This tap dancer from Japan uses New York City landmarks as her backdrops

Emiko Nakagawa is a tap dancer from Japan who lives in New York. And she has an Instagram following that’s in the tens of thousands. There is a reason for that. Nakagawa’s exuberant, athletic videos show her dancing in front of major New York City landmarks, like the Brooklyn Bridge to music by Daft Punk, or in Times Square to music by Masego.

In a midtown Manhattan studio with mirrors and ballet barres, it took no time to get Nakagawa up and dancing.

“Tap dance is my life,” Nakagawa said, laughing. The slim, energetic dancer sported a black turtleneck and gray cargo pants, and her feet created complex rhythms, in a way that seemed effortless.

The 28-year-old from Tokyo has been tap dancing almost her entire life, starting when she was 6 years old. She said she was immediately hooked.

“When I took the tap dance class for the first time I felt like ‘oh, it is very interesting,’” she recalled, “because I can create a rhythm by myself and I can introduce my own rhythm to the other people.”

Nakagawa moved to New York in 2021 to study in the international program at the Broadway Dance Center, which is when she began creating short videos set to hip-hop and contemporary pop music in streets and parks around the city.

“The speed and clarity of her footwork, of her choreography, is remarkable and fascinating. I mean, it draws you in,” said Ryan P. Casey, who profiled Emiko Nakagawa in Dance Magazine’s “25 Dancers to watch in 2026.” It’s a list of the 25 up and coming dancers to watch from the entire dance industry – including ballet, modern, Broadway – from all over the world.

“She consistently churns out these speedy, intricate, mesmerizing videos, oftentimes on a small tap board, which is also intriguing because the limitation of space is such an interesting factor,” Casey added.

Nakagawa creates this magic on a foldable wooden board, just a little bigger than a doormat. And the videos are shot from below, so viewers can see, not just her feet, but her whole body and her location.

“I really love to show my people who follow me on my Instagram both the beautiful New York view and my tap dance style,” Nakagawa explained.

She developed her style by studying traditional American tap dance techniques in Tokyo with a teacher who rigorously trained her. Her technique is unique because she knows old-style tap, but her choice of music and movement is contemporary.

“I just want to do the street style to move a little bigger, like widely, with my tap dancing,” she explained. “I just want to combine hip-hop, like, street style and tap dancing. This is my style.”

Her first Instagram hit was set to Eminem’s “Godzilla,” followed by dances to Kendrik Lamar, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, among others. 

“What I admire so much about Emiko at this point in her journey is she’s extremely technically capable, but she’s also very interested in style,” said Caleb Teicher, a Bessie Award-winning dancer. They first came across Emiko Nakagawa on Instagram — and have since become a mentor and collaborator.

“She doesn’t just make a lot of sounds and those sounds aren’t just clean,” Teicher explained,“ but she is formulating a personal expression, a personal perspective through tap dance. When I see Emiko dance, I know it is Emiko dancing, even if I didn’t see her face or the outline of her body, I would know it’s her way of dancing.”

She may be young, but Nakagawa has already danced with tap superstars like Michelle Dorrance, in places like the Joyce Theatre and Jacob’s Pillow. And she says she has big dreams: dancing on Broadway one day.  But she doesn’t want to stop there.

“One of the biggest dreams for me is to be a bridge between other countries and Japan,” Nakagawa said, “because the Japanese tap dance community is very small, so it needs to be inspired by other countries’ artists. So, I really want to bring the tap dance spirit of New York.”

Spirit is a word Emiko Nakagawa uses a lot. And it’s something she finds hard to contain. When she speaks, she is soft-spoken and still. But when she dances, she is electric.

“She has a long journey ahead of her,” Teicher said. “She’s still quite young, and even though she’s done a lot and has amassed a great following and has some great credits to her name, she has a lot more she can do as a dancer and choreographer, a tap dance artist. So, I’m excited to see what she does.”