Founded in 2022 to drive university basketball to even greater heights, this international tournament is held by Rakuten Group and the Japan University Basketball Federation with the aim of developing the next generation through international competition experience. Targeting top-level universities mainly from Asia, this year eight universities from seven countries around the world are participating, competing in a tournament format. The competition is broadcast and streamed globally, and last year's total viewership reached 4 million.

As dusk fell and the basketball court at Ikesei lit up, the audition participants began arriving on the court. All wore serious expressions. Today, performers for the halftime show at WUBS, to be held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium Second Hall from August 10-13, would be chosen from the dancers gathered here after passing document screening. The three judges for the audition were Reiko, Manami, and Anzu, all current or former NBA team dancers.

The director of this dance crew was Reiko, who has been a dancer for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. Having retired from active performance last season, she is now using her energy to utilize what she learned in the U.S. to raise the level of dancers in Japan.

“In forming this team from scratch, we have absolutely no preconceptions about how things should be. First and foremost, I want each of the participants to fully express their own individuality. What was most stimulating about my experience in America was seeing people accept diversity―skin color, religion―while coming together as one team. So I’d love to put together an interesting team where each person’s background and story is clearly visible.”

The choreography for the audition was directed by Manami, a dancer for the Atlanta Hawks. She patiently taught the participants the powerful, sharp moves based in HipHop, one movement at a time. The choreography for this dance project was a joint creation by the three judges and Mari, a Golden State Warriors dancer―four NBA dancers in all.

Once the choreography session on the basketball court wrapped up, everyone moved indoors to officially begin the audition. And then Anzu, a Denver Nuggets dancer whom we had been told wouldn’t make it in time for the start of the audition due to her flight schedule, made a miraculous appearance! With the full panel of judges now assembled, the participants performed in small groups, one after another.

Cries of “Yeahhh!” and “Woohoo!” from the crowd went up as participants delivered polished performances. This was impressive given that they had just learned the choreography moments before. The judges broke into smiles while judging, each judging by their own standards.

Once all the participants had been evaluated, the audition came to a close. But this is really just the beginning! How many dancers will pass? In the next issue, we’ll bring you footage from the dance lessons with the successful candidates, so stay tuned!

TEXT: Keisuke Honda
PHOTO: Masato Ura