Getting to Know 東京ゲゲゲイ Tokyo Gegegay

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 Japan's Super-Talented Queer Dance Group

This beautifully enthusiastic dance company, formed in 2013 by member MIKEY, has something to show off! As a perfect addition to close pride month, what's a better thing to introduce than a queer dance group that's fierce as ever? This group first appeared to compete in popular Japanese dance contest, "Dance@Hero" and has continued ever since to showcase their talents in more ways than one. It's no surprise they took the title with their art and vivid imagery that tells rich and unique stories every time.

Although this music video doesn't necessarily display their dance skills to the fullest, it does bring out the dirty and heavy sound that they often use in full force, juxtapositioned against the heavily processed vocals of a typical pop star. It's perfectly bizarre and I love every bit, with the song itself being quite pleasant. This techno-goth-pop hybrid is something that works with their style consistently. Not to mention, they're dancing while riding bikes, and every move is done with all that they have, even as a collective. Precision is key in this tutting-heavy, cult-favorite dance group.

In line with always telling a story, this song is also both calm and chilling, embracing both sides of emotion with love and hate, which is reinforced by the strong visual story as well as the lyrics.

As with the uniquely hybrid song, their style is very much usual of them: gothic renditions of otherwise innocent outfits. School girls, police, nuns, no one is safe from TOKYO GEGEGAY!

The performances are often wildly inappropriate and quite specific comedy that leaves you either entirely entranced or (and?) probably a little disgusted, almost always complete with wild hair flipping and impressively technical dances.

At first, I wondered if this was simply a comedy group, considering the parody of the famous "Nippon Erekiteru Rengo" comedy duo that popularized the "Dame yo~ Dame, Dame" phrase in their remix a while back. They even went on to collaborate with the real comedy duo, and while yes, they are funny at times, their skill is not to be underestimated.

After we've sampled the exclusive style that is Tokyo Gegegay in song, I'd like to showcase where the real talent lies: the dance.

They are even known to do everything from comedy in parody and story to horror skits incorporated with their dances like in this sketch with En Dance which mixes great beats and great dances with elements of all of your favorite horror films.

This uses horror movie sound effects including the buzzing of flies, inward screeching, and wailing cats to make a beat, dressed with elements from The Ring, complete with ghostly schoolgirls. The video is complete with a complex dance breakdown and then a freestyle which quickly introduces each member, showcasing everyone's individual style and personality as best as one can in such a short moment.

Each new video from them has something to appreciate, be it the tight dances, the entertaining storylines, or the captivating costume. Tokyo Gegegay is a force to be reckoned with in an alternative culture, especially when it comes to Japan.

While one may recognize some faces from other cult hits, this group has an original style. So much so that "Mother" Mikey directs dance camps over at En Dance in Shibuya and various other places in several different countries, taking a familiar street dance style and claiming it all their own. You can find more details here as well as on the Twitter page of Mikey and Tokyo GeGeGay and if you have a chance to see this group, I highly recommend them and their high energy paired with high talent! You don't want to miss this!

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