope we never get jaded to the significance of a culture that started in the slums of New York city 40 years ago on concrete and cardboard boxes by Black and Brown teens is now blended and lifted up in Tokyo, not as a novel thing- but a normalized part of the popular culture.
Eriko Arita of the Japan Times notes, “For several years there have been commercial lessons offered and hip-hop competitions held around the country... This pastime that has swept the world since emerging from African-American culture in New York in the 1970s has been included as one of the genres of the nation’s new compulsory high-school subject of dance...”
It dawned on me that the entire show was an example of that human connectivity transcending cultural barriers and political spheres. It also transcended time...
The production wove seamlessly themes and traditions from across the human diaspora from different ages. It was not an impersonation of other cultures, rather a personification and honoring of the beautiful tenets of various cultures and traditions, celebrated and interpreted by these masters.
At other time the show transcended reality...
I wrote extensively about my time in Japan, a four week trek that took me to Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, Tottori, Hiroshima, Hakone, and beyond. I think what touches me so much about the Final Legend dance show is that it embodies everything I love about Japan.
The wonder, the dominant culture of excellence and doing your best at whatever you do, the country’s value for its own Japanese culture while still being humble and honoring of other cultures- all of it.
Enjoy these select photos by Osamu Inoue (just-Be):
Ise Lyfe is an artist and justice advocate from Oakland, CA now living in Los Angeles. His play, Agnus (written by Ise Lyfe and Matt Werner) , premiers Off-Broadway Jan 18- Feb 11, 2018 in New York City at the Lion Theater.