- ARAB NEWS
- 07 May 2024
Since 1975
DUBAI: Until Feb. 2, Japanese dance group “Fusion Japan” will light up Dubai’s Global Village every day, except Tuesday, with a highly choreographed set that features a variety of popular songs and showcases Japan’s four seasons.
The dance group is a mixture of two different groups: the all-girl dance group Fabulous Sisters and the all-boy dance group Kyushu Danji, combining two opposite styles of dancing.
“The Fabulous Sisters are the female group, and we perform in a genre we call urban jazz,” Akiho Fujita, Tsukushi Sasaki, and Yuka Watanabe from the group told Arab News Japan.
“Among the fundamentals at the heart of jazz dance is a genre called waacking. It includes techniques like voguing. We call this genre urban jazz,” the girls added.
On the other hand, the male group performs a blend of urban and breakdancing. “It’s highly original and involves a lot of acrobatic moves,” Kyushu Danji members Shuhei Fukami, Kenta Fukami, and Issei Hori told Arab News Japan.
“As performers, we think of ourselves as working with a new style,” the members shared, adding that breakdance is now more known than ever as it will be featured in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
For their Dubai performance, the group has choreographed a special performance that showcases Japanese elements. “From beginning to end, we wanted to emphasize Japanese culture, since the culture here (in Dubai) is totally different,” the members said.
“If, by coming to the show, you can feel as if you’ve stepped into another country, we’d be really pleased,” they added.
The theme for the show is Japan’s four seasons, with a small performance dedicated to each season. Their 20-minute set begins with the Fabulous Sisters as they perform breathtaking synchronized moves with Japanese umbrellas, known as Wagasa.
Kyushu Danji members shortly follow with acrobatic movements that sync with the girls’ dance moves, paired with a majestic backdrop of Japanese scenery.
The second part of the show starts with a Fabulous Sister member performing rhythmic gymnastics with a ribbon, while the rest of the members follow with Japanese umbrellas, known as Sensu, as they dance to the popular vocaloid song Senbonzakura, covered by Ado, highlighting yet another part of Japanese culture.
The male members follow with a special solo performance that demonstrates their acrobatic talent.
The show’s final part begins with Kenta Fukami performing a minute-long head spin on a two-meter platform. “Even globally, no one does that in spaces that are that tall and high,” the group said.
The talented team finishes the set with a final choreography to Gurenge by LiSa, Demon Slayer’s theme song, bringing something special for anime fans.
The members told Arab News Japan that it is their favorite song to perform. “The song is beautiful, and the way we express it is another highlight,” they shared.
Starting out as rivals, Fabulous Sisters and Kyushu Danji have been competing in the Japanese dance scene separately for more than 10 years. “Back when Natsumi (Fabulous Sisters member) and Hori were really young, the two of them would always find themselves in fierce battles,” the members recalled.
“It occurred to me that if (we) joined forces, we could start a global movement. Fusion is like an all-Japanese troupe, so we added Japan to our name,” they added.
The supergroup, whose ages range from 17 to 37, found global success after joining the 17th season of America’s Got Talent.
“We had always dreamed of America,” Kyushu Danji members told Arab News Japan. “We watched the show in Japan, and it’s among the biggest audition programs, so I thought we should be there competing via dance.”
They invited the female dance group to join them because they wanted to bring something new to the talent shows. “Just putting on a dance recital seemed too predicable. We wanted to do entertainment. We wanted to take on the biggest challenge,” the boys said.
Prior to that, the all-girl squad had already competed in Britain’s Got Talent, Asia’s Got Talent, as well as World of Dance, so they had experience competing on televised shows. “If we teamed up, we would have the ultimate squad,” Fujita shared. “We aimed for the top; we achieved that, and our dreams came true.”
While they were eliminated in the semi-finals, the group looks back on the experience as a fond memory. “Everything was so glamorous. Everyone was very professional. All sorts of things happened every day. It was all like a dream,” they said.
Each member of the group has a unique story of how they fell in love with the dancing, which showcases their dedication to their art. 26-year-old Hori, known worldwide as “B-boy Issei,” began dancing when he was in kindergarten.
He watched his first breakdancing show at the age of six after his childhood best friend invited him, who is now a member of Fusion Japan as well, which left him mesmerized.
“Seeing guys spinning on their heads or doing backflips. I began to wonder whether I could do that too,” Hori told Arab News Japan. Coincidentally, the dancers he watched that day were Shuhei and Kenta Fukami, who are now with him in the same group.
Hori added that dancing played a huge role in his life, as it made him more outgoing and confident. “When I performed for the first time for an audience, I got a lot of cheers. So, gradually, through dancing, I began to like myself, and I threw myself into it,” he shared.
Furthermore, 17-year-old Sasaki, the group’s youngest member and a former contestant of the Japanese reality show Produce 101 Japan: The Girls, developed her interest after seeing her brother dance.
Sasaki then met Fusion Japan member and her dance teacher, Ruu, who inspired her so much that she decided to relocate with her entire family from Iwate to Fukushima to learn from her at her dance studio.
Ruu, leader of Fabulous Sisters and arguably the most popular member of Fusion Japan with more than 142,000 followers on Instagram, began dancing at the age of two. She became the youngest person to win the most prizes at Legend Tokyo, the biggest dance competition in Asia.
Besides being a member of the two dance groups, she has also choreographed a variety of popular Japanese songs, such as Paradise by Niziu, the theme song for “Doraemon the Movie 2023,” as well as Coconut by the same group.
@ruufabulous くーちゃんとここなっつ🥥💕🏝 今回も振付させて頂きましたっっ😍🌈ココナッツポーズペアで是非やってね🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻#coconut #niziu #niziu_coconut #つくし #dancestudiovivid
♬ COCONUT (サビ1 ver.) – NiziU
“I create works through trial and error, so that I can do my best depending on the audience,” Ruu told Arab News Japan. “I make sure to switch up the choreography and production for artists, Fabulous Sisters, and Fusion Japan.
Alongside Ruu, the group often engages in solo activities. Hori, for example, has won multiple international solo competitions, such as the 2016 Red Bull BC One World Finals Champion and the 2013 IBE Super Solo Battle, while Kenta Fukami appears frequently in Cirque du Soleil in America.
Additionally, Fujita also choreographs for a variety of artists with Ruu while also operating her own dance studio in Ibaraki, where her family is.
“I also teach kids at my studio. That’s great in a whole other way. I get to be part of watching kids grow up. I enjoy doing both,” she said.
“The work I do in Fusion, though, is what I’ve always dreamed of. We do a lot of big events, so I give that priority,” she added.
@ruufabulous 皆様今年もどうぞ宜しくお願い致します。💖✨ 年始からFABULOUS SISTERSで1ヶ月間お仕事の為Dubaiに来ています‼️ドバイから更新していきますね🐫🇦🇪
♬ オリジナル楽曲 – R U U – R U U
Fusion Japan is currently focused on finishing their Dubai shows, with hopes of one day touring the world. “Right now, we are just focused on dancing our hearts out. Our future will come into view,” the members concluded.
Catch Fusion Japan perform at Global Village at the times below:
