Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara Pizzi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most recent meaningful projects I worked on was as co-choreographer and dancer of sarAika movement collective new production named “Double Bind”. A contemporary dance work that integrates spoken word, custom hair art, and costume design. The process has consisted of independent research, and interviewing folks from NYC, Italy, and Japan, to acquire a full scope of the cultural experience that women share in sarAika movement collective’s broad community. This allowed us as saraika movement collective to create an organic script that underlines and empowers women’s voices, in reference to the cascading events and harsh rhetoric that the women’s rights movement has faced over the past few years all over the world. As a collective, sarAika is composed of immigrants and queer women who through this work share their perspectives on the issue. Focusing on translating voices into movement from those who identify as or resonate with the qualities of being a woman, Double Bind delivers a universal message of equity, diversity, inclusivity, and human connection. As a woman, immigrant, queer artist, you can understand the vitality of this project for me, getting to know different perspectives, hearing the inspiring stories of strong under-represented groups of women and individuals. I felt I improved my sense of sisterhood, in a sense of new totality and feeling that this project can go beyond the form of a dance performance, with the aim to collaborate with other artists, organizations, communities to expand this project and evolve it under another form. Looking for collaborators and people who want to empower women and speak their voice to inspire others.

Sara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a contemporary conceptual dance artist, which includes also being a choreographer, dancer and dance facilitator. My career started in my teen years with urban/commercial dance, being part of the dance agency “Spotlight work team” that allowed me to perform for national events, competitions, tv shows and advertisements commercials. Therefore, my career had a drastic change of direction once I moved to New York. My education has become primarily based on ballet & modern techniques, landing on the complete focus on the study and application of contemporary dance, being able to create an organic and unique style that mixed my urban background with a more academic and technical aspect. Now, my art is based on any physical medium which can evoke any inner personal exploration, deeper analysis of our inner self, the creation of a safe place for discovering and questioning & can bring togetherness in solving some common social issues. This creates performances which break the concept of standard performance creating collaborative, conceptual, interactive art experiences & teaching any level and any age, prioritizing any class that involves people with physical and mental disabilities or for underrepresented communities. These are the goals of my own movement collective that I founded in 2021 with Aika Takeshima, naming it sarAika movement collective, looking forward to expanding my network and dance abilities to other contemporary dance companies/organizations. I really trust in this project and it makes me proud that last year we were able to grow so much, performing every month for different DEI organizations/events, being able to assist and represent underrepresented communities and voices. Thanks to the success of this year, the schedule for 2023/24 is full and this makes me proud of myself and the NYC dance community. In the meantime, as a performer I’m currently working for several dance companies based in NYC and for some projects of various aspects that can include pure dance or collaboration with visual and performing artists. I’m a company member of: Valerie Green/Dance Entropy (which I’m also teaching artists for afterschool programs) and Six Degrees Dance, I’m dance captain of The next Stage Project & Light Painting NYC, project based member for Kaleid Dance Collective & I was guest artists/choreographer/dancer to more than 60 events/organizations based in the 5 boroughs of NYC. I’m dance teacher for the program Woodside on the Move teaching dance to the combined class that sees youth and seniors together – I’m dance facilitator for MUSICAMENTE institute, offering classes for individuals with autism. Lastly, I’m a videographer/photographer assistant for BECCAVISION.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the creative aspect that is constantly underlined and necessary to the completion of a task and the success of your career. Problem solving, organizational skills, cognitive thinking are few of the necessary abilities that an artist should possess and those are not limited in the use of creativity: no scheme to follow or rule to break, we are working toward innovation making the completion of each task always a rewarding and refreshing experience. Being an artist is a career that allows everyone to never stop learning, meeting new people, reading the world from different perspectives, digesting new languages, cultures & knowledge. In conclusion, personally being an artist who create and live art as social action, one of the most relevant aspects for me is the fundamental value that art is representing in order to speak aloud about social issues that are uncommon to face or to speak about, keeping alive the awareness of people of important social issues around the world, creating a safe space for communication, thinking and re-elaborating ideas. Something that only art and artists can do.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My art is based on any physical medium which can evoke any inner personal exploration, deeper analysis of our inner self, the creation of a safe place for discovering and questioning & can bring togetherness in solving some common social issues. This creates performances which break the concept of standard performance creating collaborative, conceptual, interactive art experiences & teaching any level and any age, prioritizing any class that involves people with physical and mental disabilities or for underrepresented communities. What sets me apart from others, I believe, is the themes my work underlines and the intention behind it. Breaking these two concepts down, the themes my dance represents does not start from a personal story or from my singular experience which rose a specific personal emotion; but are topical aspects within which everyone can resonate with. So my work speaks for/to/about people in order to be able to spark the imagination and inspire every individual no matter about status, language or experience. Regarding the intention: I’m using my technique to tell a story, I’m not using a story to show off my technique. I’m dancing for others, not for myself. My dance is an action of love, dance as social action. And I’m proud that in the last couple of years, this message was well derived, being able to perform all over NYC receding appreciation and growth back, being able to produce performances and classes which gave a huge benefit to our community starting to create a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarapizzi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_sarapizzi_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sara.pizzi.7
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-pizzi-a514281a6/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraPizzi3
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrojXl1b6CortTwOIyKIvCA

Image Credits
BECCAVISION SDF MEDIA Mark Herris Photography