Interview & text by Takako Ito

KYOKA is a top dancer who has stood out since her childhood and continues to perform on the global stage. NOBUO is the organizer of “SHIROFES.”, a multi-faceted dance festival based in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, that conveys the appeal of street dance to the world.

This special interview brings together KYOKA—returning to perform at SHIROFES. for the first time in three years—and NOBUO, who has long awaited her return. We spoke with them just before the event about the appeal of SHIROFES., their new challenges, and the current state of the dance scene.

A One-of-a-Kind Dancer | Meeting KYOKA

— First of all, could you tell us how the two of you first met?

KYOKA: In my memory, SHIROFES. was the first time. We might have been at the same event before that, but SHIROFES. was where I truly became aware of NOBUO-san. I think that was where we properly talked for the first time.

NOBUO: Yes, the first time I clearly remember was SHIROFES. 2018. KYOKA entered the 2on2 battle with TAISUKE back then. They entered almost spontaneously on the spot and ended up winning the whole thing (laughs). Seeing that left a huge impression on me; I thought, “Her presence is completely one of a kind.” That combination was so rare it might have been the first and last time they paired up for a battle. Moments like that are the real thrill of SHIROFES.

As for KYOKA, I kept offering her a spot over the last two years knowing it was a long shot, but her schedule collided with other overseas events. Still, I was determined to invite her this year, so I persistently asked again, and she was able to return for the first time in three years.

— So KYOKA is an essential presence for SHIROFES.!

NOBUO: KYOKA’s attitude toward dance and her presence on-site are remarkably sincere. She thinks deeply about the scene as a whole. That’s why the entire SHIROFES. staff, including myself, are huge “KYOKA fans.” Looking at her skill and character, it makes complete sense that she competes at a global level. I consider her one of the dancers SHIROFES. absolutely cannot do without.

KYOKA: I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you (blushes). But from my perspective, NOBUO-san is also a truly special presence, and I respect him immensely—not only as a dancer but as an organizer. No matter when you meet him or what happens, he stays incredibly calm.

We often work together at non-SHIROFES. events as well, such as those hosted by Red Bull. In situations where anyone else’s head would be spinning and they’d panic, NOBUO-san is always smiling. With that exact smile, he calmly gives directions to the staff and keeps the venue running smoothly. Not only locals, but diverse dancers from overseas attend, and because it’s a festival, people drink and various issues arise. Being able to make calm judgments with a smile through all of that comes from his accumulated experience, preparation, and mental strength. As an organizer myself, I always respect him immensely.

Dancers Taking Over the Streets of Hirosaki | The Appeal of SHIROFES.

— Among many dance events in Japan and abroad, SHIROFES. has a reputation for having a “one-of-a-kind atmosphere.” From your perspective, KYOKA, what makes it so appealing?

KYOKA: I think the biggest draw is that it’s “not overly serious.” In terms of scale, it’s one of the largest in Japan, and the dancer lineup is always top-tier. It’s a professional event where people travel from overseas specifically targeting the SHIROFES. title, yet it feels relaxed enough that you can join with a casual mindset like, “It’s fine even if I lose, let’s just enjoy it!” If you held a festival of this scale in Tokyo or Osaka, you could never create this specific atmosphere.

The location in Hirosaki plays a part, as does having NOBUO-san as the organizer, supported by warm staff and locals who naturally build this environment together. Because it doesn’t need to be a rigid competition, people often form impromptu battle teams on the spot saying, “Let’s enter that battle together!” Sharing that festive mood with everyone is what makes it truly fun.

Also, during SHIROFES., no matter where you walk in Hirosaki, you bump into dancers (laughs). Whether you go to a restaurant or a bar, everyone is there saying, “Great job today!” and hanging out starts naturally. It feels like the entire city has been taken over by dancers, and many people look forward to coming specifically for those post-battle connections as the main event.

— How was this atmosphere of “the entire city welcoming people warmly” created?

NOBUO: In the beginning, the scale was small and fewer people were involved, so it wasn’t like this at all. Because we’ve continued it in Hirosaki for 10 years, it has grown into an event conscious of the local community. Nowadays, dancers tell me that local citizens and police officers ask them, “Are you with SHIROFES.? Thank you for your hard work!” You rarely hear of a city like that. Local TV stations and commercials broadcast announcements, and I am often surprised when citizens approach me during my regular shopping to say, “We’re looking forward to this year’s SHIROFES.!”

— So SHIROFES. has penetrated not only the dance community but the general public as well.

NOBUO: Last year, someone told me, “My grandmother was looking forward to it, so she went to SHIROFES. for the first time and drank Red Bull for the first time.” Grandparents visit the venue at Hirosaki Park to accompany their grandchildren competing or watching, and end up leaving as fans of specific dancers. You can feel that the town has opened up to the point where general citizens who have never danced before naturally follow their favorite dancers.

KYOKA: At typical dance events, the audience consists almost entirely of dancers and their acquaintances. But since SHIROFES. takes place inside a park, there are free viewing areas. Because of that, friends or families passing by for the general festival naturally pause, think “Wow, that’s cool,” and get drawn into watching. This open, family-friendly atmosphere lowers the barrier to entry and creates a space everyone can enjoy.

Keeping a Dancer-First Core | Challenges for 2026

— As the appeal of SHIROFES. deepens in 2026, are there any “new challenges” planned?

NOBUO: Yes. As a major challenge for the dance battles this year, we plan to run the entire process—from preliminaries to the finals of the All-Style Battle—with a live band performance (“live sound”).

KYOKA: That is truly luxurious. For dancers, live sound is the absolute best! If dancers hear they can battle to a live band regardless of category, dancers of any genre will want to participate. We exist because of music. Dancing to live sound right next to you—feeling it deep inside your body—feels infinitely better than dancing to music from a speaker, far beyond what spectators might imagine.

How well your body can synchronize with a live performance happening for the first time on the spot, and how good you can feel—that is an incredibly exciting challenge and a luxurious experience for dancers. A phenomenal group of people will definitely gather this year, producing amazing battles.

NOBUO: Additionally, this year’s guest showcase features around 30 teams, making it our largest scale yet. Top-class, renowned dancers from Osaka and across the country—whom you wouldn’t normally see live in the Tohoku region—will gather in Hirosaki. Since the event moved from mid-summer to September, sunset happens earlier. People can thoroughly enjoy high-quality guest showcases outdoors amidst a fantastic atmosphere from dusk into the night.

— Will you also be performing on that stellar stage, KYOKA?

NOBUO: I’ve asked KYOKA to handle quite a lot (laughs). Besides her stage showcase, she will serve as a judge for the HIPHOP 1on1 battle and the Kids Battle, plus conduct a workshop…!

KYOKA: It’s so packed that it’s going to be hectic (laughs). But at SHIROFES., moving around busily like that is far more fun than just sitting quietly and watching. I also hope to jump into a battle if I can squeeze it in. I prefer staying busy, and since it’s a festival, I want to enjoy it to the absolute fullest!

The Purpose of SHIROFES. | What We Want to Pass On

— SHIROFES. feels like an event with a high-quality community. NOBUO-san, what kind of space do you hope to make SHIROFES. in the future?

NOBUO: Thankfully, we have already gathered over 1,000 entries including workshops since the initial announcement. What makes me happy within that is seeing local kids from Hirosaki forming teams with dancers of their generation from Tokyo or Osaka to compete. In the local scene years ago, something like that was unthinkable.

Because it is an open festival, natural connections across regions and genres are forming among the younger generation. Leaving immediately after losing a battle or only going to events you participate in might be a modern style, and I don’t mean to negate that. However, since we share the wonderful common language of dance and music, I hope this event encourages physical connections like, “Let’s form a team next time,” or “Let’s go to another event together.” Providing that platform continuously is our major vision and most important role moving forward.

— KYOKA-san, do you also feel the value of “connecting in real-world spaces” when you are on-site?

KYOKA: Yes, very much so. The environment surrounding the younger generation today—especially kids—is extraordinarily convenient compared to when we were young. Looking at YouTube or Instagram, the latest dance styles and information flow in automatically without actively searching. You don’t need to pay expensive travel costs to Osaka, Kyushu, or overseas to meet a teacher you want to learn from; you can watch videos on a single smartphone.

While that is certainly a good thing, I feel that the “curiosity to actively seek out and act” and the “passion to visit real spaces to learn directly” are thinning out. We are likely the very last generation who directly learned dance from the legendary pioneers who built the Japanese street dance scene, watching their backs and learning the history firsthand. Below our generation, many kids have never met those legendary figures or seen them dance live.

I think that is such a waste and personally feel a bit sad about it, given that our wonderful current scene exists because of that history. That’s why I feel a strong sense of mission that our generation must serve as a bridge, acting as key figures to pass down the culture and history we inherited from our seniors to the younger generation.

— Your continuous presence on the global stage itself feels like a strong message to the next generation, KYOKA. How do you feel about it yourself?

KYOKA: Thank you. I work with the hope that it serves that purpose. SHIROFES. is a truly special place where those legends and top overseas dancers gather in Hirosaki City, Aomori—a regional part of Japan. Japanese kids have high skill levels and are truly amazing. But precisely because of that, I don’t want them to stop at just “admiration.” While I am happy when they say, “KYOKA-san is so cool, I admire you,” I want them to move beyond admiration and become competitors who step out into the world themselves.

Since NOBUO-san is creating a cutting-edge, real-world “site” here in Hirosaki, I hope they use it as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and think, “The world is so vast, I want to see more of what’s outside!”

NOBUO: KYOKA’s words really hit home, and they overlap deeply with my own original experience. When I encountered dance in university, there were no communities or information; I had no choice but to rely on senior dancers in Osaka, staying at their places while recklessly learning in real-world settings. It was an inconvenient environment by today’s standards, but seniors patiently taught me and passed down the warmth of the scene.

That’s why when I went to RUSHBALL’s event, there were moments where the presence and history of people like WILD CHERRY, who took care of me back then, flashed through my mind and overlapped with the two members of RUSHBALL competing globally today. Because there is a history passed down continuously, our dance exists today.

From Legends to the Next Generation | What We Can Do

— So that baton spanning across generations is still being passed down through real-world experiences.

NOBUO: That’s right. I want to pass on the enduring history built by the Japanese dance scene to today’s kids and those who will learn about dance in the future. Rather than getting overly joyful or sad about short-term battle results, I want to convey the genuine joy of learning the broader history and background behind each genre. I believe this value is shared with all dancers participating in SHIROFES.

KYOKA: My partner MAiKA and I have discussed for a long time how we want to see an environment where Japanese kids can be even more active overseas. We’ve been dancing since childhood, but if someone asks, “Who are the representative kid dancers in Japan right now?”, how many names actually come up? While it’s great that more people are learning dance and the number of dancers is increasing, I sometimes wonder if it has created a environment where distinctive, “strong dancers” struggle to grow.

NOBUO: What KYOKA mentions might be a byproduct of things becoming easily accessible due to convenience, something I feel on-site. I don’t mean to deny convenience itself, but recognizing it, I believe it’s hard to grow as a dancer without taking initiative yourself. That’s why I want SHIROFES. to be a “place” where dancers can encounter and realize what is genuine. Rather than expanding the scale unnecessarily, continuing to offer “this exact environment” is our reason for being, and the reason I want to keep going.

On the other hand, we also value the “enjoyable festival atmosphere,” making it an unpretentious event. We would love for people who have never attended a dance event to come hang out casually!

KYOKA: I’m looking forward to it so much! There will be at least 1,000 dancers walking around the venue, so please feel free to say hello. Thinking about it calmly, an opportunity like that doesn’t happen often, so it’s quite amazing (laughs). Whether you are a dancer or not, let’s all enjoy SHIROFES. together!!

Profiles

KYOKA

HIPHOP dancer from Osaka. Active from childhood as part of the dance team “RUSHBALL” with MAiKA, she won runner-up in the HIPHOP division at “JUSTE DEBOUT”—the world’s premier street dance battle—in 2012. In 2016, she won the championship at the same tournament, claiming the world title. Armed with overwhelming musicality and a unique groove, she currently operates worldwide through battles, shows, workshops, and judging as part of RUSHBALL and Red Bull All Stars.

NOBUO (Nobuo Iwabuchi)

Born in Iwate Prefecture. Started dancing after joining the Hirosaki University street dance club “A.C.T.” After completing graduate school, he opened the dance studio “FUNKY STADIUM” in 2008. In 2012, he established the “Hirosaki Artistic Dance Executive Committee” to advance artistic dance activities in Hirosaki City.

In 2016, he organized the large-scale outdoor festival “SHIROFES.” at the main citadel of Hirosaki Castle. In 2021, SHIROFES. won the top domestic “Sports Cultural Tourism Award” at the government-sponsored “Sports Cultural Tourism Award 2021.” He continues to perform as a dancer while dedicating effort to nurturing new talent.

He manages dance studio and event operations, and serves as Dance Content Project Director for Red Bull Japan Co., Ltd. Since October 2023, he has been enrolled in a doctoral program at Hirosaki University Graduate School, conducting research on “The Impact of Passion for Culture.”

SHIROFES. 2026 Event Overview

Event Name: SHIROFES. 2026
Location: Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture | Hirosaki Park Civic Square & Civic Hall
Dates & Times:
September 4, 2026 (Fri) 17:00 – 20:30
September 5, 2026 (Sat) 09:00 – 20:30
September 6, 2026 (Sun) 09:00 – 20:30
Main Content: Dance battles, dance showcases, dance workshops, kids play area, merchandise booths, food & beverage booths, etc.