Dancer, choreographer, and yoga instructor from Japan, Mamiko Nakatsugawa, shares her story!

Edition Thirty-One – Week Thirty-One:

Written by: Jacob West

Hi Mamiko, tell me about you. What’s your story, where have you come from, where are you going, what are your hopes and dreams?

“I am a dancer, choreographer, model, and yoga teacher based in NYC, originally from Japan. I moved to the states in 2015 to go to college, and since then, I am living and pursuing my career here. Soon after graduating college, I got into a jazz modern dance company, Jon Lehrer Dance Company as a company dancer, and I performed and toured around the world nationally and internationally. Since I moved to NYC, I have been collaborating with different artists to be involved in live performances, dance films, music videos, commercials, and photoshoots.

I started choreographing in 2020 when everything was closed down. I started from solo work, which I showcased virtually and in-person in various venues. In 2022 I created a trio piece “While in Motion” under the mentorship of Doug Varone.

As a model, I have worked with different campaigns in fashion, beauty, and fitness – my recent appearance as a model is in the campaign of AW2023 by a British-Iraq fashion designer, Tara Babylon. My hope and dream for the next 3 years would be – to work in a diverse creative field as a dancer, choreographer, and model in a big way. Which specifically means that I would love to work with big name brands/companies which support the diversity of people (race, size, sexuality, etc.), to create art together with talented artists and creatives. I want to be represented as a Japanese artist in the projects for supporting the visibility of the AAPI community in the us.”

When did you decide you wanted to be a dancer?

“I think I gradually started thinking that I want to pursue performing as my career when I did a production of Legally Blond Jr. in Japan as Elle Woods. It gave me such joy, and I realized that I was empowering so many people who came to see the show after meeting them at the door saying goodbye. Seeing smiles on their faces, getting comments like “It really brightened my spirit” – I noticed that I would love to keep doing it as long as I can.”

What led to your career in the United States? How has working in the States been different to working in Japan?

“My initial idea was to be a musical theater actress… The dream still exists somewhere in my headspace! I wanted to study in New York – so I made the decision to come to the US for college, and here I am dancing professionally here. I worked for a national tour of Anne of Greengables as an ensemble in Japan when I was 14. I think there are so many things that are different in Japanese and the US theater/dance productions. – lower pay and different audition/rehearsal process. I have not worked on tons of productions in Japan, but I am growing and experimenting my artistry here in the US for now.”

What are you working on right now? Where can we see your work?

“I am currently working on… myself! I am training and building skills as a dancer and a person. As a choreographer, I am thinking about creating a piece in the summer to showcase somewhere in NYC.”

Who are your inspirations?

“My inspirations come and go from choreographers, paintings, songs… My past works are hugely impacted by my favorite artist, Ichiko Aoba. Her music inspires me to create a dreamy and soft world. For the recent work “While in Motion”, I took inspiration from paintings by Edward Hopper. I feel like the things I resonate with as an inspiration tends to live in a dreamy world – and I strive to keep finding them in my daily life.”

What piece of choreography have you created that is your favorite? Why?

“I think I love each work in a different way – but if I have to choose, it would be “Shedding” and “While in Motion”. “Shedding” is a solo work that I made in the spring of 2022, and “While in Motion” was created in the summer of 2022. Both of the pieces are about women – story of women. “Shedding” is about my personal experience that impacted me strongly, and “Shedding” is about three female characters who have their own shadows as being a woman. I think what I like about these works is that they are intentional. The time I have been choreographing isn’t that long, but I think it has been closer and closer to what I want to create.”

Talk to us about your yoga career. When did you get into that?

“I have always wanted to be a yoga teacher since I took my very first yoga class when I was in a high school exchange program in Vancouver, Canada. While in lockdown, I worked on and got my yoga teacher certification in 2020 virtually. I have taught in a yoga studio for a bit, and now I teach private classes and some pop-up group classes in the city.”

How would you say Yoga can fit into the world of dance?

“Yoga is all about breathing – and so is dance. How yoga allows our feet and palms to support the whole body, it builds strength and balance. Yoga is about unity of mind, body, and spirit – and that is the same as dance. I think yoga practice is so interconnected to dance. I think it’s so fascinating to feel the connection of other forms of practice connected to dance.”

What’s next for you? Anything coming up in the next few months?

“I am performing in March and April for completely different projects – one is a BIG event that requires a lot of outer energy, and the other one is very internal energy and both quiet and strong. I am very excited to be in the process of it, starting very soon!”

In two sentences or less, how would you sum up your career?

“I am a dancer, choreographer, model, and yoga instructor – who strive for finding beauty and joy in things and embodying in my presence of body, mind, and spirit. I enjoy all the seasons of being an artist.”