Hiroichi Tategata's Danceable LIFE Vol.4

Things to notice by “teaching”
Hirokazu Tategata (Dancer/Choreographer)

I have been teaching jazz dance at a university for about three years now. It all started when I played the role of Carabosse as a guest in the Tani Momoko Ballet's "Sleeping Beauty". I never thought that I would be invited to a classical ballet stage, especially a full-fledged work that asks a former principal of the Kirov Ballet in Russia to direct and choreograph, and I learned a lot.
Because of that connection, I was asked if I could take a jazz dance class at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music.
Actually, when I was in my twenties, I once taught at a culture center for a short period of time, but when it comes to university classes, the hurdles are high. I still want to dance as an active performer, so there was also the feeling that it was a waste of time. But such an opportunity is rarely given. Unlike art or music, dance cannot be preserved as a physical entity, so I accepted the offer because I thought it would be nice if I could pass on what I had learned to younger generations.
The question is "what to say". I'm not an elite dancer, so I can't be a technical example. I think it would be nice to take on the challenge since I was asked to do so, but it takes courage to teach students.
When I consulted with an acquaintance who teaches at a university, he said, "You don't have to teach me. All you have to do is show yourself dancing." What is required is to show the attitude that I have been facing dance, and I should leave it to the students how to perceive it and acquire it. Those words encouraged me to take charge of the class.

I started with the hope that people would watch me dance and steal from me how to express themselves through dance and how to express my presence, but before I knew it, three years had passed. I don't have any experience as a teacher, and it's hard to hold a class while holding a stage, so I thought I'd want to quit right away.

Apparently, I didn't dislike teaching.

I don't think it's taught very well and sometimes I find it annoying. But it makes me happy to see my students grow step by step, and I love them. It was a surprise even for me.
We will have our first graduates this spring. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they do in the outside world.

I don't know what will happen in the world, just like I was forced to leave the stage due to injury. No matter how you set it up, you can't do it when you can't. I'm trying to take everything positively and do as much as I can.

Photography cooperation: Don Giovanni
https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1317/A131705/13154500/