We are Bandolero Para~OK! or BPOK for short. We are Oklahoma's first and only parapara dance team! We are dedicated to dancing parapara at different events in the area.
What is Parapara?
Parapara is a style of club dance in Japan, which is said to have been around since the 80's, though the term did not come into use until the 90's. Parapara is almost exclusively arm movements, with simple foot movements. Songs have individual routines which paralists, the dancers, learn and perform in clubs or on video. Parapara is performed to different types of music: Eurobeat, Italo Disco, J-Euro, Hi-NRG, Hyper Techno (techpara), and Trance (torapara) to name a few.
Our Mission:
Our mission is to spread word of parapara and Eurobeat through performances. For us, parapara is a way to communicate through dance. Parapara brings people closer together. It's also a celebration of the fun and silly.
Our History:
BPOK started with Ba~tan, Mandy and Rin in 2006 and has expanded since then. Our four current members are Ba~tan, Mandy, Amadeus and Rin. Ba~tan is currently residing in California and Amadeus is a member of Three Wings in New York. BPOK has changed it's member line up quite a few times, but we always love our members, past and present.
Our past events:
Minicon V 2006, booth and performance-panel (taught Kam's Quest for Glory)
Minicon VI 2007, booth and performance-panel (taught On My Own/Vivace)
Bokudou Con 2007, booth and performance-panel (taught Chocolate/Soul Control)
Shiroi Hi Dansu 2008 exhibition, panel (taught On My Own/Vivace and Black UFO)
Def Con 7 2008 booth, panel (taught Chocolate/Soul Control)
Tokyo in Tulsa 2009 booth, panels hosted by Team Royal Sabi (songs: Koko Soko, No Return, For Real)
Tulsa Anime and Comic Expo 2009 booth, panels (taught Distance~InYourLove~, Caramelldansen, Japanese Girl)