Nico Douga Dancing

Wow, it's March already. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

One of the things I like is watching people do stuff. It could just be anything, and I might be entertained by it. Which is why I really love the dancers who post videos of themselves on Nico Nico Douga (usually doing covers of Miku Hatsune songs). They don't just dance in some random enclosed area such as their room or a studio (though they still do) but they perform out in the public. They dance their favorite songs in front of whatever cool looking place for a background they could find - and people in Japan seemingly don't care.

So this post is all about some of those dancers and a bit of the dances they have made that have become favorites of mine.




Before I even get into the meat of this post, I have to give a quick shout out to Treetopfan - a German who began reposting the dances from Nico Nico Douga to YouTube to give it greater exposure. And to think, he started off as just a overseas fan of Kozue Aikawa (his name is a alliteration, "treetop" in Japanese is "kozue") and later became a fan of the many dancers that frequent Nico Douga.

Speaking of Kozue Aikawa ( 

愛川こずえ)...

Kozue Aikawa is probably the most influential dancer on Nico Douga - not only has she gained national fame in Japan, but international fame across the world. Her dance unit, DANCEROID, which she formed with Ikura (いとくとら) and former member Minka Lee (ミンカ･リー) has performed across the world to Miku Hatsune tunes such as the above "Megu Megu Fire Endless Night".

How she became famous (both on Nico Douga and on YouTube) is a inspiration for many Japanese girls, many of which now do the same thing as her - posting videos of themselves doing dances created by DANCEROID.



Apricot* (あぷりこっと＊) is one of those dancers who you just seemed sucked into watching dance endlessly. Her dance of "Heart Beats" (the above video) is probably the best version of the dance - even more so then the guy who created it - KimagurePrince (気まぐれﾌﾟﾘﾝｽ). Heart Beats is also a great song for a dancer who is just starting out to learn.



Tadanon (ただのん) is probably the most famous male dancer on Nico Douga. His unique black and red hairstyle and red shoes makes him stand out - and he has quite a large female fan base. "Senbonzakura" (the song in the above video) is also one of my newer favorite Miku Hatsune songs.



Tei☆in (てぃ☆イン！)- better known as Fine (ファイン) and Tsurutei (つるてぃー) - are not only the best pair dancers on Nico Douga, but are the creators of a number of dances that have been adopted by the Nico Douga Dancer community. Their choreography is both graceful and beautiful to watch yet seemingly easy to do. "Tell Your World", the song in the above video, is a fairly new Miku Hatsune song. The song is featured in a Google Chrome commercial in Japan, and is created by kz-Livetune - a famed Vocaloid song producer and also a DJ.

Lastly...



Makoto is one of my favorite dancers and is the creator of a small number of dances ("Sweetiex2", "Electric Star", and the above "Renai Circulation"). While she's not quite as known as the other dancers mentioned, she's one of the early dancers along with Kozue to be dancing on Nico Douga. She also placed 2nd in a famed Nico Douga competition involving Megumi Nakajima's "Be MYSELF" single (famed for how many Japanese got angry about the competition itself and how it was being used as a promotional tool to sell singles.)

These are only some of the dancers on Nico Douga who have gained popularity in Japan and a small following overseas. I highly suggest subscribing to Treetopfan's YouTube channel if you want to see more dancers doing fun dances.


As for myself, the dancers in Japan have inspired me to help others create dance videos in the same way they do in Japan. While I may not have the talent to dance, I do have the ability to help others who do to post videos online for people to enjoy. Photographers in Japan such as takachii, sukeb, and SakanaP (さかなP) use HD Video capable Digital SLR cameras, which is why I went out and got a Sony a55 so that I can make videos in the same way.

So, here is two dancers I worked with - and I hope to eventually help grow the overseas Nico Douga Dance community in whatever way I can. Even if it's just filming people dancing...