Chuck in Ninjya-size, the Ninjya-based Aerobics Video

One of many poses I'll be demonstrating in the Ninjya-size
aerobics video.

Not too long ago, the writer of Death Trance and the director of Yassy called me and asked me if I was interested in joining in on a project he was working on. As he generally tends to be involved in pretty cool projects, (such as the two aforementioned) I didn't think twice about saying yes, but it wasnt until we arrived at a dance studio that it occurred to me that what he was directing might not be an action film... Or even a film at all.

Come to find out what he was working on was Ninjya-size, a ninja-based aerobics video being produced by Rocket Inc, a company that usually handles the production of concert videos and all things related to Grip equipment. While it wasn't exactly what I had in mind, the fact that Shimomura-san was also there told me that in the least there would be fight scenes...and indeed there will be! Ninja based exercise (complete with swords, throwing stars, and darts!) with fight scenes thrown in! Gotta say I like the concept!

10 hours into the training to memorize the choreography however neither I, nor the blisters on the bottom of my feet were positive that I made the right choice. Chuck's new lesson for the day: fight choreography and dance choreography are TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMALS.
 While both of them require you to internalize a learned sequence of patterns and express the truth of those patterns in your own way, the challenge of action choreography is in making something mechanical -a set pattern of movements- appear to be perfectly natural and unchoreographed. In order to do that, you have to develop a certain "rhythm of no rhythm" where the ebb and flow of techniques don't seem to follow any particular set rhythm.

 With dance choreography on the other hand, you have to execute an extremely precise pattern of movements (just as precise as those in action) but do so to the rhythm that the music gives you. Very different indeed. Now I can see why dancers always have a really hard time when they first start transitioning into fight choreography.



Apparently, this is exactly why Fujita-San called me in in the first place. In their first attempt at producing this video, they cast all dancers for the people who would be demonstrating, and they didn't really know how to kick, punch or deliver techniques with power. As a function of that, he asked me to join the group to give the techniques a bit more of a "punch" ;). Aside from myself, there is one other action person present now (a fight stunt specialist who is working on the same motion capture project that I am) As such, the dancers would have to learn the martial arts moves, we would have to learn the dance choreography. Interesting idea. And certainly something new for me. Let's see how it turns out!

Beyond that, the thing I am the most looking forward to is doing the fight scene that will be part of the DVD's intro. As Shimomura-San will be doing the choreography, it should be pretty damn good, and it's been a long time since I got to work with it...especially when there are swords involved. We are going to film the fight the day after we film the actual aerobics routine, so chances are I'm gonna be extremely sore when we do it, but still should be an awesome experience nonetheless.

Will post more about it later!