We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Masumi Kambayashi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Masumi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

One day when I was kid I was watching a music TV show and there were backup dancer behind the artist. And I point out them said “I wanna do this” to my parents. They immediately started looking up the dance studio around the hometown even though my hometown is small and hard to find one. and they took me there. That’s how I started dancing and now I am still in love with dancing for 18 years. They always hear me and take action for me. And genuinely support me, and they tell me straightforward when I am doing something wrong, and be patient with me to fix my alignment. My biggest inspiration is my parents all the time and I am dancer and choreographer but I am human first. And I always want to be human that’s support people, care people, love people around me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Masumi Kambayashi and I am from Japan and moved to NYC in 2019. I started learning street dance when I was 5 years old. I moved to bigger city in Japan when I was 7 and that’s when I started learning Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and Tap in addition to the street style such as Hip Hop, House, Locking, Popping, Waacking. I participated lots of dance competition and got many places as well. When I was 17, I went to LA to participate WORLD OF DANCE and got 1st place in upper division as WREIKO FAMILY. I also visited NYC during that trip and I got so many inspiration from there. After I went back to Japan, I decided to move to NYC. I graduated Peridance Center in 2023 and got Optional Practical Training. I got signed with Bloc Talent Agency, also I am sub-faculty member at several major studios in NYC such as Peridance, Broadway Dance Center.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I needed to unlearn and am still working on is that “finding my own style, fully be comfortable who I am”. Because I am from Japan and dance environment I used to be in back in Japan was less freedom. I was always conscious about how the teachers move and I was trying to do the exact the same thing as them. But since I moved to NYC I realized there are another way to learn things such as get the inspiration and resources from teachers and make them your own way and show them who you really are. I struggle and am still finding who I am and what my style is because I am in NYC only for 4 years now and back of my head I still comfortable doing the exact the same thing as teachers.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a dancer and choreographer is that knowing, learning about people through watching their dance. Me as human, I am not really good at talking, explaining my thoughts and who I am in general. But in dance I can explain myself. There are few times I got so emotional dancing because I danced with the song that’s really connected to my soul at that time. And after dancing this person I have never met came up to me tearing up and told me that they got inspired by me. And same as me I sometime cry watching people dance because I feel like I am seeing who they are, what they are going through. And as a choreographer, whenever people put their heart or smile simply showing me their joy from my choreography always makes me happy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/masumicam

Image Credits
instagram.com/indiastokesphoto instagram.com/geomantillaphoto