Winning the country’s highest recognition in your field might be reason to pause and reflect on the accomplishment, even take a moment to hang the announcement above the mantle.

But not for Okinawan dance sensei Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone, who was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the first practitioner of Okinawan dancing to receive the award, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts.

"Time (has been) going, going so fast that I haven’t put it up yet," said Nakasone, who will travel to Washington, D.C., to receive the honor Wednesday along with eight others. She also will perform at a special Heritage Fellows concert Thursday.

That comment isn’t surprising for someone who has devoted 73 of her 79 years to her art, the past 57 in Hawaii. Over that period, hundreds of students have come to the elegant studio behind her Nuuanu home for lessons, which she offers morning, day and night.

"I’m not working outside since I came here, so I give my time," she said. "Some people work nighttime, so (they) cannot come at night. Most students cannot come at nighttime, it’s too late. For all these schedules, I will adjust for them."

Her dance school, Hooge Ryu Hana Nuuzi no Kai Nakasone Dance Academy, has performed throughout Hawaii and on the West Coast, and in 2006 received recognition by the state of Hawaii for presenting 1,000 goodwill performances. Her school also gives a major annual performance of Okinawan dance at the Blaisdell Center, this year on Oct. 20.

Nakasone, who was born in Naha, Okinawa, in 1933, began studying traditional arts at age 6, learning dance from a master, Ryosho Kin, whose academy trained entertainers for Japa­nese royalty. In 1955, while in her early 20s, she finished among the top 10 in an Okinawan dance competition and moved to Hawaii that same year.

Her record is dotted with notable accomplishments, such as a 1968 performance in honor of Prince and Princess Taka­ma­tsu of Japan and a 1982 performance at the Japan National Dance Theatre. Other accolades include a Legacy Award from the Hawaii United Okinawa Association, a certificate of commendation from the government of Japan, and designation as a Living Treasure by the Hawaii Buddhist Association.

Okinawan classical dance, also referred to as Ryukyu dance, dates back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, which held power over Okinawa and nearby islands from the 15th to 19th century. The graceful dances, while perhaps not as snazzy as the numbers seen on "Dancing with the Stars," are nonetheless exacting, requiring precise positioning of the arms and legs, subtle hip movements, correct facial expressions, even the proper look in the eyes, all while the upper body remains stationary.

Nakasone teaches the historical forms of dancing and a modern, more upbeat folk style called minyo. She has choreographed dozens of dances herself and until recently traveled to Okinawa four or five times a year to study. She knows the moves so well that she can do them in exact mirror image, allowing her to face her students and immediately catch and correct any imperfections.

"The body motion is hard to explain with talking," she said. "They try it over, try it over. If they get it, that moment they think, ‘Yes, I got it,’ but then the next moment again they’re back to where it was before. … That’s why my longest student is 50 years."

She is known as a persistent but patient instructor.

"She sets a very high standard for her students to do their best," said Peter Lenhart, an attorney who has studied dance with Nakasone.

"She pushes students to do their best. She doesn’t care whether you are a dentist, a medical doctor, an attorney. It doesn’t matter when you step into this classroom, the discipline and the art form come first. … Out of that process, the students really do give 110 percent."

Some say there is something very Okinawan in her dedication to dancing, that it reflects a toughness in the culture. Some of the moves in Okinawan dancing stem from the island prefecture’s martial arts, which began when invaders banned weapons and forced natives to fight with farm implements or their bare arms and feet — what eventually became karate.

Her husband, Clarence Tomo­kazu Naka­sone, a retired employee of the Tongg Publishing Co., said Okinawans take great pride in their traditional arts.

"Our art and our culture are our identity," he said. "It doesn’t matter if your mother and dad are Okinawan; if you don’t have a cultured mind, then I don’t think you are Okinawan."

Lynne Nakasone, whose daughters Lisa Nakan­da­kari and Julia Oka­mura now teach with her at her academy along with another sensei, Keith Oshiro, said she sees her dancing as a gift for the community.

"It’s very important to me because it’s something I can share with everybody," she said.

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