TAKAHIRO Enjoys every encounter and continues to pursue the possibilities of dance

Professional dancer and choreographer　TAKAHIRO(Takahiro)

■ Profile
Active in both Japan and the U.S. as a dancer, choreographer, and educator, she has choreographed for a variety of popular artists, including Sakurazaka46, Hinatazaka46, ABC-Z, and Fujii Kaze, and is pioneering new activities such as directing concerts and musicals, while also devoting herself to nurturing the next generation of dancers across the country as an educator.

TAKAHIRO is a dancer who holds the incredible record of winning nine consecutive world-famous dance competitions, and is also active as a choreographer.
When she talks about the appeal of dance, saying, "I can invent things with my own body," her passion for dance is clear. We asked her about what she keeps in mind every day and her expressiveness.

Looking back on what led me to become a dancer, it feels like I was riding on a portable shrine before I knew it. I joined a dance club in university and started dancing, but I couldn't give up on dance upon graduation. With the intention of writing the "final chapter of my life," I decided to enter a competition at the Apollo Theater in New York, known as the gateway to stardom. I ended up winning. At that moment, I realized that I was standing here thanks to the dreams and hard work of everyone who had competed in the competition, and my desire to compete in dance changed from admiration to responsibility.

I really enjoy meeting new people and being able to create limitless things. It doesn't feel like work; I enjoy painting all kinds of emotions like painting color on a white wall. To do this, I think it's important to know how to make what you see positive, and how to add excitement to negative things.
For example, for me, negative things are restrictions and loneliness. But restrictions can also lead to energy and give rise to new discoveries, and if you think of it as a world that only I, a loner, can create, then it's not negative. You can turn the dark side into a bright one. When I fail, I try to think, "Yes!" You need to have stories of your failures. You can talk about them a lot later. All emotions are necessary in life, so you just need to make use of them.

First, learning technique increases the number of moves, which is a left-brained thing. Then, what's important is what you can do with those moves. This is a right-brained thing. It's a repetitive process of gathering data from everyday life and building upon it. Nothing is irrelevant to me. I've absorbed and come into contact with many things that aren't directly related to dance, knowing that they might connect in some way. This often proves useful. I also always value the question "why?". It may not be something necessary for daily life, but it's fun to have "why." This world is mysterious. I question even the smallest things in everyday life, and hold "one-person why contests" to find my own answers. Perhaps this curiosity and spirit of inquiry was nurtured through dance. Creativity is a repetitive process of asking questions and answering them.
It's estimated that there are currently around 600 million dancers in Japan, yet there are very few seats available for them. I believe that dancers will have more fun if there are more options, so I want to increase the number of things they can do as a dancer. With this in mind, I've tried my hand at choreography, composition, direction, and production, and I've opened a dance studio, worked in education, written books, and founded an agency, opening the door to "dance x ____"—a world that goes beyond just dancing. I hope to continue to pull back from a microscopic perspective and enjoy looking at dance from various angles. I want to open doors for the next generation while having fun. Personally, I also have an ideal of acquiring a large piece of land somewhere and creating a space for imagination.

I would like to tell all students that "life is a longer distance race than you think."
I'm only about 2km into my 10km run. The story always begins here!

Student Newspaper April 1, 2023 Issue Sophia University 4th Year Student Yagi Ayaka