MARKKANEMURA-ONLINE.ORG | Your #1 Source for Everything Mark

MK-O: MARK'S RUSSEL TANOUE INTERVIEW

click above to read the q&a from russell tanoe's site or read it below:

Photographers notes: Every so often in life special souls cross your path. You either recognize it or you turn just a bit too fast. Luckily, I am sensitive to energy, and here is what you may have past. Mark Kanemura, more than just a dancer/choreographer, a gracious spirit, a true being. - Russell Tanoue

RTFOTO: What is your occupation?
Choreographer for Norwegian Cruise Lines, Dance Instructor at Danceforce Studios.

RTFOTO: Where do you perform?
I LOVE teaching and choreographing so i don't perform much anymore.....however i just performed in the Miss Hawaii Pageant with 24-7.....i also perform with Tau Dance Theater and Hawaii Ballet Theater occasionally.

RTFOTO: What nationality are you?
Japanese, Portugese, Irish, English, Spanish, Ukrainian, Scottish, and Samoan.....haha i know, i know......no one believes me.

RTFOTO: Where are you originally from?
Honolulu, Hawaii

RTFOTO: Describe yourself in 3 words?
Laid back, Crazy, Passionate

RTFOTO: Who was or is your mentor?
I've been blessed to have many mentors along the way and they definitely know who they are, but specifically my sisters really taught me a lot and guided me through life. Marcelo Pacleb is an amazing mentor. He has taught me soooooo much and is constantly pushing me, and encouraging me not only in dance but in life. He is a force of his own and is a light to many!!!!

RTFOTO: What was your first paying job?
I did a community theater production at Diamond Head Theater of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and got more of a compensation check for mileage, etc........but it was a check and i remember being so excited to receive it.......i wanted to copy it and frame it......lol.

RTFOTO: What inspired you to become a dancer?
Well my parents took me to see Phantom of the Opera at the Blaisdell when it came down and after that i was so amazed and inspired by the performance that I knew I HAD to do that........so my parents put me in some classes at Diamond Head Theater and i got involved in Musical Theater. From that I started to dance more and more and fell in love with it.

RTFOTO: How would you describe your style in fashion?
Definitely laid back, simple, and earthy. My favorite thing to wear is jeans and a shirt......you can never have too many jeans........or shoes or hats....haha

RTFOTO: How many years have you been doing what you do?
In terms or performing and training, maybe about 10 years. In terms of teaching and choreographing, maybe about 6 years.

RTFOTO: If you could do one thing different growing up, what would that be?
When i started dancing and training i went to Mid Pacific's School of the Arts and was enrolled for about 2 years. I trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. While i was there i never took ballet and modern seriously. Looking back i see how important those both are and what AMAZING teachers I had. So if i could do anything different growing up it would have been to really take advantage of the program and the teachers that i had.

RTFOTO: What drives you to continue doing what you do?
Seeing the people that i teach grow and watching them explore and express themselves through their movement.

RTFOTO: If you weren't doing what you do today, what would you be doing?
I would probably be a massage therapist or a geisha in japan....hahaha
RTFOTO: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Along with teaching and choreographing, i hope to have my own dance company.....my heart is in Hawaii, so i will probably be here doing all of this.

RTFOTO: What is a good day like for you?
A good day for me is spending some time with my family or friends, relaxing, enjoying life. Also if i have a great class where the students respond well to what i'm teaching, really get what i'm going for and live and breathe the choreography, and are learning, that can definitely make an awesome day!

RTFOTO: What embarrassing moment have you had in your career?
I auditioned for Janet Jackson a few years ago and when it came time to dance for her i totally blanked out and literally stood there trying to find a spot to hop back in on......and then when we had to freestyle for her one by one, i had no idea what i was doing and randomly went into splits as if I was some gymnast......it still cracks me up to this day!!!!!!!

RTFOTO: What would you say is the most difficult part of your job?
The most difficult part of my job would have to be my passion for it!!!! The way i look at it is like being in a relationship. In a relationship there is a lot of passion, time, commitment, love, and learning, however my relationship in this case is dance. I take what i do very seriously and am constantly trying to push myself so that it never becomes a "job". I want dance to always be something fresh. I want it to come from the heart and to stir something up inside. I want it to be real. In order for me to do all this I have to put my entire self into it, just like a relationship. So at times it can be very difficult, tiring, and frustrating, but the good thing is that dance definitely gives back, i get a lot back watching students grow and learn or seeing my choreography being lived and expressed.

RTFOTO: What was your most happiest moment in your career?
I don't have one particular moment but, my happiest moments in dance have to be teaching in a studio and working with different people.

RTFOTO: What makes you different from your peers?
I think my style is very unique. I like to pull from a lot of different sources and styles when i choreograph. I don't like to be labeled. When people see my choreography i dont want people to say "Oh that's jazz or hip-hop"......I just want it to be an expression, i want it to be dance!

RTFOTO: Who would you say is the hottest dancer, actor, singer on the market today and who do you see becoming tomorrow?
I love artists who are different and fresh! I love hearing something I haven't heard that inspires me to move and create! I think M.I.A. is amazing....i can't understand what she's saying half the time but i get it and i love it!!!!

RTFOTO: Who is your favorite actor?
Johnny Depp........he is so versatile and talented. He is one actor that I can tell doesn't just do it to do it. It seems as if he dives head first right into the character he is playing and lives and breathes that character. His work is always so different and fresh.

RTFOTO: Name some of the celebrities you have worked with or entertained?
I recently performed in the Three Phantoms at the Hawaii Theater which featured soloists from Broadway musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. I also choreographed a music video for American Idol finalist Jasmine Trias last year.

RTFOTO: If you could pick any city to live in other than the city you are currently in, what city would that be and why?
It would probably be New York City. It seems as if the art scene there is huge and constantly growing. I've visited New York and have always loved the energy and culture there. I think I would definitely be pushed there and would learn a lot.

RTFOTO: What advice can you give to those aspiring what you do?
Go for it!!!!! Give all of yourself. Go past your comfort zone and don't restrict yourself. Possibilities are endless.

RTFOTO: What is your message to teens today?
Be yourself!!! Don't worry what others think of you. When you worry so much about what other people think, you miss out on life and and begin living for others rather than for your life and your dreams and goals. It's okay to make mistakes.....take that chance, discover who you are and live it!

RTFOTO: If you had the power to change the world, what would you do?
If i had the power to change the world i would instill LOVE! Its all about Love!!!! The love for others, for what you do, for what surrounds you, and for yourself! I think if this was a main focus for the world, a lot would change.....wars, poverty, violence, etc.

RTFOTO: What was your experience working with Russell Tanoue?
Working with Russell and talking with him is always great. He is genuine and is a person that i think has so much passion and love for people. I also think that he can and does make a difference in the world! Shooting with him was great. He really knows what he wants and how he can achieve it!

RTFOTO: Finally, tell me something about you we don't know about?
I love eating, i'm addicted to Sudoku, and sometimes I think I'm a geisha ;)

RTFOTO: Anything you'd like to say?
Life is good!

| BACK TO HOME | BACK TO MARK INFORMATION | BACK TO MARK INTERVIEWS |

Subscribe to MK-O's RSS (news) feed: