This chapter introduces some Japanese J-Pop groups. They are all real and you can watch videos on… https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-9-most-unique-j-pop-bands-right-now
Marianne
Chapter 4 And Now is a Spotlight…
One of the common aspects of a J-Pop performance is usually the large number of bodies on stage. The band had two keyboard players, guitar, bass, drums and two singers. There were eight of us and Aiko with her four other cheerleaders so we had to fit the twenty into whatever space we were provided.
This meant that we could not actually do any gymnastic routine but needed to do a lot of bouncing on the spot so that our skirts flared – a very common J-Pop activity. We had added some proper cheerleading moves that Aiko and I could choreograph, mainly lifts and splits. I added a few break dance moves that I could inject into the sequence and taught some of the others to do them as well. Hikaru and Akito were very well adapted to these with their extra strength from being boys. The band really got with it and we were usually watched over by Miss Ryoji and the music teacher. It was not hard to remember the moves and we all had a lot of fun doing it.
The night of the social was a real blast. Aiko and I were dressed with our mothers’ help and then she proceeded to make us up to look the part. She had helped me in this for my girl socialising before but, because we needed to look extra good on stage, all of our mothers had chatted and decided on our look. Thus, when we assembled back stage, it was a huge bunch of very beautiful girls waiting to become extras in the music scene. My hair was split into a pair of pigtails on either side which bounced when I did. When the curtain went up and we got going it became a blur for me as I got into the dance. We did our bounces, our splits, our lifts and, when the three of us stepped out to do a break dance routine we almost brought the house down. The band had to do three songs again before we were allowed to rest and we were all dripping with sweat when we left the stage.
Once we had cooled down and drank a bottle of water each, we were herded out to join our folks and get a chance on some nibbles. Our parents hugged us and my mother whispered “Miyoko, you were born for this, it was wonderful.” I was standing next to my father and Okemias’ parents when I saw someone I had seen before. I went over to him as he was standing alone with a drink in his hand and I said “Excuse me sir, I have spoken to you once before, I think it was on the flight into Tokyo a year or so ago. I am Miyoko Tachabana and I think that you must be Naozumi Yukiyoshi.”
He smiled and told me that not only was I a great dancer but I had a good memory as well. He then went on to comment that I was as gifted in my break dance moves as I was in speaking about them. He said that after our discussion he had explored the movement further but had not seen how it would fit into J-Pop - “Until tonight.” He then asked me about our dance group and I explained that we were the Senri Flames gymnastic team and our cheer squad and that this was our first outing with the band. He was surprised and said that it was a very professional show for the first time. He then said “Were you, or were you not a boy when I last spoke to you?” and I had to tell him some of the story about how I ended up standing here in a short skirt and heels, pointing out my two other friends as having come along the journey as well. “If I had not met you before, I would never have guessed” he said “now, introduce me to your team, I would really like to talk to them.”
I led him over to our family group and, while he chatted, I went and rounded up most of the gang as well as our teacher. I knew that he was a booking agent and he explained that he was here tonight as a friend had told him about the band. He would, he said, talk to them further when they had finished their school year but he had been taken by our dance routine and the effort we had put into it. He wanted to have a meeting with all of us, and our parents, the following Monday at a small hall he could use, with a view to discussing our being on stage with one of his other bands for a big show in Tokyo, towards the middle of the next year. Those girls I had not managed to gather were quickly called and told about it.
Our mother took Aiko and me along to the meeting, my father saying that he would go along with whatever she decided. All of the team and all of the cheer squad were there with at least one parent each. Naozumi went over why he was there at the social and went further into his thinking. He said that we, as a dance group, had something extra to offer because of our gymnastic skills and that he was putting together a show that would play on the two evenings of World Cosplay Summit in Tokyo next August. He said there would be three groups; The Margarines had ten on stage already, as did Chubbiness. He had also signed a group called Honey Popcorn which was just three Japanese girl singers from South Korea and we would need to be backing them. He did say that they were a gentler sound and that we may need to do a slow movement routine. He told us how much we would earn for the two shows and said that we would be taken, by bullet train, to Tokyo for about four rehearsals and would be staying at a good hotel. He said that the transport and accommodation offer also included up to five adults. He took Miss Ryoji aside and she gave him her email address at the school and he said he would send clips from each of the groups and extra ones from Honey Popcorn so we could start to think about a routine before we signed contracts.
Now that was a good deal and the general consensus was that we could do it. All of the other girls were in raptures at being in the show with two of their favourite groups, both very kawaii based. I had not been able to find the time, with all of my activities, to watch pop shows so was not acquainted with any of the groups so Okemia spoke to Masuko, who was very much into the music, who asked her mother if she would allow a girls get-together to watch some of her videos. That evening we gathered at her home and crammed into their lounge area to watch the groups we would be meeting. The Margarines were good, if a little stilted at times, and Chubbiness was just that – chubby and a lot of fun. It was good to see the video telling girls not to worry if they were a little overweight, just go with it and believe in yourself. On top of that they were very active and so cute!
Honey Popcorn had not made it big yet and there was just the one video she had with them and I was immediately captivated. These were not kids bouncing around, no; these were beautiful young women who could really dance. I started to think about a routine we could develop that would suit their stage look as I watched. We would need them to learn some moves from us as well as our needing to fit with them but I hoped they would embrace the concept.
The final term of my second year was even more hectic than the first year. As well as studying hard for the exams I was now doing two sessions a week with the gymnastics. Our success last year had created a desire among the girls to be in our evening class. The first term had been strange for us as we went through our own routines, Miss Ryoji being sidelined trying to sort out which of the thirty or so girls who had signed on would be good enough to continue. Over the course of the first two terms it had dwindled to ten who had the ability, and the desire, to continue. We knew that we were building a second Flames team as we would be moving into our third year in April and some of us found ourselves acting as teaching assistants to help things along.
In February the band was asked to perform in a local dance hall and we were, again, asked to provide a backing group. This time we took the more rhythmic members of the first years and about half of our original gym group to make up a smaller group, some of our number needing to spend more time on study. Aiko and the cheer squad were not around much this year as they were all now into their third year and working towards whatever career had been laid out for them. With Aiko it was following our father into the finance sector. The dance worked out well in the end and the new girls were well on their way to becoming well rounded dancers as well as gymnasts, something that added to their gym work. I did a couple of solo moves but did have a lot of input into the routine.
For the inter-school gymnastic competition I dropped the beam as we had one of our new girls who proved to be much better, and prettier, than me. I did solo floor routines and was, once more, chosen to be part of the rhythmic team. My two pals, Akito and Hikaru, had dropped out to go their own ways. Akito had signed onto a drama and film-making course while Hikaru had started on hormones so could not compete anyway. That left six of us to train for the team routine so that we had enough to cover any problems. This year we were the defending champions so there was a great deal of face to be lost if we went down.
Once again I did well enough in my exams to get a big hug from both my parents. Aiko did extra well in her maths and our father was more than proud of us. When the competition came around we had a bigger group on hand this time. Aiko and the cheer squad had spent a couple of evenings catching up with their moves and had added a couple of the new girls. Our original team now only did floor and rhythmic and all the other apparatus events had one or more of the new girls taking part. My replacement took out the beam and one of the others took the uneven bars. We filled the three places with the floor routines, I came second to Okemia; and we again took out the rhythmic team prize with our ball routine.
Marianne G 2021
