The 15th installment in our quest to discover the secret to radiating the “true essence” of a Takarasienne is Cosmos Troupe’s Kazuki Sora. She dreamed of becoming a dancer and before she knew it found herself in Takarazuka. From her dance teacher to her troupe’s upperclassmen, she received motivation from many different people. We explore the charms of this extremely passionate woman.

“When I was in elementary school, I’d grab a ball and be halfway out to the schoolyard before the bell at the end of class even finished ringing. When my parents bought gloves for my two older brothers, I’d also ask for one, and we’d all play catch together. Instead of staying inside and playing house with the other girls, I preferred playing outside with my brothers and their friends; I was that kind of mischievous girl when I was a kid.”

Another anecdote: “When I was a baby, before I’d even begun grabbing onto things to stand up, I’d mimic my brothers and start climbing the jungle gym. It seems like even that far back, I really liked moving my body,” Cosmos Troupe’s Kazuki Sora said with a laugh.

“I took lessons in all kinds of things when I was a kid—swimming, gymnastics, piano, eurhythmics… but naturally I focused on the ones where I got to move my body. But, I’d get tired of things quickly, and in eurhythmics I was actually such a troublemaker that I got kicked out (haha). Among all the things I learned, the only ones that really held my attention were jazz dance and girls’ hip hop.”

Kazuki’s impetus to start learning dance was her kindergarten sports day. Seeing her daughter having so much fun dancing, Kazuki’s mother recommended, “Why don’t you take lessons,” and that was the beginning of it all. At school she’d play in the schoolyard, and after class was dismissed she’d go to dance school. “I want to become a better dancer” was her mantra; she’d think of nothing but dance. “In those days, my dream was to become a professional dancer,” said Kazuki.

“The person I admired more than anyone was the dancer Harada Kaoru, who also works as a choreographer. Ever since the first time I saw her on stage when I was 10 years old, I’d always thought, ‘When I graduate high school I’m going to move to Tokyo, go to her dance school, and make my big break as a dancer!’ With that in mind, I put a lot of effort into my practice.”

What wound up changing Kazuki’s fate was meeting her dance school teacher, a Takarazuka OG. “I think I’ll take a look at the world my teacher was a part of,” thought Kazuki, getting her hands on the DVD of a performance in which her teacher appeared, and from that moment her dream changed in a big way.

“I fell so completely in love, I asked my teacher for help getting tickets, and pretty soon I was on my way to see a live show. Once there, I was really astonished by the size of the theater, and felt the tremendous impact of the world that Takarazuka creates, and I began thinking, I want to dance here too!!”

As a show of her determination, Kazuki managed to pick up a fragment of the feathers the otokoyaku top star had been wearing: “I took it home very carefully and I’ve kept it in a treasure box ever since,” she said. And then, she passed the entrance exam for the Takarazuka Music School. She was able to realize her dream.

“Because I went in thinking ‘if I could just dance on that stage that would be enough,’ I took the exam feeling like, ‘As long as my dance score is good, I’ll be fine,’ so after entering the school my grades on the first few tests were horrible (haha). But, after watching the upperclassmen who weren’t only good at dancing but acting and singing as well, I started to think, ‘I want to become like that too.'”

The biggest influence on “dance-only” Kazuki was following the examples set by the upperclassmen before her.

“The concept of the ideal otokoyaku you’re supposed to aspire to be isn’t clearly outlined, so when I was asked ‘what kind of otokoyaku do you want to become?’ there was a period of time when I really couldn’t answer. Then I started getting opportunities to be on stage with the upperclassmen, and as soon as I saw with my own eyes how hard they were working, I felt a sharp pang of embarrassment. It was the upperclassmen who taught me the importance of having an objective. I still learn so many different things from their example, that hasn’t changed at all even now.”

Kazuki is quite serious about her skills as a performer. However, the tomboyish mindset of her youth is as present as ever. “If I’m allowed to do something funny, I can’t help but do it.” She possesses a very cheerful personality.

“I guess I’m positive by nature. Even if something negative happens, I go to sleep and forget about it. In my relationships with other people, even if there’s something that makes me think ‘I don’t like that,’ all it takes is that person being nice to me once for me to think ‘Oh, they’re a good person after all’ and immediately forget the negative side of them. But because of that, I have to be wary of my surroundings. People tell me, ‘You’re the kind of person who’s easily deceived so be careful’ (haha).”

During performances, even when things get tough, she’ll never say “I’m tired.” Because the moment the words touch her lips, her brain falls into tired mode. Positive words bring about positivity. Without thinking about tomorrow, focus on the now… With her brightness and resilience, she cheerfully bolsters those around her; that is this young woman’s charm. As a further example, she had a knack for unifying her classmates as a class representative even in middle school. When at last we asked Kazuki about her “ideal otokoyaku form,” she gave us a very befitting answer.

“When Takarazuka was approaching its 100th anniversary, I watched a lot of old performances. I thought the really masculine otokoyaku I saw in them were so cool… I was moved by the universal charm of the ‘quintessential Takarazuka otokoyaku’ all over again. While I do think it’s necessary to take the current times into account and create something that feels modern, I also want to take the foundation of that charm that was crafted by my predecessors and build upon it. And if I can find a way to add an element of myself to that, I think that would be great.”