WG Dance Clinics in Japan

What I love about being a Warrior Girl is that it puts me in a position where I can be a positive role model in my community. When we host WG Dance Clinics, it gives people a chance to not only learn from professional dancers and perform on the NBA court, but it is also an opportunity for them to meet us and learn that we are fun, down-to-earth girls. How exciting was it when we were asked to host two clinics in Japan?

Before our first dance clinic, five girls were chosen to attend an interview about our trip to Japan. It was our moment to express our appreciation for being there as well as explain our intentions and expectations of our visit. We wanted to help promote professional basketball in Japan, but we were also very excited to share with others what we love to do and inspire those who share the same passion.

As we were walked through a building of a newspaper company, I felt slightly intimidated when were finally led to an empty room containing a long table with a row of six empty seats. But, as several other people followed after being seated, the interview had begun and we could not stop expressing our excitement for the trip. It was especially exciting for us to see Yoshimi be a part of this process. She was our prime example of someone pursuing her dreams to become a professional dancer.

The Dance clinics were held in a high school gym. One of the classrooms were set up as mini WG headquarters. It was where we could do our hair, make-up and review a few dances. I loved the group of boys watching us through the windows. They especially had a liking towards Leah. I’m sure a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl doesn’t come around too often.

After Yoshimi was interviewed by one of the most popular anchors in Japan, we all went upstairs to their gym. In Japan, it is custom to have separate indoor and outdoor shoes. This I didn’t figure out until the second dance clinic! Two wet towels were placed on the floor for the Americans to wipe their shoes on because they were told we do not change shoes. But, no one was given direction to do so before entering and when I saw the two towels on the ground, it didn’t occur to me to wipe the bottoms of shoes. It was instinct for me (and everyone else) to step over them! I’m sure they wondered why the towels were so clean after the first clinic.

Everyone looked so excited when we walked into the gym. With a small applause from the group of participants in the middle of the room, each Warrior Girl entered and lined up in the front to welcome all the attendees to the clinic. After a small introduction, we stretched everyone out and performed the dances we were planning to teach. Everyone seemed to want to learn the same routine so we started the clinic off by teaching one large group.

I was so impressed by the talent! While there were a few that had a hard time learning the dance, there were also a few that were amazingly great! I was especially impressed by how well they picked up even after the language barrier! I’m sure a lot of them learned a few english words. I would be surprised if they could not count up to eight after the clinic. Three words I learned in Japanese: “Atsui” meaning “hot”, “kawaii” meaning “cute”, and “muzukashii” meaning “difficult.”

After the whole routine was taught, we split the group into smaller, more intimate groups. This gave me a chance to get the know a few of the participants on a more personal level. A few girls were extremely shy, but I tried my best to help them feel more comfortable around us. How could someone feel intimidated by little ol’ me? I find laughter to be the best tool to loosen up the nerves. Trust me, if you can’t laugh with me, I’m sure it’s easy to laugh at me.

Just like the WG Dance Clinics we host in America, Director, Susan Hovey, recorded the  routines and emailed videos to the participants so they could practice on their own time. Boy, did they practice! Maybe it is in the Japanese culture to be very disciplined and diligint because not one girl looked like she didn’t practice.

We held our second dance clinic in the same location the next day. Half of the participants were girls who attended the first clinic. They needed to leave a little early, so we spent a little time cleaning their routine but, there wasn’t much to clean! It’s hard to believe that the participants were able to impress us even more after the first day but they did! Because of their hard work, we were able to teach them a few more shorter routines until it was time for them to leave.

For those who were staying the whole time, we taught a whole new routine that they picked up really fast. I personally stepped aside half way to help those who came to the clinic late. I find teaching very rewarding and as a Warrior Girl, I find myself with many opportunities to be a mentor to others. I love being able to teach those something I love to do and then see their interpretation of it. Sometimes, like in this case, it turns out better than I imagine!

Near the end of our second clinic, Director Hovey recorded the new dance routine in order to e-mail it to the participants later. After seeing how well the first group of girls did after one night’s practice, I was very excited to see the end results of the second group. I knew we had nothing to worry about. Because of their hard-working attitude, the dance clinic participants were sure to put on a great show during the games in the upcoming days. Watch out! Japan’s got talent!