Dancing Through Life (In Tokyo!)

In my freshman year at Tufts, despite zero dance experience, I joined the K-POP dance club, and I’ve been dancing with them ever since. Of course, until I came to study abroad.

After getting advice from IES Abroad staff as well on how I can improve my Japanese outside of classes, they said I should look for any workshops or volunteering around me.

I didn’t know how true it was when athletes say your muscles start to itch to exercise again after a while, until a few weeks into the program. Being abroad in Tokyo, I walk an average of 10,000 steps a day, so I’ve been active, but I was itching to dance. After getting advice from IES Abroad staff as well on how I can improve my Japanese outside of classes, they said I should look for any workshops or volunteering around me. There were things like tea ceremony, Japanese archery, and music classes that I could’ve taken, but the first thing I had to search for online was K-POP dance workshops—lo and behold, there were a ton around me.

Some workshops are professional or aimed at college students or adults, but I chose Tokyo Dance Village because they offered classes for women around my age range. I filled out a short form online to get into the class, got the email, and waited until the day of my scheduled class.

Immediately as I was getting into the building, I was nervous. I never took professional dance lessons, and even when I first started dancing two years ago I would be too embarrassed to even look at myself dancing in the mirror – not only that, but it would be completely in Japanese.

But my instructor came out and told me it’d be just the two of us since they wanted to test my level to see where I was at.

Bonding over a similar interest with people and laughing at my own mistakes made me immediately feel like I was just home away from home, even though it was with something as simple as dancing. 

During every single break we had, she’d ask me questions about America, which K-POP groups I like, and which songs I’ve danced in. Bonding over a similar interest with people and laughing at my own mistakes made me immediately feel like I was just home away from home, even though it was with something as simple as dancing. It’s something you can do alone, but as soon as you have the perfect space with people similar to you, it becomes a great space for bonding and growth.

Having such an extended period abroad gives you a lot of time to ask yourself, well, what do I want to do while I’m here?

Especially if you’re someone who likes to stay indoors but still gets that feeling of FOMO, taking a weekly class is a great way to force yourself to get out there, have fun, and learn something for that designated hour or so.

Even though it was just one class, I knew I wanted to keep doing it for the rest of my time in Japan. Not only do I get to practice Japanese for that whole hour, but I felt like another resident commuting to a dance class to bond with other people who want to do the same. Having such an extended period abroad gives you a lot of time to ask yourself, well, what do I want to do while I’m here? Finding something I was relatively familiar with but still learning a lot from felt perfect to do for the rest of my weekends in Japan.