Avex-sponsored “avex presents DANCE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 12th National High School Dance Club Championship (hereinafter referred to as DCC)” was held over two days in the Kanto region to determine the best high school dance club in Japan. Yamamura International High School won on the first day, and Takenan High School won on the second day, with the top five teams all earning tickets to the finals.
The school will compete in the final tournament to be held at Tokyo Garden Theater (Koto-ku, Tokyo) on Tuesday, August 20th.
DCC is a competition that pits the best high school dance clubs from across the country. It began in 2013 and will be held for the 12th time this year. The judging criteria are “how well the two-character kanji theme is expressed through dance,” as well as three categories of “expressiveness,” “technical ability,” and “originality,” with scores out of 100 points. In addition to regional competitions being held in six areas from June in Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Kyushu, and Taiwan, online preliminary competitions will be held, and the 37 winning teams from all over the country will compete in the final competition to be held in Tokyo in August.
A total of 50 teams participated in the Kanto Regional Tournament, which was held over two days, on Sunday, June 16th at Nihon Kogakuin Arena and on Saturday, June 22nd at Culttz Kawasaki.
The five teams that advanced to the finals were Yamamura International High School, which won on the first day of the tournament, Yokohama Soei High School, which came in second, Takenan High School, which won on the second day, Tokyo Metropolitan Komae High School, which came in second, and Yamamura International High School, which came in third (different from the team on the 16th), who won fierce battles.
Here are some comments from the finalists:
▼Yamamura International High School (Benimai: Carmen) Score: 87 points
I was sad when one of our team members was unable to participate midway through, but I am really happy that we were able to come through the qualifying rounds in first place.
Comment from judge SHUHO:
Frankly, it was amazing. I think the quality was head and shoulders above the rest. The precision of their movements, their fingertips, and the fast and detailed composition were all so clear even from a distance that I wondered if the teachers’ guidance was quite intimidating. (laughs)
The quality was so amazing that I thought they might even place highly in the finals.
▼ Yokohama Soei High School (Knocked out: Mounting Mountain) Score: 84 points
I am really happy to have won second place. This was my first time participating in DCC, and we had a lot of worries and we all talked about them together and worried about them, so I am really happy to receive this award. Thank you very much.
Comment from judge Amane:
The theme was difficult, but I was so excited to see what kind of work it would be that I was captivated by the first performance. I think it takes a lot of practice to act with a team of 40 people, but it went very smoothly, and each member had a great spirit.
▼Bunan High School (Wasshoi) Score: 88 points
I’m super happy! I’d like to thank the judges, the parents who supported me, and everyone on the team. I was nervous until the very end, but I was able to perform perfectly and win, so I’m really happy.
Comment from judge MIZUE:
Their enthusiasm was by far the best. Even after the dance started, the enthusiasm continued and the dance was full of energy. Their dancing skills were also stable, and I was impressed by how well they performed.
▼Tokyo Metropolitan Komae High School (Dreamy): Score: 86 points
I am truly happy to receive this award and to have been able to take a step closer to my goal of competing nationwide.
Comment from judge HANA:
The costumes and the use of the first box were in line with the theme, and although there were a large number of people, there was almost no difference in skill between the children behind them, so I thought the level of both the dance and the style was very high.
▼Yamamura International High School (Shunki: Never Enough) Score: 82 points
I’m a little disappointed because we had talked about winning the preliminary round and going on to the nationals, but I’m happy that we were able to qualify for the nationals by coming in third place. I still have a lot to learn in terms of my dancing, so I’ll do my best to express the strong feelings I put into this piece through my dance.
Comment from judge kooouya:
They appeared on stage looking just like the theme and I was drawn in. The piece, the dancing, and everyone’s expressions were all great.
The schools that will advance to the finals will be selected through online qualifying rounds to be held on Sunday, July 14th, with all 37 teams scheduled to advance to the finals.
▼About the “DANCE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP National High School Dance Club Championship”
The DANCE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP (National High School Dance Club Championship) is a competition to decide the best high school dance club in Japan. Participation is free. Eligibility requirements include being a high school dance club and being a team consisting of 1 to 40 members.
The preliminary rounds will be held online, and the 24 winning teams will advance to the final tournament. In addition, regional tournaments will be held in six areas, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Kyushu, and Taiwan, from June. The top three teams from the Kanto and Kansai tournaments, and the winning teams from the Tohoku, Chubu, Kyushu, and Taiwan tournaments, will be seeded, for a total of 10 teams, and will advance to the final tournament as seeded teams (it is possible to participate in both the online preliminary tournament and the regional tournament). The top three teams from last year’s final tournament will also be given the right to participate in this year’s final tournament. A total of 37 teams will be able to advance to the final tournament this year.
At the finals, in addition to announcing the winning team and the top teams, sponsor and audience prizes will also be awarded. 37 teams that have advanced from all over the country will show off their passionate performances, aiming to be the No. 1 high school dance club in the country.
Please check the official website for details.
DCC official website:https://dcc.avex.jp/
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