We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miku Hirayama. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Miku below.

Alright, Miku thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I am so lucky and grateful because I have worked with companies, groups, and people who are wonderful and so meaningful to me. But if I will choose one I would like to say an All-Asian female cabaret group called “The Dynasties “.
First of all, I am Asian I am Japanese.
Meaningful meaning is I can be myself to exist and dance.
And everyone who were in the project they are so respectful, professional, and cooperative.
We are Asian who have different background and history but we have same similarities.
We could share our differences and similarities which makes safe and comfortable space.

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?

I stared dancing when I was 3 or 4 years old. Actually I don’t really remember about when I started but I remember I was not very interested in dance that time.
I have1 older brother, 1 older sister and 1 younger sister.
My parents have 4 wild kids it is a lot to them.
Anyways,
My older sister really wanted to go to ballet studio and she asked my parents and finally she started to go to the ballet studio.
The studio was so far from my house and Ballet is very expensive and special.
But my mom always wants to give every opportunity and chance to her kids equally.
So I started to dance because my sister started.
I am original from Yamaguchi Japan.
Yamaguchi prefecture is located at the west end of Honshu, the main island of Japan.
I love my beautiful hometown. My family, home, friends, people, memories, etc. are there.
However, there are not many opportunities for artists.
When I was in junior high school I started to have a strong desire to grow more, to take on more challenges, and to achieve something as an artist.
I stared to go to everywhere in Japan and outside Japan for some competitions, performances, and auditions.
It is not normal so special, difficult and expensive to keep them going.
I have been through a difficult time mentally.
Even though my family allows me to do what I want to do, I worry about differences with my friends at school, have grown apart from my family because my schedule, fell into a slump as a dancer, and lose track of what I want to do and then I started going down everything.
When I was in high school I quit dancing.
I restarted high school life. I really enjoyed the first month and I realized how much dancing was important and meaningful to me.Actually after graduating from high school, I was planning to go to college to become a nurse. I decided that since I was a child. I never thought I would become an artist that is not so suitable to me I thought .
But I wanted to try myself in that world as much as possible.
I changed my plan for future. I told everyone who support me alway.
Everyone said the world is very difficult. Unstable and difficult to achieve success and end. but everyone respected my decision.
After graduated from high school, I was based in Yamaguchi for two or three years, where I taught and took lessons, and went to various places in Japan and outside Japan for performances competitions, and auditions.
Even if I passed the audition, it would be very difficult to commute from Yamaguchi for a one-year project.
I started thinking about moving to Tokyo when I wanted to be more active as a dancer.
in 2019 I moved to Kanagawa. Kanagawa is located next to Tokyo.
I belonged to Y Dance Company and I had the a one-year project.
and I had decided to take the audition for Peridance Center in NY that summer and 1 year limit.
I trained in ballet, Contemporary, jazz, and singing and performed works by Kazuhiko Yoshimoto, Yumi Hariyama, Mamoru Sakata, Megumi Nakamura, and many others at Y Dance Company.
I had a very fulfilling year.
For sure It was hard because I needed to survive by myself.
But I found friends who have same dream and same situation.
we support each other. One of my friend, we were together all the time, from morning we were dancing then evening to midnight going work to make money also our house were so close. We were together 24 hours a day, every day. I was so lucky to have them and could be there.
In 2019 summer, the time has come.
I took the audition. I got the result that I wanted it.
I was so happy because I can go to NY and dance 2 years in NY.
From the beginning of 2020, everything has been closed due to a virusOf course I couldn’t move to anywhere and I had to postpone studying abroad by one year.
In 2020, it was during the pandemic I moved to New York to train at the Peridance Center. it was crazy process to get visa, move out from the house, and etc.
After many things, I was finally able to come to NY.
I had 2 years program.
1st year was half online and half in studio because of the pandemic.
2nd year was full back to studio, performance, and without mask!!
There are different country, language, culture, people, so many things more.
It’s beautiful and at the same time hard to understand and get used to,
I have had the opportunity to work with so many teachers, choreographers, and artists in 2 years.
I met beautiful classmate who came from different countries. I spent so many moment with them in 2 years. Even after I graduated, we keep in touch and support each other.
If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have been able to have such a special experience. People who gave me a lot of support　and pushed me to come this far. Of course, for myself, and for the sake of those who believe in me and support me, I want to keep growing.
In 2022 I graduated and started working as artist.
Now I am dancing, performing, creating, teaching, and surviving in the world.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Beginning of the training the patience that I finish concentrating one on is important. But same time to challenge things various(dancer performances etc) than it

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think there is nothing to unlearn lessons. just we need to change mindset and attitude for each lesson.
if I feel no right something that I learned in the lesson.
Actually it is good because I found what is right to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: mikuhirayama

Image Credits
Studio Marguerite Kayoko Hirayama Valerie Kosnevich Natalia Sánchez