sarAika movement collective is a NYC-based contemporary dance collective founded by immigrant queer choreographers Sara Pizzi (Italy) and Aika Takeshima (Japan). Their work emerges from intercultural and queer perspectives, exploring how identity, migration, belonging, and cultural memory are embodied through movement. Interculturality is central to their artistic practice, with cultural difference serving as a creative engine that shapes choreography, collaboration, and leadership through shared authorship and lived experience.
Drawing from distinct cultural and physical lineages, sarAika creates physically rigorous, concept-driven work that balances structural clarity with sensorial depth. Their choreography positions the body as a site of exchange between global perspectives and local realities, transforming personal and collective experiences into embodied performance.
sarAika fosters international artistic exchange through collaborations, festivals, and cross-border projects. Since 2021, they have performed across the U.S. and internationally, receiving commissions from organizations including IATI Theater, Kyoto University, Stony Brook University, and the Museum of the City of New York. They have held residencies at Dance Base Yokohama, University Settlement, Jamaica Arts Center, and Spoke The Hub, with work presented at major NYC venues such as New York City Center, Judson Church, Movement Research, HERE Arts Center, and Symphony Space, as well as in Sweden, Italy, and Japan. In 2025, sarAika founded the Osaka International Contemporary Dance Festival, further advancing their mission to connect communities globally through dance.