Reggae Dance - A Heroine Supporting the Boom from Behind the Scenes

FUKUSHIMA Hiroe

Hot and sexy reggae dance is now taking off among young Japanese girls and it's only going to get hotter. Reggae dance site "ONE AND G" is backing this boom with 6,000 visitors a day, introductions of 130 reggae dance teams nationwide, reggae dance videos, flashy costumes and informative columns written by dancers displayed on their site.

The site is powered by creative website company Glam Style International, and manager Ms. FUKUSHIMA Hiroe is actually running this show alone. Her work ranges from website creation to information management for reggae dancers. Although only a year has passed, the sites' popularity has skyrocketed and Hiroe's past experiences are contributing greatly to this success.

Hiroe in fact was one of the four original members (two are presently remaining) of "Onna-Mata-Chikara), known as one of the more proficient dancing teams. "I was so shocked and impressed when I saw the "Love Milk" dance show that I started to organize a dancing team with my university friends the following day. This was the start. We learnt the dance moves by watching Jamaican dance videos and we debuted one month later."

What are the attractions of reggae dancing? "One can dance while soaked in reggae music," Hiroe says. "It is not only dancing that rides on the music, but also a way that dancers can express spiritual attraction, one's own lifestyle and values as a woman in ways that men can never do. If you practice reggae dancing, you can not only become slim, but shape up proportionately and develop your bust and hips."

Bold and Sexy Dance moves often hiding very different inner personalities
Reggae dance was born in Jamaica and hit Japan's shores in the 1990s and the boom began in 2000. Reggae dance contests are now held around the country. Dancers range from 16 to 35-years-old and along with office workers and students, many are housewives. "Dancers are fashion-conscious women and their costumes are all original so there are no two the same," Hiroe says. "Dancers acquire about one costume every month. There are specialty shops for reggae dancers, but it is also fun for dancers to design and make their own costumes by themselves."

At present, there are only a few professional reggae dancers who earn a living by teaching lessons and participating in shows - reggae dance is a hobby for most of them. Hiroe retired from dancing in the summer when she was a senior at university and was scouted by the company she currently works for because of her reggae dance career .

Thanks to Hiroe's dancing experience, she is able to better understand the minds of other dancers. In her work, she is often consulted by dancers and she says many have a common problem - most of their boyfriends ask them to stop dancing due to jealousy. Why? The reason must be that dancers expose most of their bodies. "If dancers are asked to choose between reggae dance or love, most of them will choose reggae. I myself parted from my boyfriend after five years for this reason," Hiroe explains. "Reggae dance is the passion of youth."

"Reggae dancers choose their music by themselves. By understanding the meaning of the lyrics, they create their own style. The impression they give through their dancing is often very different to their inner - and often pure personalities. I can read their minds if I see them dance," Hiroe says. She attends about 30 dance shows a month.

The show is the best way to see their Beauty
As reggae is experiencing boom times now, it appears there are many business opportunities in this field. Actually, various companies are trying to scout top dancers like Hiroe. "I don't want reggae dance to become a business. Dancers don't dance for business. My company is only selling DVDs. That's why my fellow dancers are cooperative," Hiroe says. "The reason we make DVD's is to record their youthful passion through reggae dance, so it doesn't matter whether they sell well or not."

Hiroe's passion for reggae dance is deeply shared and she is sure to become an important figure in the world of reggae dance in the future. However, she explains her future this way, "I have experienced life as both a dancer and in a supporting role and I don't go for this road. What I want to do is counseling. It was a very good experience that I had consultations with dancers." It may well seem a waste that someone as talented as Hiroe is leaving the reggae world, but her daring decision follows her principal of life. However, her decision is easier to understand when you hear that she graduated from the Human Relations department of Musashino Women's University and is a member of the Academy of Counselors Japan.

At the end of the interview, she added, "Many reggae dancers were thankful they were born as women and conscious to show their beauty at its best. The show is the ideal place to see their beauty."

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