I knew why you invited me to today’s interview. You aren’t interested in my career as dancer, you are….
Yes you have another unique job as well,and that makes you more 際立たせる and注目from many people who don’t have any interests in street culture.
This is a first time to interview with bboy in this magazine, as this magazine readers usually female,and need more information related with more established daily life styles.
If you want to know more about street dance, there are thousands of awesome dancers in this planet, and you should access one of them. My dance career is not so bad and I appreciate much with all people related with my dance life, but my dance career is quite “normal”.
But you are very unique.
My uniqueness is not from dance itself.
So,well, can I ask you your another career?
Yeah,
I am doing a tea ceremony.
And now that gets big job for me.
Simply, that’s it.
Why you do tea ceremony and do tea school too?
My decision to do that was quite simple. When I have too turmoil about my life, one of my friend asked me to do tea ceremony. He was working at the publishing company and making cross-cultural magazine. He personally interested in Japanese culture and thought every Japanese can do tea ceremony. That is mistake, cause mostly Japanese people don’t do tea ceremony, and even don’t have a bit of knowledge about that. That is quite “traditional”,ancient taste of culture. But accidentally I have a teacher license of that, so I could do teach him.
Why do you have tea ceremony license? That is usual case for Japanese?
Definitely not. People who know about tea is rare in japan.
Since my friend asked me to do tea , I never think about tea ceremony, actually I didn’t want to remember that. I was forced to do that from my childhood by my family, and that practices were always too strict and for me. I did not want to do that anymore. Many deciplines is tight, that is a kind of 修行。
But at that time in NY, my intuition said “ It is better to do that JUST NOW”, so I rushed to the tea ceremony shop in NY city, and looked for the tea ceremony tools. I found the set of tea ceremony, so I could do for him.
He was so glad and appreciated much about such experience. Actually he never see any Japanese person who could do tea ceremony from frist to the last till he asked me. He thought he never imagine I, bboy HATT could do tea, with formal Kimono,he said that it was kind of joke to ask me.
That is his greatest time to get that,so he told about me to people around him, and one by one people asked me to do and teach tea ceremony.
There are some tea ceremony teacher in NY absolutely. But BBOY TEA TEACHER is quite rare, maybe only me. Usually tea teacher is much more strict and 近寄りがたい、people feel, but I am a street dancer, and do dance shows many times and do workshop to kids from elders. So I am very accessible person, I teach tea like I dance. Hahaha. So that my classes get more and more popular.
Why your family do tea ceremony?
That is my secret. I cannot tell about that, but I can say tea ceremony is quite important part of our family’s lives from. We all should do that from childhood and get a teacher license. That is our family rule. It is super rare case in modern Japan. Possibly you could know this secret in future.
And you finally make your own tea house and garden?
Yes, but actually the fund to construct house and garden is from my family.
They are very welcome to do tea in North America, and spread such spectacle culture to the west. But actually I have not construct my own tea house, I am looking for the best place.
What is tea ceremony for you?
That was a super routine in my childhood, but now I feel that is part of my soul.
When I get involved much in street culture, I always see western culture and especially get into US gangsta culture as street culture is from underground. So that I move to NY. I always think I must absorb the western culture.
And since I entryied to the dance battles, I always be counscious with South Korea’s people, as they are so strong and tactic for street dance. I always feel inferior to them and always check Korean dancers.
Those stance is too much stress for me, cause I am not American,no Korean.
So what I should do? I cannot be a super dancer, I always feel giving up.
But when I re-started tea ceremony, my feelings,and my movements and my view of life is changed much. Tea ceremony is , ummm, like my words, the universe. Little univerce inside of all of us, and feel huge univer se in the little space. Tha is the sound of universe.
Through tea, we could get to know tyself, and silence of the soul.
After that, I gets more sensitive for my movements of dance, and my dance style is actually changed. I did not entry any battle anymore, as I think no more battle is needed for me, that is exsiting and that experienceis real career for street danceers, we don’t fight each other and we gets really good friends with each other after battles. I know, but I don’t need battles, I don’t be counscious about each others. I respect all dancers, and all movements of any people. That’s it.
Yeah, I don’t see breaking dance and rock dance should not be mixed with tea ceremony teaching. Tose charactors are so much diffirent, That is not respectful for both cultures. But actually my audiences and dance class people said “ Please HATT, do ceremony after dance class!” So gradually I ‘d done both.
That is the active movement and passive movement experiences.
We human kind have both movements, and we need both. Our heart and mind is also need both sides, like be moving on and progress forward, and be quite, calm and take tranquility.
Dance and tea ceremony are opposite, but there are same meanings in them.
Tea ceremony god master is , and he had done tea for unity.
As Tenshin Okakura wrote,Tea ceremony’s philosophy is basically combined Buddhism and Taoism, which was from ancient China, and shape the original style with Japanese minds and feelings. It is much affected with Zen of Buddhism, but it is not so far from our daily life, its deciplines and way of tea is actually so useful for every works of our daily routine,like Souji,CLEANING.
So I wish my dance and my tea teaching are also unity for all.
I do dance for the world. I do tea for the unity,
That is my spirituality.
【WHY STREET DANCE?】
Recently I am writing much about street dancers on the blog and some people wonder why I focus much on the streetdance.
Firstly, I love them. I am really a chinese martial artist.
Not a dancer, but love dance.
【STREET CULTURE AND SENDAI】
Secondly, that is much familiar with me. My hometown SENDAI was once a street culture basement, in Japan. This town have emerged may kinds of original street cultures, included dances. The big movement of street culture flourished from SENDAI. After the success of GAGLE, our original street culture is much more poplular and bigger, but we never go outside to be more big and famous with those. SENDAI street culture is very unique, and it is veryLOCAL. LOCAL BASED STREE CULTURE is our character.SENDAI is little, and cozy town in east side of Japan, and we stuck here and our culture.
【WHY OUR STREET CULTURE END?】
Many dance and DJ events were hold. Every day. We enjoy that and we are more creative. But in 2011, we experienced the huge earthquake, and our street culture is collapsed. We did not do such culture.
I know culture is mature when we are in peace.
That is why I have done PROJECT01. I got to know how peace is important for any creative activities,
【BBOY HATT AND OTHER DANCERS】
I won’t write only about dance, it is per of project01. Just now I am focusing that. BBOY HATT AND DANCE CREW is my idealistic street dancers.
Through them, I wrote the local based culture’s importance and dancers’ stance.
【ONE DAY， I MET ONE BBOY】
Once I met one BBOY, and he was so talented, I saw his talent and his future when I saw him at first time. He was young, and no career, and even said he quit dance. Accidentally I met him one day. So I said to him,” You will be a great dancer in future, and do dance in world class. You get to be big and. You are great”
He denied that. His attitude was very humble.
After the linf years passed, I met him again. He gets to be famous, quite dope bboy, and get much winners in battles, and show tv and any medias.
My profectioin is right, He get to be big, world class dancer.
But his attitude was quite bad. His big success changed him. He gets allogant. You know, allogance is the enermy for all artists, but he don’t realize that. I appraised his success and told the first time we met, and I told him I am a martial artist now. But he were no interests with my words and get very ungry and in Japanese slung. I felt, he think to big a great BBOY is to be “bad” and. But such stance is quite old. He looks down much about martial art, as it is far from dance and he treated as a crap.
After I saw his attitude, I got so sad. How human kind is so changeable for their success? Why people so easily get allogant and lost their way if they are famous? Is so important for dance?
The reason why I write about BBOY HATT is my idealistic inspiration about BBOY, BBOY’S b is not bad, even not breaking, it isbeautiful, and bllilirant.
YOU know, real dancers are humble if any success are coming to them, real dancers are beautiful, and real dancers are brilliant.
He did not he were gradually old, and gradually his power move is slowrlt and not powerful, and gradually he is foegoteen by people. Society’s not so long, we are so much changeable, he is not the top in future forever.
He gets oloder, and cannot do dance as he are young.
He don’ see such reality,reality check, life is changeable and we are all get older.
I write what is dance and movement for all human kinds, through BBOY HATT and dance crew. That is my idealistic perspective and message, but that is my . I should not be allogant as a martial artist, and also tea ceremony practitioner, and designer.
What is breaking dance?
Love is breaking.
