Tamii Sakurai is a tap dancer, performer, choreographer and teacher based in New York City. She is originally from Tokyo, Japan, where she was trained as a tap dancer by her grandfather, Satoshi “Bin” Hino. She moved to New York by herself at the age of 16 to pursue her education and explore opportunities.
Tamii has been an Artist in Residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation (ATDF). Her close affiliation with ATDF started as a founding member, then the dance captain, and now one of the rehearsal directors of the Tap City Youth Ensemble, a performing youth ensemble of ATDF. Tamii has also had the privilege of working with numerous leading tap companies such as Brenda Bufalino’s “New”American Tap Dance Orchestra, Michelle Dorrance’s Dorrance Dance and Caleb Teicher’s Caleb Teicher and Company.
Tamii studied Mathematics and Dance at Hunter College, where she has developed her style of teaching tap dance incorporating numbers and visuals. She teaches students of all ages regularly, and is currently on faculty at ATDF, Steps on Broadway, and Harkness Dance Center at 92nd Street Y.
In 2016, she has joined the cast for the long-running Off-Broadway show STOMP. As she continues to teach and create new works throughout her run with STOMP, she feels grateful for the platform to express her love for rhythm and music, and thankful to her grandfather for introducing her to the art form of tap dance.
