Tap dance instructor Kaoru Tomita has a simple yet effective approach to teaching the percussive dance in a country where rote learning and imitation are pedagogic mainstays: Do what you want and don't copy anyone.
"Japan's homegrown tap is so serious, almost like karate or some other martial art in which only fixed rhythms and footwork are recognized," she told Kyodo News in a recent interview.
Kaoru Tomita, founder of Kaoru Tomita Tap Dance Co.