Street dance has been growing in popularity for years among younger generations in "Cool Japan," with displays often attracting crowds of passers-by.
Though many artists perform alone in public, others have pooled their talents to help broaden their appeal. Among those, one standout is nine-member all-male Dazzle headed by 38-year-old Tatsuya Hasegawa, who has also choreographed stage works and dance routines for the likes of top pop group SMAP.
Although the troupe was founded by Hasegawa in 1996, it was 2011 before I first caught up with them at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania. There, they thrilled multinational audiences with their 2009 work "Hana to Otori" ("Misty Mansion"). Drawn from a Japanese legend that questions humans' morals through the motif of a wedding of shape-shifting foxes, the work unfolded in unexpected ways as it combined hip-hop, contemporary dance and nihon buyō, an ancient Japanese form of dance accompanied by traditional instruments.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.