Hamutsun Serve

DA-YOSHI
Name: Yoshida Yuki
Nationality: Japanese
Residence: Tokyo Japan

RIKICHO aka RIKI
Name: Onodera Riki
Nationality: Japanese
Residence: Tokyo Japan

Titles
2003 1st place YOKOHAMA DANCE DELIGHT 3, Yokohama, Japan
2003 1st place GRANDSOUL FINAL STAGE, Ibaragi, Japan
2004 special prize JAPAN DANCE DELIGHT 11, Osaka, Japan
2005 2nd place JAPAN DANCE DELIGHT 12, Osaka, Japan

Profile
HAMUTSUN-SERVE has attracted audiences via "animation" dance techniques such as slow motion, ticking, and moonwalking in addition to their inimitable style and movement. Their eccentric dance, paired with original music, is widely popular not only within Japan but also among the international dance scene. In 2006, HAMUTSUN-SERVE performed at the Performing Arts Market in Seoul, as a guest artist at Battle of the Year in Germany, and Red Bull BC One in Brazil. They have won a number of prizes at top-level competitions throughout Japan.

First of all, HAMUTSUN-SERVE is different from any other Hip Hop dance crew. Asked about their performance they will tell you they have created their own form of self expression, their own art form. To fully understand the relevance of their show, one has to see them. Non-Hip Hop dance enthusiasts might call their style Electric Boogie, but it is in fact a unique choreography, morphing popping and animation with other freshly created moves and elements.

The duo actually started out making music before they became a dance sensation. RIKI had his own band and DA-YOSHI joined in playing the drums. RIKI also danced when the band performed and he taught DA-YOSHI dance and then they both took it to the next level. In 1999, they formed HAMUTSUN-SERVE. They borrowed their name from a naughty Japanese cartoon character, a table tennis player named Hamichin-Serve—serve meaning to deliver the ball, a term used in Hip Hop dance battles as well.

Since they are musicians, they perform to their own music, a sort of mixture of 80’s Hip Hop instrumental sound and Electro Funk. Sometimes they even use a hand organ to punctuate the funny parts of their performances.

DA-YOSHI and RIKICHO respect Hip Hop as a culture, especially because people from all over the world get together and join in peace expressing their creative talents. However, they do not want to be limited in their dance and reserve the right to express themselves in whichever way they see fit, without being scared of being accused by the “Hip Hop Police” of violating the “laws.”

HAMUTSUN-SERVE want to be different! They want to make a point, because they think that the Japanese in general shy away from being different and try to adjust to rules to fit in.

Their concept has proven to be successful as they have won many dance competitions and produced popular videos. They also competed in a TV show named “Syo-Nen Chanple Ranking,” a weekly dance competition, where each crew gets two minutes to perform and the judges pick the winner. DA-YOSHI and RIKICHO won the competition in four sequential weeks!