Taisuke

Interests: Music, dancing, collecting sneakers

Profession: B-Boy, dance teacher and in my spare time I work at “Dancers Collection” (DJ Mar’s shop in Tokyo)

Motto: “Represent Worldwide!”

Titles

• 2007 1st place,
  Super Friday Finals, Japan (Zulu Kingz)
• 2007 1st place,
  Step Your Game Up, Australia (Zulu Kingz)
• 2007 1st place,
  Red Bull BC One Qualifier, Tokyo, Japan
• 2007 1st place,
  UK B-Boy Champs Tokyo Elimination (All Area)
• 2007 1st place,
  “The One” II, Kawasaki, Japan
• 2008 1st place,
  Dance @live!, Tokyo, Japan
• 2008 1st place,
  Battle of Saint Breiuc, France (All Area)
• 2008 1st place,
  Sanmeshi Young Master, Japan
• 2008, rep. Japan
  in Asian Team IBE Asian Round, Holland
• 2008 1st place,
  Sanmeshi 3 on 3, Japan (Zulu Kingz)
• 2008 1st place,
  B-Boy Unit Japan (All Area)
• 2008 1st place,
  Command Cup, 1 on 1 Octagon Battle, Taiwan
• 2008 1st place,
  UK B-Boy Champs Sendai Elimination (All Area)
• 2008 1st place,
  Red Bull Street Battles, Hong Kong
• 2008 2nd place
  Red Bull BC One, France
• 2009 1st place
  R16 Korea Sparkling
• 2009 best show
  International Battle of the Year, Germany
• 2010 1st place
  Dance Alive, Tokyo, Japan

Profile
One of the B-Boys to look out for this year is TAISUKE Nonaka from Japan. He is one of the B-Boys portrayed in the dance documentary TURN IT LOOSE and also a member of the newly formed RED BULL BC ONE ALL STARS.

TAISUKE came in second at the Red Bull BC One in Paris in 2008 after making it to the quarterfinals in 2007 in South Africa. He will battle on his home turf this year and thus will have to deal with high expectations. Only 20 years old, he has already made his mark on the B-Boy scene. TAISUKE’s dance style is based on an impressive array of foundation moves, a variety of good toprocks and unique footwork combined with power moves.

TAISUKE is the cousin of B-Boy Toshiki, another great Japanese B-Boy. TAISUKE and Toshiki have a lot in common. Not only were they born on the same day, but they also grew up together in the same town and most importantly, both got into breaking through their sisters who were B-Girls and members of the same crew. TAISUKE and Toshiki started breaking when they were only eight years old and their sisters were big inspirations to them.

TAISUKE is originally from Nagasaki, but in now lives in Kanagawa, about an hour’s drive away from Shinjuku in central Tokyo. He shares an apartment with two tiny rooms and a small kitchen with a schoolmate. He just graduated from the International Dance College in Takadanobaba, where he had a scholarship and at the moment focuses on his B-Boy career.

Moving to Tokyo is the thing that had the biggest impact on TAISUKE’s life so far. He says it was a life-altering experience that changed the way he danced, his moves, and his attitude. Everything happened quickly when he moved there. Tokyo is the centre of a lot of activity, so by placing himself in that environment he was really able to accelerate his skills and become a much better B-Boy. He has been trying to persuade his cousin Toshiki to come to Tokyo and it looks like he succeeded.

The Zulu Kingz, the official B-Boys of the Zulu Nation, are TAISUKE’s big inspiration. The leader of his crew “All Area,” B-Boy Katsu, is a member of the Japanese chapter of the Zulu Kingz and TAISUKE, in spite of his young age, is already considered a top-tier B-Boy, someone to count on as a key member of the crew. This is a tremendous honor for TAISUKE.

TAISUKE may be very young, but he has already made a name for himself in the scene. Despite his young age, he not only studies, but also teaches dance at a local studio. Due to his early start, he is already an experienced B-Boy at the age of 20 with the ability to break it down.

TAISUKE is interested in geography. He loves checking out the world map because there are so many places that he doesn’t know yet. One of his dreams is to visit the World Heritage sites all over the world. He wants to travel, dance and learn and become an international player in the worldwide B-Boy scene. Apart from breaking, TAISUKE wants to try out dancing house and pop. He loves music, especially break-beats and the music of Ne-Yo, the young singer from Arkansas.

In his hometown of Nagasaki, a city surrounded by the ocean, his father taught him to fish and to make sashimi from the fresh seafood. This is a rare activity in a modern Japanese family, but one TAISUKE enjoyed a lot. Now, living in Tokyo, he refuses to eat any fish at all because he can’t get any as fresh as he was used to.

TAISUKE loves Red Bull and says that the Red Bull logo to him is like an icon for B-Boying. He says he owes a lot to the RED BULL BC ONE. “Ever since I participated, I got so many invitations to events overseas! I’m really proud and grateful for this opportunity!”