It’s been nine years, but Kenichi Ebina’s audition for America’s Got Talent in 2013 is something everyone needs to watch again. Anyone born in the eighties remembers the release of The Matrix as one of the coolest movies in existence. The creation of so-called “bullet-time” was visually striking and set the tone for many movies that came after.
That might explain why Kenichi Ebina’s auction on America’s Got Talent was so popular. He’s also very popular because he created his style of dancing himself, making it utterly unique. Kenichi calls it dance-ish, and it’s an exhilarating blend of acting, storytelling, freestyle, hip-hop, jazz, ethnic dance, mime, and martial arts.
He choreographed a matrix-style routine for his AGT audition in Chicago. He dressed the part in a Keanu-esque full-length leather coat. When he starts to dance, it’s a sight to behold. His body moves with such fluidity that sometimes it seems parts of it are completely detached from the others. At other times he jumps and falls in such a way that you can’t believe he won’t break something. Of course, being a pro, he lands lightly and perfectly, and every drop is a perfect part of the routine.
Because he got to skip the Las Vegas round, he next appeared at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York. He created a video backdrop of multiple characters, and he both impersonated them and interacted with them during another fantastic performance. He sailed through to the semi-finals. From there, he continued to score highly with the viewers and he became the first dance act and the first foreign act to ever win the show.
Every one of Kenichi’s performances is utterly unique and so much fun! It’s no wonder his audition has been viewed a staggering 128 million times and received 969,000 likes. The comments section has exploded with people praising his dancing skills and superb strength. One fan exclaimed, “A winner in every sense. One of the rare talented non – American who won AGT for true reason. A small humble 38 yr old man who put up one of the biggest performances on AGT. Truly incredible and such a big inspiration to all ” while another enthused, “Totally badass.. he has crazy body strength to do those moves, it’s so difficult to stand up with no hands the way he did using only his head.. absolutely amazing! :-)”
In the years since AGT, he returned to appear in America’s Got Talent: The Champions but sadly did not advance to the finals. He also returned to AGT Series Nine as a guest performer in the results show. Outside of the show he is hard at work developing his own dance-ish app which is sure to be a hit with fans. He returned to his home, Japan in 2015 and has put on very successful shows in Tokyo. Take some time and enjoy his amazing talent now.