Choreographer · Performer
Rino Nakasone
Choreographer
Why They Matter
Nakasone's work across K-pop, commercial touring, and film demonstrates how choreography operates at multiple scales—from intimate camera work to stadium performance. For dancers now, her career model shows how studio training and touring experience inform concert direction and artist development.…
Biography
Rino Nakasone is an Okinawa-born choreographer, dancer, and artistic director who has shaped the visual language of global pop performance across three decades. Moving to Los Angeles in 1999, Nakasone built a career linking studio choreography, touring performance, film, and concert direction—work that has made her a bridge between intimate studio creation and the scale of international pop stages.
Her touring performance record includes Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers and Sweet Escape tours and Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour. On screen, she appeared with Beat Freaks in season three of MTV's *America's Best Dance Crew*, where the crew finished second, and has danced in the films *You Got Served*, *Dance Flick*, and *Honey 2*.
Nakasone's most extensive body of work lies in K-pop choreography and concert direction. Her choreography credits begin with SHINee's 2008 debut single *Replay* and extend through subsequent collaborations with BoA, TVXQ, Girls' Generation, f(x), Red Velvet, and NCT 127. Beyond individual music videos, she has directed overall concert production for BoA, Girls' Generation, SHINee, Taemin, SuperM, NCT 127, and NCT Dream—roles that position her as an architect of some of the genre's most recognizable visual vocabularies.
Based in Los Angeles, Nakasone continues to work across performance, choreography, and artist training, maintaining active involvement in both commercial and concert-scale projects.
Legacy & Impact
Nakasone's work across K-pop, commercial touring, and film demonstrates how choreography operates at multiple scales—from intimate camera work to stadium performance. For dancers now, her career model shows how studio training and touring experience inform concert direction and artist development. Her sustained presence in both Japanese and Korean pop industries illustrates the international reach of choreographic practice and the creative possibilities of working across borders and formats.
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