Rudy Figueroa has no apparent ties to Japan, yet he's one of the most dedicated students in his Japanese dance class.

Figueroa, 54, who grew up in Tulare, Calif., was introduced to Mexican dance as a child through his uncle.

"He always had Mexican music playing at his house," Figueroa said about his uncle. "He used to come up and pretend to dance in front of me just to capture my attention."

Figueroa was intrigued. He always liked dancing and enjoyed that part of Mexican culture.

Figueroa's mother had friends stationed in Japan during the war in Korea and they sent home Japanese dolls to California. Figueroa was intrigued by the dolls and even if he thought they looked scary, he still wanted to get close to them. He also listened to a Japanese radio station and wondered what it looked like when people danced to the music.

He finally got to see Japanese dance when he was 17 or 18 years old. He saw children dance and he wanted to learn more about it and try it.

Figueroa started looking for a teacher in Japanese dance and when he was 24 years old he met Michiya Hanayagi who accepted him as a student. He has rarely missed a class since then.

Figueroa is the only one in his class who has no ties to Japan at all. Some of the students are of mixed descent, but all have some ties to Japan. Figueroa said the other students are often curious about him but he's never felt like an outsider.

"One of my friends used to say that I was an exotic element in the class," he said. "And I don't know what my life would have been like had I not found Japanese dance."