Whether or not you’ve seen him on So You Think You Can Dance, Nobuya Nagahama brings a smooth and sassy funk to all his movements (and he’s honestly one of the nicest and gentlest people I know). Always presenting himself with bit of humor, a bit of grace and an awful lot of talent, you can watch him rehearsing in the studio:

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?

When I made salad for the first time. I was 4 years old.

2. Where did you grow up and how did you end up where you are now?

I grew up in Tokyo, Japan. At first I gave up my dream to be a professional dancer  and I decided to become a high school teacher. After a while I realized, I couldn’t give up my dream; so I decide to move to NY

and improve my dance skills.

3. Which performance, song, play, movie, painting or other work of art had the biggest influence on you and why?

A Japanese comic, called “BECK”. The main character is s short and boring boy like me (lol). Once he starts playing the guitar, everything around him changes. He goes through a lot of hard experiences, but finally he became one of the famous musician in all of the world. So I wanna be like him.

4. What is your ideal creative activity?

I have two. One is to produce my own show. The other is to connect artists between Japan and NY.

5. How do you begin your day?

I drink a cup of orange juice. That is the beginning of my day.

6. Have you ever had to make a choice between work and art? What did you choose, why, and what was the outcome?

Yes. That is when I decided to quit my job as a teacher and make my dream come true. My students and other teachers were sad because I was a popular teacher in the high school, but now they cheer me on and encourage me to be a star.

7. When you work, do you love the process or the result?

I love the result. For me, to get a great result, I have to make every efforts on the process.