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Dancer/Actor Oguri (s**t kingz)/Motohiro Oguri

In 2010, a four-member Japanese dance performance group made their first appearance at BODY ROCK, one of the largest dance competitions in the United States, and won the competition, beating out strong local competitors. Their name is "s**t kingz," commonly known as "sikkin." They won the same competition for the second consecutive year in 2011, and their name resonated around the world. They steadily gained recognition in Japan as backup dancers and choreographers for many artists, and began performing solo as s**t kingz in 2013. In October 2023, they achieved the feat of being the first dance performance group to perform a solo concert at the Nippon Budokan, and are currently expanding their field of activity.

One of the members, Oguri, graduated from School of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University in 2009. Oguri was a member of the dance student club Waseda University Breakerz (official student club, hereafter referred to as WUB) and has experience performing on stage at Waseda Festival. In 2007, during Oguri's third year at university, Oguri formed the group s**t kingz and began performing as a group. What is Oguri's history, from Oguri's memories of Oguri's time at university to the present?

"S**t kingz Fes" is a music festival hosted by S**t Kingz, held in July 2024. (From left) Kazuki, Oguri, Shoji, and NOPPO

University classes inspire my work

Oguri started dancing when Oguri was a first-year high school student. When Oguri was looking for something different from badminton, which Oguri had been doing as a club activity in junior high school, the world of dancers that Oguri had admired since Oguri was a child watching music programs on TV suddenly came to Oguri's mind. "That's it! I'll do dance," Oguri thought, and started attending a dance school that was two train stops away from Oguri's home.

"Every week we learned different dance styles in the class, and that's where I got into rock dance. I thought it was a lot of fun. I especially looked forward to going to the class every week taught by Q-TARO, the leader of the dance group "Dengeki Chomolungma Tai."

Oguri continued to immerse themself in dance, but Oguri's parents persuaded Oguri to go to college, and people attending dance school also encouraged Oguri to continue. "If I go to college, I can continue dancing to my heart's content." With this in mind, Oguri made up Oguri's mind at the end of Oguri's second year of high school and began studying for Oguri's entrance exams. "I thought this was my chance, so I danced during meals." As a result, Oguri was successfully accepted into Waseda University.

"In addition to the Faculty of School of Political Science and Economics, I also applied to School of Letters, Arts and Sciences I and Sciences (at the time), School of Social Sciences, and School of Education, and I was accepted into all of them. I specialized in the three humanities subjects, attended private tutoring schools, and did everything I had to do. For things like Japanese history, I memorized every last detail of the glossary, and competed with my friends over who knew the most (laughs)."

However, Oguri's start at university was not smooth sailing. Oguri approached those around Oguri with a cocky attitude, saying things like, "I don't want to join the crowd," and "I've got dance skills," and Oguri continued to ignore invitations to language class dinners. Before Oguri knew it, Oguri had no friends who would lend Oguri their notes.

"I really don't want you to take my university life as a reference (laughs). I was always dancing, so I only got seven credits in my first year, and I didn't have any friends so I had lunch alone...But still, I had fun in a dance student club called WUB. We practiced until dark in front of the co-op in Building No. 17 on Waseda Campus, and even danced on stage at Waseda Festival."

Left: Group photo with WUB friends at Waseda Festival in third year of university. Oguri is on the bottom right.
Photo on the right: A photo of the group performing rock dance at Memorial Hall (now Waseda Arena). Oguri is on the far right.

During Oguri's university studies, Oguri said, "The Spanish I studied as a second language was useful in my overseas activities." Oguri also said that Oguri's art theory classes helped Oguri in Oguri's later work.

"It wasn't a subject in the Faculty of School of Political Science and Economics, but I was watching the musical 'Singin' in the Rain' in an art theory class and was really impressed by the cool scene where Gene Kelly was tap dancing in the pouring rain. I looked up other musical films from the 1950s and told the members of s**t kingz, 'They're amazing, so you have to watch them.' Maybe this is the inspiration behind the musical-like productions in s**t kingz performances."

During Oguri's time at university, Oguri worked part-time at a dance school and a pizza shop. During Oguri's long breaks at university, Oguri would fly to Los Angeles with Oguri's current group of members and spend two months absorbing the latest dance trends there. At the time, Oguri never imagined Oguri would be able to make a living from dancing.

"I somehow managed to get all the credits and graduated in September 2009, six months after my classmates. I couldn't get a start on my job search and decided to continue dancing without any particular confidence, but just as I was graduating, more and more people started to discover s**t kingz on YouTube. From there, we started to get invited to workshops in Europe (※), and we started getting jobs as back-up dancers and choreographers. Furthermore, we won BODY ROCK in 2010, and before I knew it, I was able to make a living from dancing."

(※) A one-off lesson.

In San Diego, USA, in 2009. After performing at a studio event, Oguri and the other dancers were with S**t Kingz.

Dance is something you dedicate your life to. Going further into the unknown

Always wanting to "present a perfect performance," Oguri has been undergoing rigorous training. What kind of activities are Oguri focusing on the most at the moment?

"Recently, I have been getting more opportunities to work on stage as an actor... In September 2024, I appeared in a production called 'The Ball of a Sphere', written by Kishida Drama Award-winning playwright and director Ryo Ikeda. The experience of facing the same work for two months is something that is unique to the stage. I still have little experience as an actor, but I really enjoy taking on various challenges, even in my 30s."

A scene from the play "Death of a City," which was performed in December 2023. Oguri (far left) played two roles.

As actor Oguri Motohiro, he also appeared in the film "Fox Wolf Blood Level 2" (Toei) and the NHK morning drama "Boogie Woogie." Where does Oguri get the motivation to take on new challenges amid Oguri’s busy days?

"I'm just being greedy (laughs). I think I want to do more and be praised for it. Also, I love expressing myself. I think of dance as something you should devote your life to, and it's interesting to see the expressions I gain from it connect to other genres, like acting."

Now that Oguri has successfully fulfilled Oguri’s dream of performing at the Budokan, dancer Oguri's goal is to "enjoy what comes out in the moment."

"Dance is like an art of improvisation, and up until now I've always prepared quite well before dancing. But recently I've been dancing while enjoying the thrill of the moment. The solo I did at the Budokan concert was all improvised. It's really scary, but there's a beauty in improvisation that allows you to create a work that is better than what you could have done with preparation. I enjoy coming up with something different every time."

"THE s**t" was held in October 2023, and was the first ever solo live performance by a dancer at the Nippon Budokan. The venue was packed, with 8,000 spectators enthralled by the performance.

When asked about Oguri’s future goals, Oguri said, "Opportunities come to you because you don't set goals," a philosophical statement. Oguri said Oguri will hone Oguri’s expression and wait to encounter something beyond what Oguri can currently imagine. Oguri also strives to always be in top condition so that Oguri can jump into any environment. "Dance is something you should continue to do for the rest of your life," says s**t kingz Oguri, whose story will continue even into Oguri’s 50s and 60s. Finally, Oguri gave a message to Waseda University students.

"I want you to be honest with those around you and cherish your friends. University is a treasure trove of opportunities to meet new people. I want you to go out and see as many different places as possible and meet as many friends as possible. The important thing is to actually go see the performance. You won't understand anything or meet new people just by looking on social media or YouTube. When I was a student, I went to Los Angeles on impulse and was inspired by the dancers there who danced freely and in their own style.

Another thing that surprised me when I entered the workforce was how many opportunities I had to work with Waseda graduates! Many of my friends were active in dance and theater, both in front of the stage and behind the scenes. I hope you will continue to use the network of friends you have cultivated at Waseda to help you in the future.”