The “No. 1” High School Dance Club in Japan is Tezukayama Gakuin High School
Avex Entertainment Inc. Press Release: August 29, 2025 The “No. 1” high school dance club in Japan is Tezukayama Gakuin High School. The “DJ KOO Award” went to Tokyo Metropolitan Katsushikano High School, whose dance performance enlivened the competition. KENZO (DA PUMP) said, “We got to see the pinnacle of high school dance clubs perform. It was truly the dance equivalent of Koshien!” The 13th National High School Dance Club Championship (DCC), sponsored by Avex Entertainment Inc. (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), which determines the best high school dance club in Japan, held its finals at the dance mecca, Tokyo Garden Theater, on Friday, August 29th, with Tezukayama Gakuin High School emerging as the winner. In addition, Tokyo Metropolitan Katsushikano High School was selected for the newly established “DJ KOO Award,” which recognizes the team that livened up the event and invigorated the world with their dance. KENZO, who served as chairman of the judging panel, commented, “The 10 teams that made it to the final stage are symbols of high school dance clubs. We were able to see the pinnacle of high school dance club performances. It was truly the dance equivalent of Koshien. It was a fantastic performance, packed with their identity, their passion and love for this performance, and their feelings for the time they spent with the club members, parents, and choreographers.” He praised the performance as the culmination of the high school students who devoted their youth to dance.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25862/301/25862-301-a8d4ce493f6c3661a6959046099554de-3900×2600.jpg DJ TIME situation In addition, TomboCorp, which sings the DCC theme song, and official supporters, including Yagi Jinai of the idol group “Boku wa Mitai Aozora” (The Blue Sky I Wanted to See), and dancer Ginjiro, known as “Japan’s Most Famous Back,” also attended the event, livening up the high school students’ summer youth. The final tournament will be broadcast as follows: ABC TV (Kansai region) Saturday, September 6th, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting (Kyushu region) Saturday, September 13th, 12:05 AM – 1:02 AM Me-Tele (Tokai region) Thursday, September 18th, 24:57-26:00 TV Asahi (Kanto region) Friday, September 26th, 25:30-26:30
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25862/301/25862-301-de2a5ee7bd7140ba193724e6fcc4dede-3900×2600.jpg Tezukayama Gakuin High School Performance
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/25862/301/25862-301-8e150530e65388684a30cb08bff6accc-3900×2600.jpg KENZO, Chairman of the Judging Committee Comments from the winning team and the judges To the winning team: It was a wonderful
performance, packed with passion and love for their identity and the performance, as well as feelings for the time they spent with the club members, parents, and choreographers. I think it was the highest level of a high school dance competition. It was amazing! Overall Review: I felt the high school students’ love and passion for dance. I was watching the Summer Koshien the other day, and it felt like a dance version of Koshien. Through dance, students continually take on various challenges, and sometimes win or lose. Whether they win or lose, it’s a positive experience. I think DCC is truly unique. I believe that everyone’s love for dance made this the highest level high school dance competition. I hope that you will continue to keep your passion for dance alive and never forget your love of dance. I’m truly happy to be able to share this piece, which we’ve spent so much time creating, with you all and to be able to give a fantastic performance together. I’m happy that we were able to give it our all on this big stage and draw everyone in to our world. Guest comments This year marks my 45th year as a DJ, and throughout that time I’ve felt the joy of sharing energy and happiness. I hope that we can share that same spirit at DCC, so I’ve created the new “DJ KOO Award.” Katsushikano High School’s positive energy was in full swing! I think youth is a wonderful time, being able to spend every moment every day with friends who share the same goals. I’ve had the opportunity to see my alma mater (Osaka Prefectural Tomioka High School) perform before, but this time it was a big stage and they were the first school in the final, so I tried not to make everyone feel nervous. It was a wonderful performance that was very “Tomioka-esque.” I’m a third-year high school student myself, and I was moved by the passionate performances of people my age. I’ve been dancing for about 10 years, but seeing everyone dancing with such joy today reminded me once again how great dance is, and the importance of having fun. About the Winning Schools and Special Prizes Winner: Tezukayama Gakuin High School (Osaka Prefecture) Theme: Dearness (diamam) 80 points (52 points for expressiveness, 21 points for technical ability, 7 points for originality) Runner-up: Shoin High School (Osaka Prefecture) Theme: Life (The Unborn Me) 80 points (Expression 50 points, Technical Ability 21 points, Originality 9 points) 3rd Place: Meguro Nihon University High School (Tokyo) Theme: Release 77 points (48 points for expressiveness, 25 points for technical ability, 4 points for originality) DJ KOO Award Tokyo Metropolitan Katsushikano High School (Tokyo) Theme: Kousai Ninja Tai Nichirei Foods Award Kwansei Gakuin High School (Hyogo Prefecture) Theme: Mori Mamoru (Guardian) EVE Award Jissen Gakuen High School (Tokyo) Theme: Beloved (Me) Aquarius Award Chinzei High School (Kumamoto Prefecture) Theme: Friendship Audience Award Nihon University Meisei High School (Yamanashi Prefecture) Theme: Liberation Best Storytelling Award Hosoda Gakuen High School (Saitama Prefecture) Theme: Seishun Buldak Award Tokyo Metropolitan Katsushikano High School (Tokyo) Theme: Kousai Ninja Tai Chiyoda Award Osaka Prefectural Tomioka High School (Osaka Prefecture) Theme: Becoming a Flower About the National High School Dance Club
Championship (DCC) The National High School Dance Club Championship (DANCE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP), sponsored by Avex, is Japan’s largest competition to determine the best high school dance club in Japan. This year marks the 13th year since the first tournament was held in 2013. This competition does not just compete on dance technique, but also has its own judging criteria, which require the participants to express a two-character kanji theme through dance, with the aim of nurturing the expressiveness and originality that are so important in dance, as well as independence and cooperation.It is a dance version of the Summer Koshien, where high school students who have devoted their youth to dance perform their dance as a culmination of their efforts. Official website https://dcc.avex.jp/ For more information about this release