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From trampolinist to B-Boy. He started breaking because of his older sister.

Shigekix was born in Hokkaido and raised in Osaka.

As a parent, I wanted to find something that my child would be passionate about, so I had him take up a variety of extracurricular activities from a young age, including skiing, tennis, swimming, and English conversation.

She practiced trampolining in particular, so seriously that she joined a club team. At the same time, she also took dance lessons at a studio once a week, but trampolining was her main activity, and dance was merely one of her other extracurricular activities.

Five-year-old Shigekix receiving an award at a trampoline competition

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The turning point for Shigekix came one day on a holiday when he was 6 years old.
It was the time when I was practicing on the trampoline in the gym, as usual.

“At the gym where our club team practiced, we opened the trampoline to the public on weekends. By chance, a B-Boy came there to practice acrobatics, and he asked if she wanted to try breaking. From there, my sister AYANE went to the B-Boy’s practice area and started breakdancing.” (Shigekix, same below)

Her sister, B-girl AYANE (right), is also one of Japan's leading dancers.
Her sister, B-girl AYANE (right), is also one of Japan’s leading dancers.

The B-Boys who came to the trampoline were practicing breaking at Ponte Square on the first basement floor of OCAT (Osaka City Air Terminal). Even today, it is a popular spot known as a mecca for street dance.

When AYANE started breaking with older adults, she quickly became enthusiastic and before she knew it, she was completely immersed in the fun of breaking.

Shigekix was also inspired by watching his older sister practice and perform at showcases, and decided to start breaking at the age of 7. At first, he borrowed a towel from his father and honed his skills by imitating the movements of his older sisters, such as chair freeze (the foundation of breaking), three-point handstand, and head spin (a technique that spins around the head).

“At that time there weren’t many dance studios and hardly any kids were breaking. So for the first year after I started breaking I went to the streets and spent my days just practicing on my own.

Learning each and every move, such as top rock (standing dance), footwork (movements in which the hands are placed on the floor and the feet are moved), freeze (a decisive pose that stops the body’s movement), and power moves (big moves in which the hands, head, back, etc. are rotated), felt like clearing a game. I remember having a strong curiosity and wanting to be able to do more and more moves, so if there was a move I couldn’t do, I would practice it enthusiastically until I mastered it.”