Meet Aika Takeshima | Dance artist and DEI practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aika Takeshima and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aika, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
The habits that helped me succeed are not complaining and taking continuous actions to improve. Complaining can be a great opportunity to find areas for improvement, but sometimes we spend too much time complaining without actually taking any action. Complaints can easily be linked to negative emotions, which is not healthy for my mental well-being. So, whenever I find myself or something is not up to par, I try to consider it as an opportunity for improvement instead of complaining. This helps me avoid wasting time and negative emotions that can lead to unproductivity. Thanks to these habits, I have been able to overcome my weaknesses, make progress, and polish my strengths quickly.
However, I acknowledge that I could improve at listening to other’s complaints. While sharing thoughts with friends can be helpful for them, whenever someone shares their complaints with me, I try to solve the problem by giving them actions they can take. Unfortunately, this is not always what they want. My partner often tells me, “I don’t need your advice! Just listen to me!” which is a funny reminder for me to be a better listener.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a dance artist, co-director, and choreographer of the sarAika movement collective based in New York City. I am also a DEI practitioner and the founder of LIVABALL, a DEI consulting firm. Today, I would like to share more about my dance background. I have worked in the dance industry for over ten years, performing in numerous local and international shows and events. What excites me most about my work is using my body to deliver messages through movement and inspiring and connecting with others through my art. What sets me apart from other contemporary dancers is my fluid, dynamic, and irregularly shaped movements, made possible by joint utilization and my long-term research and forever passion for the torso. I am constantly trying to push the limitations to dance bigger and find new ways to move by twisting/reaching the body and separating joints. Also, I am eager to develop effective ways to express messages through my choreography.
It was difficult and took a lot of time to establish my career in the contemporary dance field, where classic and modern dance skills are still in high demand.This was because I started dancing quite late and my initial dance style was street dance. However, despite the obstacles, thanks to my habit of not complaining and taking continuous actions to improve, as I mentioned earlier, I never gave up and consistently worked to improve myself. As a result, I was able to develop a unique dance style that combines joint fluidity from my long-term research, dynamic and strong movements with musicality from street dance, and alignments and techniques from classic and modern dance.
Currently, the co-director Sara Pizz and I have just started working on revisiting and extending one of our repertoireｓ, “Double Bind,” which underlines and empowers women’s voices using hair-artworks, spoken words, and interviews with women in our community. We plan to incorporate actors and AR technology to enhance our message and premiere it in the fall of 2024.
Additionally, we are participating in three community events in May and June as a guest company for DANCE PARADE NYC, PRIDE MARCH NYC, and JAPAN PRADE. We are also working on new projects for several organizations, so stay tuned for updates. I am grateful to be able to pursue my passion for dance and share my art with others. I hope that my work inspires others to express themselves and embrace their unique talents and abilities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I can definitely take you to Bushwick in Brooklyn, a neighborhood that has an interesting history. Bushwick was once farmland, but in the 19th century it became a manufacturing hub. Unfortunately, this led to a rise in crime in the area. However, over time, the many industrial buildings in Bushwick became a canvas for street art and were repurposed as restaurants, studios, and other businesses.

This transformation was largely thanks to Joe Ficalora, who wanted to change the area where his father was killed. He started The Bushwick Collective, which collaborates with artists from Brooklyn and around the world to create murals throughout Bushwick. Thanks to his movement, the area has seen a decrease in crime and an increase in cozy cafes, bars, restaurants, clubs, and a diverse mix of people from around the world.

While exploring Bushwick, you can start your day with a cup of coffee while enjoying the murals, have lunch at a cozy restaurant, visit House of Yes (which is the most famous club in Bushwick), and end your day with a slice of pizza. There’s so much to do and see in this vibrant neighborhood!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shoutout to Sara Pizzi, who is my both life and work partner. We are totally different, I mean, many times we are opposite. Our learning style, communication style, body type, introvert/extrovert, culture, ethnicity, etc. But because of this, she has taught me so many things. She gives me a lot of love. She is very supportive to everyone and teaches me how to support others. She helps me do something I’m not good at. When I lose confidence, she reminds me that I’m doing great so that I can keep going. She is still young, but she has been building her career with her vision as an artist. I admire her so much. Without her, I would not have known the importance of love and support and how to believe in me, instead, I would have given up on myself forgetting my value. I’m who I am because of her. That’s why I want to give a shoutout to Sara Pizzi, who is a kindest and most creative emerging artist full of love.

Website: https://aikatakeshima.com https://saraikacreation.com

Instagram: @aikatakeshima https://www.instagram.com/aikatakeshima/?hl=en

Facebook: @aikatakeshima https://www.facebook.com/aika.takeshima

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5In50yO4hEruZjC0jsh6Jw

Image Credits
Chanette Manso