An Interview with Ippei Yonezawa

Tap is communication and expression with movement. Turning a function into art. An everyday action or normal occurrence is subtly different with a presentation on sound and percussive qualities. Much like a happening, where anything and everything is part of the performance. Which is exactly what his project was from August to November(August 2nd to November 29th). Happening Fujisawa was a meeting of artists from all disciplines sharing their love of improvisation. Fujisawa is not often mentioned alongside other areas of Japan but the city is full of cafes, record stores, and venues that promote and cultivate the arts. Done in conjunction with Landscape Theatre the aim was:

“When people walk, the city becomes a happening. Art appears spontaneously in the midst of everyday life and foot traffic. As urban space and performance intertwine, new landscapes emerge in real time.”

This was done near the train station in Fujisawa and the adjacent Fujisawa Meiten Building; being a hub of the city, it was a perfect place to let inspiration strike and allow art to flourish unabated. Or as Landscape Theatre describes it:

“In the urban space in front of Fujisawa Station, we will create “happenings,” or unexpected moments where everyday life and art meet, offering citizens and passersby the joy of new perspectives and experiences.”

This was made possible by the unique location which Landscape has taken full advantage of theater and other performing arts.

“This is the name of a 5,000m2 block located at the south exit of Fujisawa Station, where three lines converge: the JR Tokaido Line, the Odakyu Enoshima Line, and the Enoshima Electric Railway. Comprised of three buildings—the Fujisawa Meiten Building, the Diamond Building, and the CD Building—each over 60 years old, these buildings are seamlessly integrated from above ground to underground, allowing free movement within, creating a complex labyrinth-like flow of traffic. This, combined with the bustle of the commercial buildings, creates a unique and one-of-a-kind architectural space. At the center of the block is city-owned land known as “Hazenoki Square,” and the pedestrian space surrounding the square and the arcade leading to it embodied one of the ideals of postwar urban planning. The Fujisawa Meiten Building once had a Ferris wheel on its roof, a beloved landmark of the city.“

I attended a series of the November performances and have posted quick impressions and iPhone photos on the Teppen! Instagram page. For detailed information about each case and all the performers please check out Ippei’s own writing here. After the first performance, Ippei had agreed to take time out of his extremely busy schedule to talk about a variety of topics about tap, influences, language barriers, and more. We thank him, Junpei Kiz of Landscape Theatre, and all the performers for their generosity and welcoming of Teppen! on those November evenings.

Connect with Ippei Yonezawa: insta / note / x

This interview is available in both English and Japanese. You can click here to read in English, or here to read in Japanese.

このインタビューは英語と日本語の両方でご覧いただけます。英語で読むにはこちらをクリックしてください。日本語で読むにはこちらをクリックしてください。

Photos supplied by Ippei Yonezawa, and credits go to Akira Takahashi (first portrait of Yonezawa), Shinsuke Ito (Second portait of Yonezawa) and manimanium (Photos of Happening Fujisawa, as well as some amazing videos on Yonezawa’s insta)

Jeff (Teppen): Could you please share a little about yourself and what inspired you to begin tap dancing?

Yonezawa: Currently, I go by the titles of tap dancer as a performer and stage creator as a director, and I’m involved in creating live performance spaces that combine various locations, artists, and concepts. I started tap dancing when I was 15 (20 years ago), after seeing a movie. Since none of my friends or acquaintances around me were doing tap dance, I wanted to try it.

J: Who are some of your influences? In tap and in general.

Y: Among Japanese tap dancers, Kazunori Kumagai has a strong influence. (Because he had been with the tap company for a long time) Among American tap dancers, I was influenced by the artistic presence of Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, and especially Michelle Dorrance.

J: Were any of your family members dancers or artists?

Y: There are no dancers or artists in my family (parents or relatives), but my younger brother is also a tap dancer. (He does different activities than I do.)

J: Growing up, was your family supportive of your creative side?

Y: Both my parents generously supported me in pursuing what I wanted to do from a young age. Not just in artistic endeavors, but I think I was very influenced by the environment they created.

J: What makes tap dancing unique compared to other artistic mediums?

Y: I think the magic of tap dancing lies in the experience of creating sound with your feet. The relationship between your feet and the ground, as you stand and walk, becomes sound, and the expression where the tap dancer’s footsteps become both music and voice is a tool that can be enjoyed across generations, cultures, and time periods.

J: Talk about Happening Fujisawa. How did that develop, and what is your aim with the project?

Y: Since August of this year, I have been able to use a portion of the 60-year-old commercial facility “Fujisawa Meiten Building” (which will close in March 2027), located near Fujisawa Station, as a resident artist for a certain period. I started this project with the goal of thinking about and practicing how to create unusual experiences in the everyday life of this place for the four months leading up to winter.

J. Does each case or performance have a theme? How much input do the other performers have?

Y: There isn’t a theme for each case or performance. The theme for all 16 episodes of the series is that they are all happenings, but if I were to say, it’s about how we bring and execute the element of happening into our daily lives on that day. The total number of participating artists is 62.

J: Why is improvising an appealing form of expression? Is it challenging to continue to be inspired to create spontaneously? 

Y: I think the appeal of improvisation is the ability to express thoughts and actions in real time. However, in order to share improvisation as art and a rich experience with others, I believe it’s necessary to carefully consider the artist’s curation, the space, the concept, the performance format, and how it’s viewed.

J. What is the most important thing for you when dancing? Is there a specific technique or mindset you have while performing?

Y: I think it’s about developing a mindset to enjoy things that don’t go as planned or unfamiliar situations with someone else. At the same time, it’s not just about having fun, but also about having the awareness and attitude to keep challenging yourself creatively.

J: When improvising, how important are things such as breathing, silence, and finding the pulse when listening to the other artists you are collaborating with?

Y: Listening to the sounds, atmosphere, and silence of a place is very important for reading the thoughts present there. At the same time, I think it’s also important to wait for the right moment to have “my” expression heard.

J: What role does the audience play, in your opinion, in improv or at a happening?

Y: I believe the audience has a role in witnessing and being interested in something unknown.

J: Can you share some of the things you’ve learned about yourself and art in general since you started performing? 

Y: Since I started performing, I’ve always practiced looking at my heart to understand how I feel in the present moment. I believe that acting and speaking honestly is sincere dialog with others, and I think art is a wonderful tool for enriching that practice.

J: Are there any places you wish to perform, in Japan and or worldwide?

Y: I probably don’t have any particular preferences. Since I myself am seeking chance encounters, when a sense of inevitability arises, I want to share art with someone there.

J: What advice would you give to someone looking to get into tap dancing or that is considering tap dancing?

Y: Tap dancing is simply fun. Give it a try and you’ll discover many different ways to enjoy it.

J: Do you have any favorite performances or memorable moments while dancing?

Y: My favorite performances are when I see a scene develop into something unexpected. I feel a sense of reverence for situations and scenes that are free from meaning, and I always wait for or take action to make those situations happen.

J: Was there a moment or challenge in your life that gave you a leap forward in abilities? A transformative moment?

Y: For the first two years after I started planning sessions, I found it difficult because I couldn’t understand what was good or bad. In my third year, my thinking suddenly caught up, and I was able to find my own way of enjoying it.

J: In your opinion, what is the power of art in culture, both local and worldwide?

Y: I think art is a tool for interacting with others, feeling enriched by meeting people you wouldn’t encounter in everyday society, and exchanging different opinions while sharing common interests, enjoyment, and ways of thinking. (Whether it’s in a local community or on a global scale, the essence remains the same, even if the scale differs.)

J: Similarly, why is art a universal language that is able to transcend language and cultural barriers?

Y: I think the premise is that you don’t have to rely on a specific language. To be honest, I think there are still obstacles to overcome, but perhaps the important thing is to continue thinking and acting while changing the form of your thoughts and actions.

J: What are your goals for 2026 and beyond?

Y: Constantly changing. Applying experience to future practice.

少し自己紹介と、タップダンスを始めたきっかけについて教えていただけますか？

➡︎ 現在はプレイヤーとしてのタップダンサー、演出家としての場づくりという肩書きを名乗って、さまざまな場所とアーティストとコンセプトを併せたライブパフォーマンスの場を作る活動をしています。タップダンスを始めたのは、15歳のとき(20年前)に観た映画をきっかけに、周りの友人や知人が誰もタップダンスをやっていなかったので、やってみたいと思いました。

影響を受けた人は誰ですか？ タップで、そして一般的に。

➡︎ 日本人のタップダンサーでは、熊谷和徳氏の影響が強いです。(彼のタップカンパニーへの在籍期間が長かったので) 米国のタップダンサーでは、グレゴリーハインズやセヴィアングロバー、特にミッシェルドーランスのアーティスティックな存在に影響を受けました。

ご家族にダンサーや芸術家はいらっしゃいましたか？

➡︎ 家族(親や親戚)には、ダンサーや芸術家はいませんが、弟も同様にタップダンサーです。(彼は、私とは異なる活動をしている)

育つ過程で、ご家族はあなたの創造的な面を応援してくれましたか？

➡︎ 両親共に、幼い頃より私のやりたいことに惜しまず協力してくれました。芸術的なことに限らず、彼らの作った環境に非常に影響を受けたと思います。

他の芸術媒体と比較して、タップダンスがユニークな点は何ですか？

➡︎ 足で音を鳴らしている姿は、魔法のような体験と感じられる点にあると思います。自分の足で立つ、歩くという地面との関係が音となり、タップダンスの足音が音楽にも声にもなる表現は、世代や文化、時代を超えて楽しめるツールだと思います。

藤沢のハプニングについて話しましょう。 それはどのように発展したのですか、そしてこのプロジェクトの目的は何ですか？

➡︎ 私は、今年8月より藤沢駅最寄りに位置する創業60年の商業施設”フジサワ名店ビル”(2027年3月営業終了)の一部空間を、レジデントアーティストとして一定期間利用することができるようになりました。冬になる迄の４ヶ月間、この場所の日常にどのように不思議な体験を起こすかを考え、実践することを目的にプロジェクトを始めました。

各ケースやパフォーマンスにテーマはありますか？ 他の出演者はどのくらい関わっていますか？

➡︎ 各ケースやパフォーマンス毎のテーマはありません。シリーズ16回全てがハプニングであることがテーマですが、敢えていうなら、その日の日常にどのようなハプニング性を持ち寄り実行するか、ということです。参加アーティストの総計は62名です。

なぜ即興は魅力的な表現方法なのでしょうか？ 即興で創作し続けることは難しいですか？ 

➡︎ 即興は、思考や実行をリアルタイムで表現できることが魅力だと思います。但し、即興をアートとして、他者と豊かな体験として共有するためには、アーティストのキュレーションや空間、コンセプト、上演形態、鑑賞方法などの設計を綿密に考える必要があると思います。

踊る時に一番大切なことは何ですか？ 演奏中に特定のテクニックや心構えはありますか？

➡︎ 思い通りにならないことや未知の状況を、誰かと一緒楽しもうとマインドセットしていくことにあると思います。同時に、単なる楽しさだけではなく、新しいクリエイティブに挑み続ける意識と姿勢にあると思います。

即興演奏において、呼吸、沈黙、そして共演者の演奏を聴く際に脈を感じることは、どれくらい重要ですか？

➡︎ 場の音や空気、沈黙を聴くことは、そこにある思考を読み取る上でとても大事だと思います。また同時に、”私の”表現を聴いてもらうタイミングを待つことも重要だと思います。

インプロやハプニングにおいて、観客はどのような役割を担っていると思いますか？

➡︎ 観客は、目撃すること、そして未知なる何かに関心を持つことに役割があると思います。

パフォーマンスを始めてから、自分自身や芸術について学んだことをいくつか教えていただけますか？

➡︎ パフォーマンスを始めてから、常に、自分がいまどう感じる人間なのか、自分の心を見ることを実践しています。正直に行動し、語ることが、他者との誠実は対話だと思うし、アートはそれを豊かに実践することのできる素晴らしいツールだと思います。

日本国内や世界中で、演奏してみたい場所はありますか？

➡︎ たぶんこだわりはありません。私自身も、偶然性なる出会いを求めているから、そこに必然が生まれたとき、そこで誰かとアートを共有したいです。

タップダンスを始めようとしている人や、タップダンスを検討している人へのアドバイスはありますか？

➡︎ タップダンスは、シンプルに楽しい。やってみれば、いろんな楽しみ方が見つかるはず。

踊っている中で、お気に入りのパフォーマンスや思い出に残る瞬間はありますか？

➡︎ お気に入りのパフォーマンスは、想像外のパフォーマンスに発展する景色を見せたときです。意味から解放された状況や景色に尊さを感じるし、毎回そうした状況が起こるように待ったり、アクションしてます。

人生の中で、能力が飛躍的に向上した瞬間や困難はありましたか？ 変革の瞬間？

➡︎ セッション企画を始めて２年間は、良い悪いの納得がわからなくて困難でした。３年目に急に思考が伴うようになり自分なりの楽しみ方を得られるようになりました。

あなたの意見では、芸術は地域文化と世界文化の両方において、どのような力を持っていると思いますか？

➡︎ アートは、日常的な社会では出会わない人たちと出会ったり、何か好きや楽しい、同じことを考えながら、異なる意見を交わすこと自体を、豊かさと感じながら交流するツールだと思います。(地域でも、世界でも、スケールは違えど本質は変わらないような)

同様に、なぜ芸術は言語や文化の壁を越えることができる普遍的な言語なのでしょうか？

➡︎ 特定の言語に依存しなくても良いという前提があるかな。それでも正直、壁はあると思いますが、重要なのは、思考も行動も、形を変化させながら継続することにあることかもしれません。

2026年以降の目標は何ですか？

➡︎ 変化し続けること。経験を先の実践に活かすこと。