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.
This time, the Kansai Regional Tournament was held on Saturday, July 6th at the Kobe Cultural Hall in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. A total of 27 teams participated, with Kwansei Gakuin High School winning with 80 points (※).
The school, which had earned a ticket to the finals, said, “We are only made up of second and third year students standing here, but we started a new team last year and there were many awkward moments and practice did not go well. We were frustrated that we might not be able to go to the nationals, and we were really worried until the day before about how we could convey this piece through dance. We are very grateful to have received such a big prize at such a wonderful competition as DCC.”
Furthermore, REIKO, a judge for the Kansai Regional Competition, commented on the school, “Their dance was so perfect that it felt like it was nearly perfect. I thought their skills, physique, and costumes were all very good. I also think that they must have practiced a lot and discussed a lot about the organizational skills and unity required to bring the entire group together. They are undoubtedly number one.”
Here are some comments from the finalists:
▼Osaka Prefectural Kumeda High School (Expo: Tower of the Sun) Score: 80 points
This piece is a big risk. It involves making full use of the costumes, opening the tower during the piece, and depicting the work that Taro Okamoto created in two and a half minutes. Today’s performance gave me a sense of accomplishment that I don’t get in practice, but there are still things I need to work on. This piece will continue to evolve, so I hope you will continue to watch over it.
Comment from judge CHEKE:
I thought the music would be difficult, but the dancing, costumes, expressions and composition were so expressive that it didn’t feel that way at all.
I thought it would be rare to find such an amazing team.
▼ Osaka Sangyo University High School (Artificial: Lie) Score: 69 points
This was the first time that this piece was shown at a competition, so it was very difficult to get everyone on the same page about the piece.
Not doing very well in last year’s tournament has been a good motivation for the team, and I’m very happy to receive third place in the first tournament of the season.
Comment from judge WAZA:
The aesthetic is not overdone. I felt a sense of style in the composition and dance.
I was really impressed by their dancing skills, the way the audience was united, and the originality of their movements, even though they were moves I’d seen before.
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.
Avex will continue to contribute to dance culture and aim to provide high school students, the leaders of the next generation, with opportunities to gain social experience through dance.
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The winning and runner-up teams had the same number of points, but Kwansei Gakuin High School, with the higher score in expressiveness, was declared the winner.
“DANCE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP No.12Overview of the Kansai Regional Tournament of the 2019 National High School Dance Club Championship
Date and time: Saturday, July 6, 2024
Venue: Kobe Cultural Hall (4-2-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture)
Participating teams: 27 teams in total
Osaka Prefectural Izumi High School (Osaka Prefecture) *2 teams participating/Osaka Prefectural Tomioka High School (Osaka Prefecture)/Osaka Sangyo University High School (Osaka Prefecture) *2 teams participating/Doshisha Kori High School (Osaka Prefecture)/Kyoto Seibo Gakuin High School (Kyoto Prefecture)/Saisei Technical High School (Hyogo Prefecture)/Osaka Prefectural Shibashima High School (Osaka Prefecture)/Osaka Prefectural Kumeda High School (Osaka Prefecture) *2 teams participating/Minoh Jiyu Gakuen High School (Osaka Prefecture)/Osaka Prefectural Otori High School (Osaka Prefecture)/Kwansei Gakuin High School (Hyogo Prefecture)/Osaka Prefectural Toneyama High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Osaka Prefectural Hanazono High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Daisho Gakuen High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Osaka Prefectural Hanai High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Masuda Higashi High School (Shimane Prefecture) / Osaka Prefectural Abeno High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Osaka Prefectural Kanaoka High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Seika High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Akashi Municipal Akashi Commercial High School (Hyogo Prefecture) / Osaka Prefectural Settsu High School (Osaka Prefecture) / Himeji Municipal Kotooka High School (Hyogo Prefecture) / Sakuyo Gakuen High School (Okayama Prefecture) / Kansai University of Welfare Science High School (Osaka Prefecture)
Judges: Kabao, CHEKE, RICO HIRAI, REIKO, WAZA (titles omitted)
About the Kwansei Gakuin High School Dance Club
■ Total number of members: 47 (established 8 years ago)
■ Genre practiced: JAZZ
■Dance club policies and features:
Policy: To become a club that is supported by those around it and that can spread positive influences.
Characteristics: Students create choreography, composition, costumes, audio, and practice menus
■Dance club SNS accounts:
https://www.instagram.com/kghdanceclub/
■Anecdotes unique to our school:
・Joint practice with the junior high school division. Not only do we teach junior high school students, but we also use the experience as an opportunity to review our own dancing and fundamentals and learn new things.
・We have alumni who are university students come and give workshops and have them look at our work and practice sessions.
・We have introduced an activity called “mini club” within the club. It is an activity that improves teamwork by forming a group of members and deepening friendships outside of club activities through common hobbies and activities. We value communication with each other in order to create works together.
■Theme of the work: Utauran (read: Siren)
■Explanation about the theme of the work:
Sirens are monsters from Greek mythology who lure sailors into the sea with their seductive songs.
Despite their charming singing voices and beautiful appearances, with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a fish, they are destined to turn into rocks if they fail to seduce a sailor. Today, we sing and dance with the fate of the Siren.
■Who would you like to share this work with:
I want to express my gratitude to my teachers, coaches, family, and to Satoya-san who made our costumes. They always support us in various situations, and I can’t express my gratitude enough to them. I want to convey this feeling through my dance in this piece.
About the Osaka Prefectural Kumeda High School Dance Club
■ Total number of members: 54 (established 19 years ago)
■Practicing genre: JAZZ, HIPHOP
■Dance club policies and features:
Our goal is to win the national championship. In addition, we hold presentations at local festivals and elementary schools, and also hold hair donation and fundraising events to raise awareness in society.
■Dance club SNS accounts:
https://www.instagram.com/kumedance/
■Anecdotes unique to our school:
The Kumeda High School Dance Club is proud of the fact that they perform their own independent performances. Every year, 2,000 guests attend the independent performances that the club members create themselves. Our school is proud of the independent performances that all the members put together, using their strengths to the fullest.
■Theme: World Expo (read: Tower of the Sun)
■Explanation about the theme of the work:
Speaking of the World Expo, the Tower of the Sun was built 50 years ago. Now, we high school students express the message we received from the Tower of the Sun in order to “design a future society where life shines.” It is a “story of life” that spans the past, present, and future.
■Who would you like to share this work with:
We want to convey our feelings to everyone alive today.
About the Osaka Sangyo University High School Dance Club
■ Total number of members: 33 (established 15 years ago)
■ Genre practiced: JAZZ
■Dance club policies and features:
We work towards five goals as “BUDAHLIA SPILIT”.
Dignity, passion, challenge, elegance, respect
■Anecdotes unique to our school:
This is a school where cheerful greetings are always exchanged.
■Theme of the work: Artificiality (read: Lie)
■Explanation about the theme of the work:
Have you unknowingly put on a mask of always putting on a good face?
Is it to avoid hurting others?
Or is it to avoid hurting yourself?
Concealing one’s true identity and maintaining a good appearance
I will never forgive people who act good-looking and then run away after hurting people’s feelings.
■Who would you like to share this work with:
I want to tell my family for always supporting me.
“DANCE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPAbout the National High School Dance Club Championships
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.
For details, please check the official website. DCC official website:https://dcc.avex.jp/
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