Reminiscing the Ichigeki Crew

Finding anything on the Ichigeki Crew is probably one of the most frustrating things to look for on Google. When the master of all search engines fails to find anything we don’t already know it feels like we should just stop trying. But then again, I’m not the best at finding information considering I never click beyond the first page on Google anyway. At best, our bestfriend here would be YouTube. Dance is not something you read about, it’s something you see – you see?

Well for the sake of remembering one of the best (in my opinion) and one of my favourite bboy crews I decided to do a little introduction article for the newbies – for those who recently decided to pick bboying up after seeing a dope bboy on the street, maybe a dope jam or even Battle of theYear 3D. However way you got pulled into this awesome culture – welcome!

Ichigeki, if you haven’t already figured by the name, is a Japanese bboy crew. They joined Battle of the Year 2002 which unfortunately ended with drastic results. It wasn’t until the Battle of the Year 2005 that Ichigeki inspired many bboys and bgirls with their spectacular performance which eventually won them the best showcase that year.

Honestly, when I first saw that showcase my heart started racing so fast. I was excited and awed at the same time. I wanted to practice straight away but then I wanted to see it a hundred times more. Of course bboying had evolved dramatically since 2005 but even then, I still think theirs was one of the best showcases to date. Here, see for yourself.

A lot of what I know about the Ichigeki Crew is based on the documentary Planet Bboy. Again, YouTube is your bestfriend, go check it out if you haven’t already. This 2007 documentary featured many of the competitors in BOTY 2005, Ichigeki included. Prince of Ichigeki revealed that they could not perform their best in 2002 because they desperately wanted to win. They argued a lot and it became apparent that the battle they fought was amongst themselves.

Since then they had grown significantly. They redefined their expectations and understood the depth of what being a bboy meant to them. Prince believes translating music with athleticism and artistry is what being a bboy is. For Kouske, a bboy is someone who has the drive to improve. For Shin, it’s self-sacrifice.

When Katsu’s father was suffering from a carotenoid tumour in his liver, they did not see eye to eye. Katsu’s father disagreed on his dance and simply wanted him to grow up. Even after his father’s passing Katsu continued to dance. Prince told him, “It would be nice if the passion you feel for the dance was channelled to your father”. I’m not entirely sure either, but I’m guessing this is where all that emotion pouring out of Katsu is coming from. His expression of the music is just so raw that whatever he does on the floor is instantly captivating. Check this video:

Battle of the Year 2005 was probably the last time they performed as a full member crew before going their own separate ways. They claimed that they will always be bboys and jam together so at best, they’re not entirely a disbanded crew. In 2008, Katsu, Prince and Quik joined as a 3 man team in Floor Wars. Katsu is also a member of a band called IGK. This band produces music usually called digital groove rock, which is a mixture of techno, bass drum and rock.

Ichigeki members who appeared on the Planet Bboy Documentary are Katsu, Prince, Kouske, Shin, Non-man and Catcher. Other notable members include Seitaro, Kenji, Uozumi, Kita, Yoppy, Imanishi, Seichi, Kurashiki, Chori and Yoshioka.

That’s Ichigeki for ya :) Now go YouTube them mofos.

Peaces!