Interview with Hok Konishi
Q&A with Emmy award winning choreographer and guest instructor, Hokuto (HOK) Konishi
For Los Angeles-based choreographer Hok, dance is an expression of the human condition. The dance director and movement designer has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, from Nike to Apple to Disney.
Hok first learned to dance at 15, and joined a hip-hop troupe that toured globally. He won an Emmy for a dance he performed while competing on the third season of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. And in 2022, Adweek named him one of its top 100 creatives. His hard work and passion for the craft of choreography continues to bring him to new heights of accomplishment.
What advice would you give to dancers on training and how to get the most out of classes?
Don't be afraid to ask questions!! Rather than just being receptive, try to see things from the instructor's perspective and understand why they think the way they do, why they move the way they do.
How do you take an Idea or concept and make it onto a dance? Your process.
Break down whatever you get inspiration from, to the point that you cannot break it apart anymore. Think of it like lego blocks. Once you understand how things are built or created, you can then make your own version of it!
Can you tell us about a moment where you questioned pursuing dance and how you pushed through?
During highschool I would often complain to my parents there wasn't enough time to train since I had to finish all of the school studies and the chores at home first.
My father had told me that if I really wanted to dance because I loved it so much I would take an hour off of my sleep to train... and that if I didn't do so perhaps I didn't love it as much as I was saying I did.
So I did, and that's when I realized how much it had meant to me.
