Waseda WeeklyWaseda University

Attention, Students!

No.620 A feat accomplished with just two years of experience in ballroom dance

Waseda Ballroom Dance Club (WBDC)

Chisato Oyama
Fourth year, School of Fundamental Science and Engineering

Raito Yokoyama
Third year, School of Human Sciences

Raito Yokoyama, who had played basketball in middle school and high school, decided to join the Waseda Ballroom Dance Club after experiencing dancing at an event welcoming new students. Chisato Oyama, who started ballet at three years old and has experience in jazz dance, hip-hop and other types of dances, joined the club in her sophomore year to take on new challenges. They advanced to the final stage of the Samba category of the Japan College Ballroom Dance Competition just two years after starting ballroom dance.

“What’s difficult about the Samba is to make a unique wavy move called “bounce action” and express the worldly outlooks of a man and a woman. When I wasn’t attending my classes, I spent almost my entire time practicing dance,” says Yokoyama. “How I use my hands to lead or follow a partner can either positively or negatively affect my partner’s moves. My goal was to enhance this technique so that both my moves and my partner’s moves could be significantly amplified,” explains Oyama.

With their energetic and unified performance, the Oyama and Yokoyama pair successfully finished in second place against competition with much more experience in ballroom dance. “Since I started ballroom dance, I have found myself enjoying practicing hard. I can practice hard because I like ballroom dance, and if I practice hard, I want to win,” says Oyama. “I want to prove that anyone can become No. 1 in college ballroom dance depending on their efforts, even if they started ballroom dance in college. I also want more people to see the ballroom dance,” says Yokoyama. They continue to try their hardest to take first place at the next competition to
be held this summer.

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Chisato Oyama: Originally from Saitama. She graduated from Ochanomizu University Senior High School. Raito Yokoyama: Originally from Tokyo. He graduated from Sugamo Senior High School. Ballroom dance is divided into two categories: Standard (waltz and four other styles) and Latin American (samba and four other styles). The Japan College Ballroom Dance Competition is held twice a year in—in the summer and the winter. The Yokoyama and Oyama pair took first place in the Paso Doble category at the Spring Competition of the Big Six Universities in Tokyo (Waseda University, Keio University, Tokyo University, Meiji University, Rikkyo University and Hosei University) held in May, and third place in the Cha-cha-cha category at the Eastern Japan College Ballroom Dance Competition held in June.

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