I. Introduction
Chikada Rikimaru (近田力丸), known professionally is Rikimaru, is a Japanese singer, dancer, choreographer and instructor. He is currently a member in two boy groups, the J-pop group WARPs UP and the C-pop project group INTO1. He has choreographed for BoA, SHINee, Taemin, Red Velvet and NCT 127.
II. Career
Rikimaru began dancing at the age of 4, winning many awards during his childhood and teenage years. His mother, a dancer who owned a studio, and his sister, also a dancer appeared with him in competitions and on TV shows. He moved to the United States to learn choreography in 2012 and joined ImmaBEAST, a top hip hop dance group. He began choreographing at 19, working on the team of renowned choreographer Rino Nakasone before earning his first credit on a project with BoA's "Look Book". He also choreographed songs for tours Nakasone was directing, including Taemin, SHINee and NCT 127.
Rikimaru teaching choreography in a workshop with co-choreographer Rino Nakasone
In 2019, he made his debut as the leader of Japanese-Chinese boy group WARPs Up, under Avex. The name is an acronym for "Wave Assemble Radical People-syndicate." He also choreographed the group's dances.
With his group mate Santa, he participated in the Chinese survival show Produce Camp 101 in 2021 and finished third. He became a member of the show's project group INTO1. In January 2021, he took a medical hiatus.
III. Choreography
IIII. In Kpop
- BoA - "Look Book" (with Rino Nakasone)
- BoA - "One Shot, Two Shot"
- Taemin - "Famous"
- Taemin - "Eclipse" (concert tour)
- Taemin - "Into the Rhythm" (concert tour)
- Taemin - "Tiger" (concert tour)
- Taemin - "Mars" (concert tour)
- Taemin - "Slave" (concert tour)
- SHINee - "ABOAB" (concert tour)
- SHINee - "Tell Me Your Name" (concert tour)
- SHINee - "JOJO" (concert tour)
- SHINee - "Nothing to Lose" (concert tour)
- Red Velvet - "Rookie" (with Rino Nakasone and Ryu So-hee)
- NCT 127 - "Kitchen Beat"
- SHINee - "Kimi no sei de" (with Rino Nakasone)
- SHINee - "Gentlemen" (with Rino Nakasone, Maika) (concert tour)
IIIII. In J-pop
- Banana Lemon - "I wanna I wanna"
- Banana Lemon - "Girls Gone Wild"
- Banana Lemon - "SugarBaby"
- Tokyo Girl's Style - "Ever After"
- WARPs Up - "SUPERNOVA"
- WARPs Up - "Cloud9"
Dance practices are included whenever possible to show the full choreography.
The choreographer RIKIMARU performing the Kitchen Beat choreo
NCT 127 - Kitchen Beat
Red Velvet - Rookie
BoA - One Shot, Two Shot
WARPs Up - Cloud 9
IV. Trivia
- His official fandom name is Rikians, which is the name he created.
- He speaks English and Portuguese.
- His sister is also a dancer and works at a dance studio with him.
