Reviews

Table of Contents

WHEN IS ENOUGH?

Sara Pizzi and Aika Takeshima of SarAika Movement Collective closed the evening with a powerful and athletic work entitled “When is Enough?” Matching in all black clothing, they moved in and out of each other’s weight with both vigor and care. Confrontational gestures, near collisions, fierce partnering, and unexpected moments of connection and embrace all mingled in this particularly energetic work–I wondered about rigorous tenderness and collaborative love.
Hannah Lieberman
THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST Audience Review
a dance maker, writer

from 7 Midnights Physical Research 1/7/ 2024

DOUBLE BIND

The hair entwined around the body was an impressive beginning. It was effective as one of the costumes, and the dancers continued to move around with the impression that they were bound, as if I was watching human beings trying to live their lives to the fullest. It may be that they choose to keep moving silently, or it may be that their emotions are moving through trial and error. They don't seem like they are free either way. This world, which we think is vast, may be nothing more than a limited world around us, like this stage, when viewed from space. They are in it and they are bound. The loose hair in the last half looked like a chain around a dog's neck, held by someone to keep it from going too far. Even if they were moving their body fully, I felt some difficulties in movement or a sense of blockage. As the title "Double bind" says, even if the situation would be bad no matter which one I choose, I want to feel a little happiness in it, believe in myself and live. I felt a sense of responsibility in the last sentence, "It is your choice."
体に絡みついている髪が印象的な始まりでした。衣装の一つとしても効果的で、縛られている印象を持ったままダンサーたちが右往左往、動き続けていて、精一杯生きている人間を見ているようでした。黙々と動き続けることを選んでるのかもしれないし、試行錯誤を繰り返して感情が動いるのかもしれない。どちらにせよ自由ではなさそう。広いと思っているこの世界も、宇宙から見たらこの舞台のように限られた自分の周りだけの世界に過ぎないのかもしれません。その中にいて、しかも縛られている。後半の解かれた髪はまるで犬の首に巻かれた鎖のようだし、遠くまで行けないように誰かに持たれています。体は目一杯動いていても、どこか動きにくさや閉塞感を感じます。Double bindというタイトル通り、どちらを選んでも悪い状況だとしてもその中にも小さいHappyを感じて、自分を信じて生きていきたい。最後の「It is your choice」で責任感みたいなものを感じました。
Aiko Hiraguri
DLS certified trainer, Modern dance instructor

from DOUBLE BIND premiere on March 24th, 2023 at 9pm as part of the Spark Theater Festival / Emerging Artists Theatre New Works Series at the TADA! Youth Theater.

The dancers who appeared with the powerful music looked like new creatures that appeared from somewhere else. Intersecting each other with the fluttering blond brades. It was a wonderful performance that felt the strength of life.
By Julian Magazine​​
SARAIKAMOVEMENTCOLLECTIVE によるアートパフォーマンスが、1993年にアーティスティックダイレクター、Paul Adams によって創立された EMERGING ARTISTS THEATREの30周年を記念して行われているフェスティバルで観る事ができた。力強い音楽と共に現れたダンサーは、どこか異次元からあらわれた新しい生物のようにみえた。なびくブロンドのブレードと共に各自が交わっていく。生命の強さを感じる素晴らしいパフォーマンスでした。
Eri Soyama from Julian Magazine
Stylist & Director of Julian Magazine

from DOUBLE BIND premiere on March 24th, 2023 at 9pm as part of the Spark Theater Festival / Emerging Artists Theatre New Works Series at the TADA! Youth Theater.

I CHOOSE MYSELF

sarAika movement collective presented a piece “I choose myself,” which was strong in eye contact between dancers sharing that human connection described within the description of the piece. The piece was strong in contact, improv manipulating each other in ways society almost manipulates women. There was a strong connection between the dancers that made this piece so powerful and dynamic in addressing the societal issues of the present day.
THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST Audience Review

from Creative Performances presents “Our Bodies! A Protest in Dance!” 4/5/2023

sarAika movement collective presented a piece “I choose myself,” which was strong in eye contact between dancers sharing that human connection described within the description of the piece. The piece was strong in contact, improv manipulating each other in ways society almost manipulates women. There was a strong connection between the dancers that made this piece so powerful and dynamic in addressing the societal issues of the present day.
THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST Audience Review

from Creative Performances presents “Our Bodies! A Protest in Dance!” 4/5/2023

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOVE ME, JUST ACCEPT ME

"You Don't Have to Love Me, Just Accept Me" by the sarAika movement collective showcased significant, flowy movements to an instrumental driving beat. The dancers started with weight-sharing and full body contact, solidifying their duet as one of connection and unity. The dancers seemed to be controlling the movements of one another like marionette and puppeteer, which can only make the audience question if it is by choice or force that the puppet dances. The dancer in gray ends the piece by building something or creating something from nothing, only to have the white dancer watch, before ultimately destroying it. The thought-provoking piece raises the question of what boundaries we set and what are we willing to sacrifice to maintain them.
Curtis J. Faulkner
THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST Audience Review
Actor • Singer • Choreographer • Model

from Mark DeGarmo Dance Salon Performance Series for Social Change 5/4/2023

The title of the final piece, “You Don’t Have to Love Me, Just Accept Me,” choreographed by sarAika Movement, felt particularly poignant in today’s culture. The intensity of the dancing expressed the importance of the idea behind the title. The sharpness of the dancing matched the sharpness of music. This mimicking of sound through movement was quite effective, as the music worked to amplify the motions. The black box arena in which the dancers performed was small. The square container acted as a prison for the dancers, who struggled with labored movement to escape. In the end the dancers did not escape confinement. The struggle did not find a finale, leaving me wondering if this piece had a part two.
Callie Hatchett
THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST Audience Review

from Mark DeGarmo Dance Salon Performance Series for Social Change 5/4/2023

BLOCKS

FROM AN ART CRITIC - RYO SAWAYAMA

-a dance session with blocks in a screen-
-It reminds me of Yvonne Rainer-

I got interested in their aim trying to find possibilities of dance in blocks game.

Friedrich Fröbel, a German pedagogue, invented block games and blocks were one of the most important objects of  his child-centered approach to education. ( Froebel gifts)
He foud out an intuitive way to grasp the world in blocks.

‘INTUITIVE’ in this case means the physical aspect that we grab ‘objects’ (blocks) directly by our hands.
In other words, block game is related to movements and body, and it has direct connection with grasping the world.

Therefore, I found resonance between dance and their perspective they see in blocks to see direct connection between body and grasping the world.

In this point of view, I was watching Ms. Pizzi’s activities themselves -building and breaking blocks- as “DANCE”.
Ms. Takeshima was dancing behind her, so she looked like she was doing a dance session with blocks in a screen. 

Usually block game is considered as a toy to be piled and build something, but it has another important aspect that we can break and rebuild again and again.
In other words, block game can be a symbol of repetition of ‘Building / Destroying’, and ‘Creation / Annihilation’.
Therefore, block game is really similar to nature cycle and slso our body in the point of metabolism.

In this performance, they put emphasis on an interactive elements.  So the performance itself was in mobility that everything could go to anywhere no one could guess. And I felt it  might be also related to block games, fluidity of nature and metabolism that block games suggest.

In this meaning,  we can think that not only Ms. Takeshima’s dance and movements of blocks, but also movements of Ms. Pizzi’s fingers and ‘talking’ can be a kind of dance.
(It reminds me of Yvonne Rainer, who made a dance work using just by her hands while she was in a hospital.)

Their performance gave me an impression that they were trying out those expanded dance experience using Zoom which is expanded medium in various meanings.

– Ryo Sawayama

For me was a “museum performance”: you girls teach, entertain and move our emotions at the same time! BRAVO!
Ana Maria Rodriguez
Ballet dancer
I was thinking about life watching the blocks I got great inspiration!
Kumi Hiroe
Artist/painter/sculptur
You really got me thinking a lot, it’s great! So easy to forget the importance of having space to play, be free, without pressure...oh boy, I really needed that reminder! You have lots of great thoughts! Such worthwhile research!!
Georgia Husborn
dance artist/choreographer/director
Those are some wise words! Your piece had so much life and energy to it! What a fantastic collaboration between you and Aika! Seeing you presenting a work live would be a dream! Looking forward to seeing more from you ♥️
Inger Cooper
organizer of "The Craft"
All the things you were expressing and all the points that you were touching and talking about were so interesting and make me think and rethink stuff also connected to my present self. All the things' you guys were saying were so on pointing that make me think and make me want to keep going and also go back to find whatever I lost. Your work made me thing also to all these things around and have another perspective and to do not be afraid to fall and instead stand up again. I think it was it was a very complete because it had that connection to the audience that I’ve never seen before and it was because you were really connected to the audience. You had the technical aspect of it, the artistic aspect, the dancing and reacting to what it was saying and happening. It was a very smart performance because you had people think and not just watching something and I'm sure that that what happened last night is going to resonate in each one of us. Who were there yesterday understood you gave something and it can be the littlest thing but it can also be something bigger: you can give us something to think about to work on to just get another perspective.
Alice Castro
dancer/photographer/videographer
thoughtful, graceful, and very invigorating. definitely intellectual stimulating. Please keep doing this and the offshoot of it. I am looking at the blocks in a deeper sense now.
SDF MEDIA
photographer
You inspired ME to play more and think less. it was very insightful. inspired by work being done in our current culture as virtual stuff is tough for me to do.
Amy Jordan
coach/author/motivtional speaker/founder of the victory dance project
It was filled with knowledge & laughter... overall, I LOVED IT ❤
Anastasia
photographer
I loved the message!
Igrid
dancer
Incredible!! Good job! Really interesting!
Roni Uzan
DANCER
So fun! Amazing you guys!
Theresa Ferves
Dancer, Choreographer, Co-Founder & Director of "eus"

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