Latest news with #CheerRe-Man's
The Star
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Salarymen work hard, cheer harder
Cheering through the grind: Members of Cheer Re-Man's performing at 'Cheer Up Japan' in Tokyo. — Reuters It's a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn't seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading. 'Smile when times are tough!' shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others – all dressed in dark suits and ties – pump their fists and jam to the upbeat music that fills the space. Their chants echo through the gymnasium. 'Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!' The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain crowds. Calling themselves 'Cheer Re-Man's' – a mash-up of 'cheerleading' and 'salaryman' – the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits. From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform. 'On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health,' said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company. 'If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too.' — Reuters
Japan Today
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Japanese 'salarymen' inspire with cheerleading acrobatics
Members of Cheer Re-Man's, an all-male cheer-leading team of active businessmen, perform at "Cheer Up Japan" in Tokyo, on March 22. By Mariko Katsumura and Kyung Hoon Kim It's a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn't seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading. "Smile when times are tough!" shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others -- all dressed in dark suits and ties --pump their fists and jam to the upbeat music that fills the space. Their chants echo through the gymnasium. "Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!" Members of Cheer Re-Man's, an all-male cheer-leading team of active businessmen, perform at "Cheer Up Japan" in Tokyo. Image: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain crowds. Calling themselves "Cheer Re-Man's" -- a mash-up of "cheerleading" and "salaryman" -- the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits. From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform. "On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health," said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company. "If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too." The unusual sight of Japanese corporate warriors being launched 7 meters into the air in synchronized routines won them an online commercial spot to advertise the stretchy Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances. The group also competed in "Britain's Got Talent", where they came third in their semi-final. On a recent weekend, the suited men performed in front of a huge crowd at a shopping mall with gravity-defying stunts, human towers and infectious energy. Yasuko Yamaki, a 61-year-old housewife who learned about the group three months ago through social media, was there to see the spectacle. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot. Watching these salarymen putting in so much without giving up makes me cry," she said. "It's so inspirational." © Thomson Reuters 2025.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Japanese 'salarymen' inspire with cheerleading acrobatics
Members of Cheer Re-Man's, an all-male cheer-leading team of active businessmen, perform at "Cheer Up Japan" in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon TOKYO (Reuters) -It's a cold, wet morning and frigid air is seeping through the open doors of a college gymnasium in Tokyo. But that doesn't seem to worry Soichiro Kakimoto and 30 other young businessmen as they gear up for their weekend routine: cheerleading. "Smile when times are tough!" shouts a tall man with an eager smile. The others -- all dressed in dark suits and ties --pump their fists and jam to the upbeat music that fills the space. Their chants echo through the gymnasium. "Yes you can! You can definitely do it! Go, Japan! Go Japan!" The young men are all about spreading cheer through their eye-popping acrobatic performances, volunteering their weekends at shopping malls and other venues to entertain crowds. Calling themselves "Cheer Re-Man's" -- a mash-up of "cheerleading" and "salaryman" -- the group, formed in 2023, is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. Their day-jobs range from real estate sales to marketing, and they balance their professional lives with their passion for cheerleading. For practice, the squad often borrows half the gym from a female college cheerleading team in exchange for biscuits. From Monday to Friday, Kakimoto is the quintessential Japanese salaryman, commuting in crowded trains, working late and going out drinking with colleagues, wearing the stretchy navy Uniqlo suit that doubles as his cheerleading uniform. "On weekdays, I use my brain and on weekends, I use my body. Even if one isn't well, the other might be, and that's contributing to my overall mental health," said the 23-year-old, who works at a software development company. "If we, Japanese salarymen, can do what we're passionate about, then everyone else can keep chasing their dreams too." The unusual sight of Japanese corporate warriors being launched 7 metres (23 feet) into the air in synchronised routines won them an online commercial spot to advertise the stretchy Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances. The group also competed in "Britain's Got Talent", where they came third in their semi-final. On a recent weekend, the suited men performed in front of a huge crowd at a shopping mall with gravity-defying stunts, human towers and infectious energy. Yasuko Yamaki, a 61-year-old housewife who learned about the group three months ago through social media, was there to see the spectacle. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot. Watching these salarymen putting in so much without giving up makes me cry," she said. "It's so inspirational." (Reporting by Mariko Katsumura;Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Kate Mayberry)
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
All the acts who made it through to Britain's Got Talent's final after tonight's show
Britain's Got Talent (BGT) returned tonight (May 3) with its second live semi-final but only two acts could progress to the final. The acts have to impress not only the judges but the public too as those watching at home have their say on who makes it to the final. Three of the semi-finalists who performed in tonight's episode of the ITV talent show are golden buzzer acts, meaning they impressed the judges and presenters so much that they progressed through to the semi-finals quicker than the other acts. Guitarist Olly Pearson was Amanda Holden's golden buzzer act while singer Stacey Leadbeatter was KSI's golden buzzer act. Will Burns who is a voice impressionist was Ant and Dec's golden buzzer act. Tonight's episode saw Will Burns, Stacey Leadbeatter and Cheer Re-Man's named the top three performers voted for by the public. These are the two acts that made it through to the BGT final tonight after an exciting episode. Finalists: Olly Pearson (guitarist) Stacey Leadbeatter (singer) Eliminated: Alexandra Burgio – magician Jannick Holste – dynamic performer John Pierce – singer Lil M's – children's dance group Cheer Re-Man's – dance group Will Burns – voice impressionist Last week's live semi-final episode also saw two acts progress to the grand final of Britain's Got Talent. In case you missed it, here are all the BGT finalists so far: Vinnie McKee (singer) The Blackouts (dance group) Olly Pearson (guitarist) Stacey Leadbeatter (singer) Tonight's BGT episode also saw the cast of Disney's Hercules from the West End take over the stage at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith in London, as the guest act on this weekend's live semi-final. This year, the golden buzzer can be used in the semi-final by judges when they believe an act deserves to go straight through to the final, skipping the public vote. At the outset of Saturday's episode (April 26), Ant and Dec revealed that Holden was given the 'first' live show golden buzzer power so she could send a contestant straight through to the final. Recommended reading: Britain's Got Talent fans left absolutely confused after act fails to perform Britain's Got Talent fans accuse ITV bosses of 'fix' over 'nonsense' new rules Britain's Got Talent viewers 'confused' as judge Simon Cowell gets Golden Buzzer The first golden buzzer in the semi-finals saw Holden vote for The Blackouts, a Swedish dance group. The Blackouts performed, showing off their dance and acrobatic act featuring LED-created shapes on stage and a person appearing to get lifted into the air holding balloons, to a melody of songs including Galantis' Runaway (U & I) and Coldplay's A Sky Full Of Stars. Simon Cowell awarded this week's golden buzzer to Olly Pearson, a young guitarist. Amanda pressed the golden buzzer after his first audition, meaning he has received two golden buzzers during his time on the show. After he received tonight's golden buzzer, a viewer shared their reaction on X, writing: "Well deserved golden buzzer! How good was Olly Pearson? First person in #BGT history to achieve not one but TWO golden buzzers. And imagine having a grandad as cool as his. This kid needs to go far!" Another commented: "Olly's a little rock star #bgt". A third said: "#BGT I'm not a fan of kids acts, but this lad has real talent and that's supposed to be the whole point of the show. Good lad!" The audience hoped dance act Cheer Re-man's could get the golden buzzer tonight too but as Simon Cowell went to press it, he was told by Ant and Dec that it wouldn't work a second time. After all, the golden buzzer had already been used in tonight's semi-final. Britain's Got Talent continues on Saturday nights on ITV1 and ITVX.
