APEX
Dance World

Kaori Seki began her dance training in childhood at the Nippon TV Music Academy, studying tap, jazz, baton, and Japanese classical dance. After joining Fujitsu Corporation in 2000, she was selected for the company's cheerleading squad, which led her to join a professional dance company in Tokyo in 2002.

As a member of the Japanese national team, she earned gold medals at the Asian Games in 2012 and 2014, and silver medals at the World Championships in 2011, 2012, and 2015.

Transitioning to coaching in 2007, her teams have achieved World Championship titles in 2014 and 2015. Under her direction, teams have received the USA Nationals Grand Prix Award for six consecutive years (2021–present), and won national titles at the All-Japan Middle School Dance Drill Championship (2021, 2022) and the All-Japan High School Dance Drill Championship (2021, 2022, 2024).

Kaori founded APEX Dance World in October 2022 and serves as its director, bringing world-class expertise to every performance and coaching engagement. She has also served as an international judge in Thailand and Singapore.

Momoka Shibayama has been dedicated to cheer dance since her high school years at Ryukoku University Heian High School, where she was an active member of the cheer dance club from 2014 to 2017.

Following her time with a professional dance company (2017–2020), she transitioned into instructing — a role she has dedicated herself to ever since. With over nine years of experience as a cheer dance instructor, she brings both technical depth and a nurturing coaching approach to every athlete she works with.

Since co-founding APEX Dance World in October 2022, Momoka has served as Captain and Vice Representative, playing a central role in building the team's identity and driving their rise to the world stage.