East-West Questions | Akira Kitamura: Has Chinese street dance become a new trend?

　　China News Agency, Beijing, September 19th, Question: Akira Kitamura: Has Chinese street dance become a new trend?

　　Author Ma Yi

　　Who would have thought that the "Dance of the Golden Snake", which is full of national style, could appear in the street dance competition, and who would have thought that the traditional drama "The Legend of the White Snake" with its own "immortal spirit" could perform "shock dance steps".

A dance variety show attracted hip-hop lovers from all over the world to China. They crossed national borders, learned from dance, and performed many Chinese-style hip-hop works.

In the latest season of the show, people once again saw knights wearing bamboo hats dancing in the artistic conception of ink painting.

　　When Chinese culture and foreign hip-hop meet, can a new "Oriental Hip-hop" collide?

Japan's national treasure dancer, Akira Kitamura (ACKY), recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions" column, sharing his insights on this issue and its wonderful fate with China.

Because of love, not afraid to lose the game

　　Akira Kitamura began to travel between China and Japan to promote Popping (one of the hip-hop dances) in 2001. He was very emotional when he saw that Chinese hip-hop has now developed into a sport that the whole people participated in. There are only about 10 dancers in the dance. In 2005, it increased to 100, and in 2007, it exceeded 500. In recent years, thousands of people have participated in the shock dance activities. This is something I did not expect at all.”

　　His focus on Chinese hip-hop is not only to see the growth of the participating groups, but more importantly to convey the idea of ​​hip-hop to people.

Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, almost all large-scale street dance competitions around the world have been suspended.

In 2021, a Chinese hip-hop variety show invited Akira Kitamura. The judge-level dancer with 27 years of dancing experience was a little hesitant at first: the child was still young, worried about the epidemic, or afraid of losing the game, but with his dance skills love, he resolutely chose to come to China.

"The reason I've danced for so long is because of two words - persistence. Technically, I can no longer compete with young people. I can only dance with my passion and my spirit. I believe that dance should be a combination of movement and Emotions are combined. Regardless of the factors of victory or defeat, in a special period like the epidemic, using dance to give people courage is the biggest original intention of my decision to participate in this show. "

Akira Kitamura participated in China's top hip-hop event Dance Vison as a guest and performed live.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　In fact, at the beginning of the epidemic, he spontaneously taught online and donated his income to dancers in Wuhan. The reason for this was that in the era of his first dancing, hip-hop dancers were difficult to be accepted by the public. This way gathers hip-hop dancers and jointly conveys the excellent idea of ​​hip-hop to people.

His hard work and perseverance also made Chinese young people who watched the show express this emotion on the Internet: "I see that idols I admired since childhood are still fighting (fight dance) in the most bloody way on the stage, what reason do I have? stagnant."

On the hip-hop stage, there should not be only one style

　　In the experience of dancing in China and the communication with dancers, Akira Kitamura has a deeper understanding. When different cultures are combined, a new style of street dance is created.

He said that hip-hop was originally just a cultural import in China and even in Asia, and it is not uncommon for it to become more and more Chinese now.

　　Kitamura Changying's cognition of the history of Chinese dance started from the Dunhuang murals. Those stone murals that have been in existence for thousands of years not only show various aspects of music, dance, costumes and social customs at that time, but also ancient Iran, India, Greece and so on. The shadow of national culture and art, "This is a great product of fusion and mutual learning. I think that in every period, China's long dance culture, like this strong sense of history, has shown strong tolerance and creativity. Therefore, I am very Respect and admire China's history and culture. There should not be only one dance style on today's popular hip-hop stage. I see from Chinese dancers that they are eager to use the stage of global dancer exchanges to express their love for hip-hop from the West. Cultural awareness and understanding, and create a 'Chinese style' dance." Kitamura Akira said.

Replicas of Dunhuang frescoes on display at the Palace Museum.

Photo by Shi Chunyang

　　This exchange and collision of East and West hip-hop cultures also promotes the overall development of the world's hip-hop.

Akira Kitamura said that hip-hop dancers have become acquainted with each other due to the increasing opportunities for exchanges between China and the West, and they learn from each other through exchanges. This face-to-face communication will not only improve personal dance skills, but also drive the overall development of hip-hop in the past 10 years.

The exchange of dancers from all over the world can also drive the development of hip-hop culture, and then the next generation of dancers will become friends because of hip-hop.

"When I was young, I never thought that I would meet friends from all over the world through hip-hop. Of course there will be winners and losers, regrets, and crying in dance fights, but only after experiencing these can true friendships sprout. This This is the real development of hip-hop. Through communication and sharing, dancers around the world can make progress together. I think this is the mission of an 'uncle' like me."

Akira Kitamura has won the seven-time champion of the OLD SCHOOL NIGHT hip-hop competition, the highest level hip-hop competition in Japan.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

When Chinese and Western dance styles meet, there will be wonderful reactions

　　Will Chinese-style hip-hop, which seems to be somewhat "different style" from European and Asian hip-hop, will develop into a new trend in the future?

　　Akira Kitamura said that on a global scale, not only dancers, but also conscious differences between people.

"When I was young, I had neither a mobile phone nor an online social platform. Due to the lack of information, I had to study the history and culture of various countries and practice dance by watching videos under limited conditions." Now, people live in the era of information sharing, so There is not much difference in knowledge learning.

However, each country will have different trends.

Just as there are different types of eating styles such as Chinese, French, Italian and so on.

For dancers, there are indeed differences in dance styles in different countries, but the expression and enthusiasm for street dance are common.

　　Akira Kitamura said that his two-year trip to China's street dance allowed him to see shocking Chinese-style works.

Chinese hip-hop dancers integrate Chinese culture into hip-hop works, which not only reflects their confidence in the national culture, but also uses unique hip-hop forms to inherit and carry forward the national culture.

"As a Japanese hip-hop dancer, I have never tried to dance a Japanese-style hip-hop work like a Chinese dancer. It was both deeply touching and a good learning experience for me. I Witnessed the wonderful reaction of the fusion of Chinese style and Western style dance, which is very important to the future of hip-hop and will definitely become a popular trend."

The dance drama "Liu Sanjie" introduces trending arts such as pop music and hip-hop.

Photo by Jia Tianyong

Do oriental dancers have the advantage of "rushing to the Olympics"?

　　A happy event happened recently in the Chinese hip-hop circle. The 16-year-old Chinese girl Liu Qingyi won the women's championship of the top international breakdance competition "Outbreak Competition", which is an unprecedented new height for Chinese breakdance.

In the Paris Olympics two years later, breakdancing will make its debut at the Olympic Games. Does this world champion mean that Chinese dancers have the possibility of "rushing to the Olympics"?

Liu Qingyi in the breakdance competition of the National Games.

Photo by Yang Bo

　　According to Akira Kitamura, Breaking (Breaking, one of the hip-hop dances) originated on the streets of the United States in the 1970s. Many movements of this hip-hop are related to gymnastics and Chinese martial arts. The dance style itself does not have prescribed movements, but is more about improvisation. .

After many years, it has evolved into a competitive sport with rules.

The growing number of major sporting events has given the sport wider recognition.

Adding breakdancing to the Olympics is a good thing for hip-hop dancers.

Because it means that hip-hop is recognized all over the world.

"Competing in a peaceful way and letting young people have dreams is more meaningful than winning or losing games."

　　He said that in the past 40 years, Asians have been active in this dance world born in the West, and Asian dancers have become more and more recognized internationally.

　　According to reports, in recent years, China has held various street dance competitions, and foreign break dancers are often invited to participate and exchange.

Facing the Paris Olympics two years later, Chinese dancers not only have strong dance skills, but also give full play to their own Chinese style hip-hop, forming a unique style is an advantage.

　　For Akira Kitamura, who regards dancing as his life, although he is no longer young, he never gives up easily.

"My expressiveness can still be strengthened, and my dancing perception can also be improved..." He said that he will persist until the last moment of his life.

(Finish)

Interviewee Profile:

　　Akira Kitamura (ACKY), a Japanese Popping (shock dance) national treasure dancer, has been dancing for 27 years.

The 7-time champion of the OLD SCHOOL NIGHT Hip-hop Contest, the highest level hip-hop competition in Japan, and the 3-time champion of the Japan Dance Delight, a Japanese dance competition.

In 2002, he participated in the "BBOY-SUMMIT" shock dance competition in Los Angeles, USA, and became the first Asian to win the one-on-one Battle world championship.

Since 2001, he has been traveling between China and Japan to promote Popping, and is known as the "China-Japan Hip-hop Culture Goodwill Ambassador" in the industry.