Sekai Yamamoto (山本世界, Yamamoto Sekai, born February 21, 1991, in

Hayama, Kanagawa 260px, Morito Beach is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, on central Honshū, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 32,961 and a population density of 1900 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Since 1894, the Japane ...

), better known by his stage name Exile Sekai (Exile 世界), is a Japanese dancer. He is a member of

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

and also the leader of the

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

dance and vocal group

Fantastics from Exile Tribe Fantastics from Exile Tribe (Japanese: ファンタスティックス・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Fantastics) is a nine-member Japanese male dance and vocal group forme ...

, and he forms dance unit XXIV Clan (later changes to FTHEB) with friends in 2014. As a member of Fantastics from Exile Tribe, he wins the "Best 5 New Artists Award" at the Japan Gold Disc Award in 2019. In 2020, he played "Gentleman Thief" in

immersive theatre Immersive theater differentiates itself from traditional theater by removing the stage and immersing audiences within the performance itself. Often, this is accomplished by using a specific location ('' site-specific''), allowing audiences to conv ...

''Sakura Hime'' in

Minami-za is the primary kabuki theatre in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1610 as . The current building, with a 1,086 seat capacity, was built in 1929. History The Minami-za is one of the earliest of the seven officially-licensed kabuki theatres built i ...

. Since April 2020, he has become a regular host at

Iwate Asahi Television , also known as IAT, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the ANN. Their headquarters are located in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. History A license to operate a fourth television station in Iwate Prefecture was established on 19 June 1995 ...

's information program ''" It's good! I want to see! I want to know! I want to go out!"''. He loves

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, and game, and deems himself as an

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in ''Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorativ ...

. Sekai is represented by LDH.

Biography

Early life

Sekai was born on February 21, 1991, in

. His mother was an actress of

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Japane ...

and ran a dance class after she quit. Growing up in a house surrounded full of dance, Sekai started dancing at the age of 2 under the influence of his mother and the environment of growing up in a dance studio run by his mother. He learnt

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and

jazz dance Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in the mid 20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular jazz about to Broadway or dramatic jazz. The two types expand on African American vernacular styles of dance ...

for around ten years, while he was also learning

Hip-Hop dance Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in ...

from O.G.S's Tatsu alongside Exile Tetsuya and

House dance House dance is a freestyle street dance and social dance that has roots in the underground house music scene of Chicago and New York.

from Pyro's TooRu as a elementary school students. He decided he would not be a professional

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

at grade five as he found he was not so fond of the

tights Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concept ...

that ballet dancer would wear, and he was often criticized by his teacher for his head tended to follow the

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

of the music when dancing ballet, and chose to become a

street dance Street dance is an umbrella term for a large number of social dance styles such as: breakdancing, popping, locking, house dance, waacking etc. Social dance styles have many accompanying steps and foundations, created organically from a culture, ...

r instead. He fell in love with performing on stage with his experience of dancing in the center in dancing performance, as he was often the solo child dancer in the group. As a result, he decided to take the audition of

Shiki Theatre Company is one of Japan's best-known and largest theatre companies. Shiki Theatre Company employs over 800 actors and staff, and stages about 2800 performances a year. Shiki Theatre Company operates nine theaters for their exclusive use. Originally, t ...

after watching the

Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

, and he passed it to become their young

Simba Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King (franchise), The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation's List of Walt Disney Anim ...

in the musical. He played the role for about 3 years, from his grade four in elementary school to grade 1 in junior high school. Meanwhile, he also developed his enthusiasm towards

mangas Manges (; Greek: μάγκες ; sing.: mangas , μάγκας ) is the name of a social group in the Belle Époque era's counterculture of Greece (especially of the great urban centers: Athens, Piraeus, and Thessaloniki). The nearest English equival ...

, and

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

s while watching animes on TV, as he had to spend a lot of time by himself without siblings to play with when his mother was working. After high school, Sekai went to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to improve his dancing, while looking for a way to become a professional dancer. He learnt a lot from New York dance crew Elite Force, and become a student of their original member Loose Joint. He was in the Top 4 at the dance event "Step Ya Game Up 2010" held in New York in 2010. As he returned to Japan, he began to serve as a

backup dancer A backup dancer also known as background dancer is a performer who dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act or in a music video. Their movements (especially where there are many moving together) improve the visual aesthetic ...

for various artists. In 2010, he took part in ''

Miriam Yeung Miriam Yeung (born 3 February 1974) is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop diva. As of 2020, she has released more than 35 albums and has starred in more than 40 films. In 2012, Yeung won the Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards ...

's World Tour Live "Ladies&Gentlemen" in Hong Kong'' as a backup dancer. He also served as a backup dancer for

Daichi Miura is a Japanese singer, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer. He also directs his own concerts. He belongs to Rising Production and has a record contract with Avex. He is from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. He has an official fan club called "Daichis ...

in 2011 and for

Ketsumeishi is a four-member Japanese pop and hip hop group that incorporates singing and rapping into their music. They have had several major hits in Japan, including " Sakura", which reached number two on the Oricon yearly chart for 2005 and was featured ...

in 2011 and 2013 at their tours, and he appeared in

's "Shout It -Live Edition-". In 2012, he won at the hip hop section of "Step Ya Game Up 2012". He also worked part time as a instructor for EXPG Tokyo, and has given lesson to all members of the future Jr. Exile (the collective of

Generations A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively." Generation or generations may also refer to: Science and technology * Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles * Gen ...

The Rampage The Rampage from Exile Tribe (Japanese: ザ・ランページ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE and also known as The Rampage), is a J-pop vocal and dance group formed and managed by talent age ...

Fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...

and

Ballistik Boyz Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe (Japanese: バリスティックボーイズ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Ballistik Boyz) is a seven-member Japanese male dance, vo ...

from the Exile Tribe), including his future group mates of the Fantastic from the Exile Tribe. In February 2013, Sekai performed in ''Dance Earth ~Inochi no Rhythm~'', a stage play planned and produced by Exile USA at Shinagawa Stellar Ball in Tokyo.

Career

At first, Sekai wanted to become an underground dancer who participated in dance battles all around the world, but facing the reality of earning a living with dancing, he realized that joining Exile would be an opportunity for him to achieve all his dreams. In February 2014, he participated in "Exile Performer Battle Audition", which is held to find new performers for

, and on April 27 of the same year, he was chosen as one of the five Exile's new performers during the final held in

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

. He was one of two new members who were not already members of the

Exile Tribe Exile Tribe (Japanese: エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as EXILE TRIBE) is the name given to the collective of artists under LDH which are related to the agency's main group, Exile. In 2012, these artists formed a supergroup together, incl ...

. On July 22, he changed his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

from his real name to "Exile Sekai (Exile 世界)" like the old Exile members would do following the suggestion of Exile Hiro, though other new members and some old members have already dropped this tradition of using "Exile" as part of their stage name. On July 23, he made his major debut as a member of Exile with the release of the group's new single, "New Horizon". He also formed dance unit XXIV Clan (later changed to FTHEB in 2015) with friends that year, continuing to be active as an underground dancer. In 2015, he and XXIV Clan performed in Exile Shokichi's single "Ignition". In January 2016, he performed in the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

Generations from Exile Tribe Generations from Exile Tribe (Japanese: ジェネレーションズ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Generations) is a seven-member Japanese dance and vocal group formed ...

's hit 'Ageha'. From July to September, he participated in ''High&Low the Live'' of the ''

High&Low ''High&Low'' (stylized as HiGH&LOW), is a Japanese action media franchise centred around the Exile Tribe. Produced by Exile Hiro, the ''High&Low'' entertainment project consists of television series, various films and other media, including musi ...

'' franchise. From December 25, 2016, to February 2, 2017, he also participated in Abema's online

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

''DANCER'S PRIDE'' as one of the regular hosts. On December 29, 2016, he was announced as a member and leader (alongside Exile's member

Taiki Sato is a Japanese dancer and actor. He is the youngest member of Exile and also the leader of the Japanese group Fantastics from Exile Tribe. Life and career In 2009, Taiki got interested in dancing due to his mother's invitation to watch "''Exil ...

) of the unit

. As Exile has suspended activities in September, Sekai began to focus more on Fantastic while improving his skill of video making, which he found himself passionate in. From 2016 to 2017, He also participated in various dance battles held in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In 2017, Sekai and dance unit

went on a nation-wide small-scale tour, the so-called ''

Musha Shugyo ''MUSHA'' is a Scrolling shooter, vertically scrolling shooter developed by Compile (company), Compile and released for the Sega Genesis in 1990. An entry in Compile's shooter series, ''Aleste'', ''MUSHA'' places the player in the role of a fl ...

'' ("Samurai training") from February 13 to April 16 , during which the members traveled around the country and put on 50 performances in 14 cities. In June, Sekai and

travelled

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

to put on more shows there for their ''

'' ("Samurai training") . In 2018, as Exile resumed activities, he produced the lyric video of Exile's digital single "Step Up". On December 5, 2018, after being joined by the two vocalists who won "Vocal Battle Audition 5", he debuted in

with the single "Over Drive". In January and February 2020, he played "Gentleman Thief" in

Immersive theatre Immersive theater differentiates itself from traditional theater by removing the stage and immersing audiences within the performance itself. Often, this is accomplished by using a specific location ('' site-specific''), allowing audiences to conv ...

''Sakura Hime'' in

. He also made a AR video for

's first photobook ''Fantastic Nine'', which was published on April 15. In April, he was appointed as a regular host at

's information program ''"It's good! I want to see! I want to know! I want to go out!"''. In August, he started streaming games he liked on live streaming platform openrec.tv. In April, 2021, LDH announced the production of an animation for its "mixed reality entertainment" project ''Battle of Tokyo'' as a crucial step for the project''.'' Sekai took part in the production of the whole project, and he was also the man who did motion capture performance for the dances in the animation.

Personal life

* Sekai's mother is Aoki Ryo, who used to be in

group and now ran a dance studio. * He loves

, and

s, and deems himself an

. * On July 4, 2019, after the first day's performance of "Battle Of Tokyo-Enter The Jr. Exile-", he was diagnosed with a metatarsal bone fracture, due to which he could not appear on the stage in the following three days of the tour.

Works

Choreography

Participating groups

Filmography

TV dramas

Stage

Internet shows

TV shows

Live

Music Videos

Other

Producing

References

External links

EXILE Official Site

FANTASTICS Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sekai 1991 births 21st-century dancers Japanese male dancers Japanese dancers LDH (company) artists Living people People from Kanagawa Prefecture