NWC welcomes Japanese scholar Nao Kakizakai
Posted August 13, 2019
By NWC News DeskΑρΑ«Φ±²₯ will host Japanese scholar Nao Kakizakai for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Alliance for Language Learning and Educational Exchange (ALLEX) Foundation. NWC Intercultural Programs will host a meet-and-greet style reception for Kakizakai at the Intercultural House Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 4-5:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
She’s scheduled to teach Japanese 1010 and 1020 during the 2019-2020 academic year, but Kakizakai also has many other interests she hopes to bring to the classroom.
When she was in elementary school, she began studying hip-hop, but soon afterward, she began to focus more on a genre of dance called locking. The name of the dance genre is based on the concept of locking movements that require the dancer to “lock” in a certain position for a short time and then continue at the same speed. It relies on fast and distinct arm and hand movements combined with relaxed hips and legs.
Before coming to the U.S., Kakizakai worked as a dance instructor at a studio in Japan. Last summer, she taught a dance workshop at Ohio State University. She finished her master’s in March and looks forward to teaching her students Japanese, plus the basic concepts of locking.
Since the inception of the ALLEX organization, more than 200 universities have hosted instructors and started new language programs or enhanced established language offerings. More than 800 ALLEX instructors have been trained and placed at U.S. institutions.
The organization was founded with the primary mission of advancing global understanding and intercultural exchange through education.
