We were excited to meet the Japanese dancer choreographer – Kentaro Inoue – at Attakalari Studio. In fact, we reached early so that we could see him in action at the workshop in hip hop that he was here for.
But alas! It was not meant to be so. Kentaro was sick and could barely even speak. But the sport that he was, he agreed to talk and even posed for the picture.
“I can't hold the posture for long,” he said in Japanese, which was instantly translated to us by his manager. So we rushed through the session and sat down for a real short chat with the young dancer and his translator. His voice is so soft that we can barely hear him.
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This is Kentaro's first visit to India and he is looking forward to many collaborations that will lead to further visits to our country and our city. About his own dance style, Kentaro says: “I am not influenced by any particular dance style. My work is a result of how I want a particular piece to be constructed and mostly it is based on some concept or the other.”
Kentaro has been dancing for 18 years. He was 13 when he took to hip hop and the “passion has not faded. Watching Michael Jackson on TV and imitating his moves was my first school. I started out as a professional only at the age of 23,” he says.
He then went on to train himself in street dance lessons in Japan, which “mostly is hip hop and lock dance, which again is a form of a free-style of dance,” he explains.
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About a career in dance, Kentaro says that it's difficult to make a living as a contemporary dancer in Japan, “as it is still not popular, so I teach dance to sustain myself”.
In the workshop he says he will introduce new styles to students and when he choreographs a piece his main aim is that the dance move the audience or touch them deeply. He is also passionate about music and composes music for most of his shows.
His costume is nothing dressy or fancy, it's regular daily wear.
“That's my style. I like to keep is simple and am not into flashy stuff,” he says weakly and we stop at that.
For more about him you can log on to >www.kentarock.com