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Dance, energy, passion
Sweeping the competition in Yosakoi festivals across Japan

 Odori Samurai

 Shoko Shibata
Third year, School of Political Science and Economics

Atsushi Takagi
Third year, School of Social Sciences

Takahiro Kawashima
Third year, School of Education

These three students were entranced when they first saw Yosakoi dancers in bright clothes yell “ha, soiya!,” at their first year welcome party.  “The Waseda-esque performance where dancers shout with emotion at the top of their lungs made a huge impression on me. It was then that I decided to commit my student life to dance performance,” says Takahiro Kawashima, Deputy Manager of dance club “Odori Samurai,”  as he looked back on his time as a first year student. Shoko Shibata who had never experienced a Yosakoi dance festival says she was so nervous at her first festival that she was shaking.  Still fascinated by the dance, Shibata tells us how much she enjoys Yosakoi festivals.

The “Odori Samurai” who perform at Yosakoi festival competitions across Japan make their presence known by expressing powerful emotions with their voices.  They  won  an award for excellent performance at the National Yosakoi Competition in 2013 and a special judge’s award at the Kochi Yosakoi Festival in 2014. This year the club will participate in festivals across Japan and perform dances based on the concept of  “burning passion.” “Through our dance, we would like to express our gratitude to festival organizers, audience members, and supporters of Odori Samurai, rather than just dancing to win awards,” says Club Manager Atsushi Takagi. The club’s performances are sure to attract a lot of attention this summer.

Upcoming performances (Tokyo)

• July 19 (Sunday): Yosakoi Festival at Hikarigaoka Park
• August 29 (Saturday) and 30 (Sunday): Harajuku Omotesando Genki Festival Super Yosakoi
• October 10 (Saturday) and 11 (Sunday): Fukuro Festival Tokyo Yosakoi

Odori Samurai

Shoko Shibata was born in Tokyo and graduated from Waseda Jitsugyo Senior High School.  Atsushi Takagi was born in Ibaraki and graduated from Saitama Prefectural Kasukabe Senior High School. Takahiro Kawashima was born in Tokyo and graduated from the Third Senior High School of Nihon University. The Odori Samurai is a large dancing club with approximately 200 members. Dance themes are determined mostly by third-year student members, while costumes, songs, and choreography are designed by separate teams. The dancing club participates in festivals in around 20 areas across Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Kochi, home of Yosakoi dancing in the south every year.