Some people find their true calling before their age hits the double-digit range. While others spend most of their life finding their purpose, these individuals can hone in on their aptitudes and natural inclinations from a young age, with the privilege of charging towards enlightenment with a (somewhat) more straightforward path. They soar at an alarming speed until they are faced with unexpected opportunities that force them almost to do a “dream upheaval”, propelling their search for worth in a completely new direction.
Such is the case for Miyu, an internationally-acclaimed Japanese house dancer, who was selected (alongside people like Steve Aoki and T.O.P from BIGBANG) out of a million applicants from 249 countries to be part of the world’s first lunar tourism mission — the dearMoon project. From winning local kid category dance battles in 2011 to becoming the champion of Juste Debout — one of the most prestigious international dance events — just six years later, Miyu never saw something like this coming her way.
In this interview, we dive deep into how she got to where she is today; read on to learn more about the special place house dance sits in her life, the inspiration behind her well-loved step-by-step dance tutorials on Instagram and dance shorts on Tiktok, her thoughts on visiting the SpaceX Starbase in Texas, and the significance of her holding her first solo dance performance at Cotton Club, a live music restaurant, last year.
Hello Miyu! Can you describe what you do for a living in 10 words or less?
I travel globally as a dancer specialising in house dance!
How did you first start dancing?
I saw a girl about my age dancing at a local festival and decided I wanted to try it too.
Later, my parents took me to a dance class at a local sports club. Dance was the only thing that kept me going among the many other things I tried.
Why did you choose house dance as the style to major in? What do you love about house dance?
When I was a young dancer, I went to a studio where I could learn many dance genres. I tried all of them. The teacher I admired the most was a house dancer, so I chose it because I really wanted to be like that teacher. What I like about house dance is that it has more peacefulness and freedom than other genres.
You’ve spent more than a decade dancing — what are some truths you have learnt about being a dancer in this day and age?
“Staying humble”. By being humble all the time, I can keep myself motivated for continuous growth, and I can also make greater connections with other people. I have always thought that it is very important to stay humble today and in the past.
How has being a dancer shaped who you are today?
I started out very shy and never liked being in the public eye, but after I started dancing and putting myself in the arena of battles, I transformed into a very persevering and positive person. Dance has made me the person I am today. Dance has changed everything in my life.
After participating in so many regional and international dance battles and events, which event and exchange have been the most meaningful for you? Why?
When I was 15 years old, I went to a world dance competition called Street Dance Kemp (SDK) in the Czech Republic. I had only seen the Japanese dance scene until then, but at that world competition, amazing dancers from all over the world came and held workshops, parties, battles, etc. Participating in that event at 15 changed my life as a dancer.
It was a wonderful discovery for me, and it was the event that sparked my desire to be an international dancer.
Another thing that struck me personally was that I was able to connect with people from other countries for the first time through dancing, even though I spoke no English at all then.
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Your level-by-level dance videos on Instagram are well-loved by both seasoned and new dancers because it challenges anyone to try and do what you do in an approachable way. Where did this idea come from?
I was watching a TV quiz show where the level of questions kept getting higher and higher, and I thought it would be interesting to apply this to dance, which is how I first got started. I thought that having different levels could encourage beginners as well as more experienced dancers to tune in so it could reach a wider audience. Then I gave it a try anyway, and the response was incredible, so I have continued since then.
I’m also very curious to know what music you listen to — how much of your daily playlist is house music? I was wondering if you ever run out of inspiration or get tired of listening to the energetic rhythm of house music when you move.
I listen to whole playlists of all kinds of genres. You may be surprised to know that I rarely listen to house music in my daily life (laughs).
The music I dance to is obviously house music, and the music is the sole reason I dance. I will never get bored of it because the music determines how I move my body and the mood of the dance. The music comes first, so I have never and will never get bored with house music or run out of inspiration.
What is a song that always gets you moving? Or a song that has been significant in your dance journey so far?
There isn’t a particular song, but I watch videos of my best dance battles to motivate myself. I often watch my video roll, especially when I go abroad. Whenever I am on an airplane, I always glance back at my old self. I also watch my victory in Juste Debout, videos of me dancing great, or battling with Frankie J of HOUSE DANCE FOREVER JAPAN, for example.
I also watched the video of the time when I accomplished my goal for the first time when I managed to qualify for the next year’s tournament, which was the year after I got blown away by SDK, which changed my life 180 degrees. This footage is not on YouTube — only I can watch it.
The reason I watch old videos is to remind myself of the feeling I had when I danced in the past.
Apart from the music, I often read quotes from other people. Before the Juste Debout battle, I was reading Shohei Ohtani’s quotes.
You are also selected as a backup crew member for the dearMoon project with Yusaku Maezawa. Did you ever envision yourself being part of a mega-scale project like this? What was learning about your participation in this project like?
I never expected it at all, but I’ve always valued “the challenge” so much in my life, and all I did was prepare well to be accepted. I didn’t envision being accepted, but I was prepared to be accepted, so somewhere inside, I knew I wanted to go and that I might be accepted!
Since the screening was all in English, I had to prepare more than others to answer questions in English, whereas everyone else could answer everything completely unprepared. So when I found out that I was going to participate, honestly speaking, somewhere deep inside, I really felt that I might be qualified, and I also felt a little frustrated when I heard that I would be the backup. But the first thing is that I am delighted to be able to participate in this project and to be among this incredibly wonderful group of people because it’s all very exciting, and it’s a really valuable opportunity.
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You also met the other crew members a few weeks ago at the SpaceX Starbase in Texas. What did you learn there, and what was that experience like?
I consider myself a very positive person, but everyone on the crew is even more positive than I imagined. I myself try to be kind to everyone on a daily basis, but everyone is even more considerate of others, so it’s really exciting to just be with them, even though we haven’t really developed anything together yet.
At Starbase, I had the opportunity to actually see the rocket up close and watch the test flight of the rocket. I was given the opportunity to experience something that most people cannot experience in their lives, an emotion or maybe an impact that is very difficult to express in words, and I felt that I had to make the most of it in my dance activities.
I thought I had been putting in a lot of effort, but I felt so small.
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What message do you hope to give to artists around the world through being part of a project like dearMoon?
Artists, not astronauts, are going to space this time. I believe that art, whether it is photography, singing, or dancing, can inspire people and give them power, so I would like to go to space with this crew and share my power and dreams with people. Personally, I am not a talented person by nature, but I have practised a lot, accumulated many things, and experienced frustration and sadness to be here now, so I hope to convey the message as a dancer that “nothing is impossible in life”.
To end it off, I just want to say I watched your Cotton Club solo show on Youtube last year and was completely blown away. The live music and the seamless show that you held out alone and then with Hiro — so good! What is the story behind this performance?
The profession of dancer has very few opportunities to shine as a solo dancer, especially in Japan, where most dancers are choreographers, teachers, or backup dancers. I want to change that, so I decided to put myself first, and with the help of musicians and singers, I want to create a space where I can be the main dancer. I also wanted to express my gratitude to everyone who always supports me, including my followers on social media.
Can we expect to see more of such projects in the future? If not, what’s next for Miyu?
I want to put on a new show in a different way, adding something new. I would like to create an opportunity to thank everyone with my dance in a new way.
My next challenge is to accomplish something that most dancers don’t get to do so that the art of dancing and dancers will be more recognised by the world.
Once you are done with this story, catch up with the rest of our May 2023 issue here.
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