Toshihiko Nakazawa
By Michelle Xia
So You Think You Can Dance Season 10’s Toshihiko Nakazawa made his second appearance on the show in hopes to impress the judges and make it to Vegas. He was victorious! He entertained the crowd and the judges with his energetic personality and his individualized animated dance moves.
Toshihiko Nakazawa
Born and raised in Japan, Nakazawa surprisingly didn’t show interest in dance until later in life. He was highly involved in many sports, such as soccer and basketball. It was only in college where he started dancing. His love for dance grew even more when he visited New York in 2010. Nakazawa was amazed by how the street performers could move their body to a particular beat. Nakazawa went back to Japan and continued to work at a restaurant to earn enough to move abroad. In the coming year, Nakazawa said his goodbyes and went across the globe to New York to pursue his new dream of dance.
Toshihiko Nakazawa. Photo credit Kenji Mori
Settling in was tough. Unaccustomed to the culture and language, Toshihiko Nakazawa struggled in adapting to a new environment. He moved around a lot and sometimes had no place to stay. With persistence and passion for dance, Nakazawa was able to get out of this nomadic stage and start a life in New York City. He worked in a Japanese grocery store for extra cash, learned English, and continued to dance. Because of his hard work and perseverance, Nakazawa was starting to get recognized for dance. He won second place at Amateur Night, performed in many festivities in New York, and not to mention, his television recognition on So You Think You Can Dance.
Toshihiko Nakazawa. Photo credit Kenji Mori
Toshihiko Nakazawa is blessed for the opportunities he had in New York. His future goal is to perform in other countries so he can share his unique style and learn from others all over the world. He hopes to return to Japan one day and teach English. Nakazawa mentions that many Japanese people never consider moving out of their island because they are too comfortable with the lifestyle they have. Nakazawa hopes to change that mindset by breaking down the language barrier.
“I think I have a chance to get the American dream.”
For more about Toshihiko: http://toshihikonakazawa.com
Experience Toshihiko’s amazing dance skills:
What a beautiful post, it really touched on what I love so much about dance. I love the spirit how Toshihiko Nakazawa get recognized for dance in abroad. I think language barrier is the mindset nothing more than that and I hope Nakazawa change that ever.