“It is the dance that is speaking, interpreting, since we do not smile, shout or laugh.” Kihara won’t reveal her age, but she’s been practicing Japanese traditional dance for almost 24 years.

Japanese dances as Hanayagi and Kabuki have been historically performed to honor the emperor, considered a representative of god in the Shinto religion. For traditional dancers, choreography is a ...

ASSOCIATED PRESS / NOV. 24 Aimi Kawasaki practices her Japanese traditional Hanayagi-style dance movements in the studio of Professor Naoko Kihara, in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 24.

“It is the dance that is speaking, interpreting, since we do not smile, shout or laugh.” Kihara won’t reveal her age, but she’s been practicing Japanese traditional dance for almost 24 years.

“It is the dance that is speaking, interpreting, since we do not smile, shout or laugh.” Kihara won’t reveal her age, but she’s been practicing Japanese traditional dance for almost 24 years.

Japanese dances as Hanayagi and Kabuki have been historically performed to honor the emperor, considered a representative of god in the Shinto religion. For traditional dancers, choreography is a ...

Aimi Kawasaki, a Japanese traditional Hanayagi-style dance student, practices in Professor Naoko Kihara’s studio in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.