Steve Tomlinson is feeling pretty wretched, but having staggered from his bed in Tokyo's Koto Ward, puts on a brave face. The show must go on, right? Tomlinson is what he calls an entertainment artist -- instructor, choreographer, dancer, singer, actor.
Now in his early 40s and still juggling all these skills, he is thinking that passing on what he knows to the next generation is maybe one way to go. So from January, he will be teaming up with the Austrian Ballet Company (ABC) in Tokyo's Mita Ward to teach two days a week.
"I'll be starting with classes in jazz, tap dance and hip-hop. Then we'll see." Tomlinson is a familiar face to thousands of Japanese children from Hokkaido to Okinawa. As a long-standing member of the performing troupe World Family -- this cheerful, optimistic and lively American is one of the reasons they are enjoying learning English with World Family Club.