"「扇系」~ Senkei ~"

Dancers

Cassandre Charles Cassandre Charles is a multidisciplinary somatic artist. She is a member of the Lipstick Criminals and a new company member of Karm-Sandia Dance Studio. Cassandre has collaborated with Anikaya Dance, Luminarium  Dance Theater and Josie Brey to create movement storytelling and healing vibes. She is former member of Abilities Ballet and Paradise Lost Dance Company.  This is her 4th NACHMO and first performing choreography by a fellow performer. 

Circe Rowan is a Boston-based artist working in such diverse disciplines as film, theater, dance, and circus arts. Working both solo and in collaboration with organizations like Breaking Light Productions, ANIKAYA, Yosi Karahasi Flamenco, and Monkeyhouse Dance, she is a veteran of the 2022 aMaSsiT cohort, NACHMO 2019, 2023 and 2024, and a recipient of a Mass Cultural Council artist grant in 2023. When not on stage, she is kept occupied building props and creating costumes to dazzle and delight the audience.

Notes

The title is a play on words. The word senkei, normally written 「扇形」, means "fan-shaped". The second element in the title has been swapped out for the homophonous 系 kei, "style", used in the name for a specific musical/fashion subculture called "visual kei", ヴィスアル系, which inspired the costuming and overall look of the piece.

Though several styles of fashionable fans were brought to Japan from China from different Imperial dynasties, the folding fan was likely a Japanese invention ca. the 6th century or so. Called sensu 「扇子」in Japanese, this kind of fan was subsequently re-introduced to China, where it has become a staple of both martial arts and Chinese dance. Folding fans with a wooden frame and a paper cover are used in Japan for traditional Noh theater. In a more modern context, many will recognize the style used in this dance as a "clack fan" or "rave fan", carried by festival dancers and drag queens the world over.

The track used for this piece is "小悪魔ヘアヴェン (Koakuma Heaven)" by a Japanese artist called Gackt. (Lyrics and translation below.) Gackt works in a genre called "visual kei”. VK is an artistic movement among Japanese musicians that pairs rock/punk/metal music with dramatic fashion and staging, often involving heavy makeup and elaborate costumes. Inspired partly by Western glam rock and hair metal, and partly by traditional Japanese theater, early bands like X Japan took on a “kabuki punk” aesthetic, while later bands like Malice Mizer and Luna Sea adopted a more Goth-influenced, and often androgynous, look.

Gackt works in an area referred to as “soft visual”, which is more concerned with being interesting and over-the-top than in being explicitly shocking. If you played a lot of JRPGs around the turn of the millennium, especially Squaresoft games, the look will probably ring some bells – Nomura Tetsuya, the lead character designer for the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, draws a lot of inspiration from modern VK fashion.

Musically, Gackt is eclectic, having composed pop/pop-rock, hard rock, metalcore, and electronica over the course of his career.

Lyrics & Translation

「小悪魔へヴェン」/ Koakuma HEAVEN (lyrics + transliteration + translation)
巻紙をかけあげて☆	makigami wo kakeagete ☆	I brush back my curly hair (star)
濡れたリップで Up and Down	nureta RIPPU de Up and Down	Up and down with my wet lips
欲張りッしユに　3回戦　4回戦　5回戦...[1]	yokubarisshu ni 3 4 5…	Being greedy, three four five
オシャベリゎ　上級者なωデス　(*^ロ^*)	oshaberi wa joukyuusha nan desu (*^ロ^*)	I'm an expert at running my mouth (delighted blush)
愛情の欠落ゎ　サイフの厚みで	aijou no ketsuraku wa SAIFU no atsumi de	Find the missing affection in the thickness of your wallet
ガマンしてま～すゥ　m(_ _)m	GAMAN shiteimasu m(_ _)m	I'm being so patient (bowing)
恋をするのも　気楽ぢゃないんで	koi wo suru no mo kiraku jya nainde	Being in love, isn't comfortable
頑張ッてま～すゥ　ハイッ (-_-#)	ganbattemasu (hai) (-_-#)	I'm doing my best (yes) (embarrassed flush)
ナニが何でも　頑張るウチらゎ	naniga nandemo ganbaru uchira wa [2]	Trying our best no matter what
いいオンア...なんデス、ハイッ♪	ii onna... nan desu (hai) ♪	I'm such a good girl (yes) (sing-song)
ブチアゲな　曲に合わせ ☆	BUCHIAGEna kyoku ni awase ☆	With pounding music (star)
濡れたヒップを　Upside Down ★	nureta HIPPU wo Upside Down ★	Wet hips go Upside Down (black star)
好きなナンバーゎ　6(*・Д・)9	sukina NANBAA~ wa sixty (*・Д・) nine	My favourite number is 6(overwhelmed emoji)9
ハイッ、　脳脳脳脳天気...　なんデス \(^o^)/	hai... nou nou nou nou tenki nan desu \(^o^)/[3][4]	Yes, no no no no I'm careless (cheering)
サイコーな決めポーズで	SAIKOO na kime poozu de	In my most spectacular pose
「本命のカレシ！？　wow　性してますゥ！！(^_^)!!」	"honmei no kareshi? wow sagashitemasu! (^_^)!!"	"A real boyfriend? Wow I'm looking!” (smile)
（ホントだョ）	(HONTO da yo)	(For real)
いやになるほど　キライぢゃないんで	iya ni naruhodo kirai jya nainde	Doesn’t look that bad, I don’t hate it
小股者デス、　ハイッ　(¯ロ¯;)	komata mon desu (hai) (¯ロ¯;)	I’ve got a great figure (yes) (effort)
ナニを何度も　頑張るウチらゎ	nani wo nando mo ganbaru uchira wa	Trying my best at whatever, however many times
いいオンア...なんデス、ハイッ♪	ii onna nan desu (hai) ♪	I'm a such a good girl (yes) (sing-song)
恋をするのも　気楽ぢゃないんで	koi wo suru no mo kiraku jya nainde	Being in love isn't comfortable
頑張ッてま～すゥ　ハイッ　v(^_^)v!	ganbattemasu (hai) v(^_^)v!	I'm doing my best (yes) (victory signs)
ナニが駄目でも　頑張るウチらゎ	nani ga dame demo ganbaru uchira wa	Even when things go wrong, I'll try my best
いいオンア...　(デショ？）	ii onna... (deshou?)	I'm a good girl (aren't I?)
濃い～のするのも　若くはないんで	koi~no suru no mo wakaku wa nainde	I’m not too young to be in love!
頑張ッてま～すゥ　ハイッ　(¯ロ¯;)!!	ganbattemasu (hai) (¯ロ¯;)!!	I'll do my best (yes) (effort)
ナニが誰のでも　頑張るウチらゎ	nani ga dare no demo ganbaru uchira wa	We’ll do our best, whoever, whatever
いいオンア...なんデス、ハイッ♪	ii onna nan desu (hai) ♪	I'm such a good girl (yes) (sing-song)

[1] Sung “three, four, five” but written 3 kaizen, 4 kaizen, 5 kaizen, using the counter for “rounds” or “innings”, as of a sport or game.

[2] Uchira is an uncommon pronoun, a female-only version of “we”

[3] The kanji used is 脳, which means “brain” or “mind”, but is pronounced like “no” in English.

[4] A pun on 能天気 noutenki, “careless”