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

Hi SarAika, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Both Sara and Aika’s decision to move to the United States to pursue a career in dance was a clear indication that we took dance seriously, not just as a passion, but as a potential career. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a defining moment for us. We were wrapping up our dance studies and transitioning to online classes through Zoom; despite already dancing professionally for some New York City-based companies, we unexpectedly found ourselves unemployed. Many of our dancer friends either returned to their home countries, changed careers or started families. Sara and Aika decided that if no one would offer them a job, we would create opportunities for ourselves. We began creating choreographies together, performing online, and submitting to various online festivals. During this time, we also produced our first dance film, “HOME,” in collaboration with BECCAVISION. As the city started to reopen, events such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate gained immense traction among artists. Our dear friend and collaborator Jiali, director of 7MPR, commissioned us to create a piece in response to “Stop Asian Hate and any hate,” which led to the creation, success and prosperity of sarAika Movement Collective. Since then, we have never stopped, solidifying our belief that this is the path we are meant to follow.

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?

The sarAika movement collective is a contemporary dance group that values interdisciplinary collaboration. It was established in 2021 by Aika Takeshima from Japan and Sara Pizzi from Italy, who found common ground as immigrants living in America. They combine their skills as dancers, choreographers, activists, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community to create art that reflects and resonates with human experiences. The collective advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a mission to help people find freedom and possibility within themselves. Regardless of the medium they use – be it movement, dance, theater, music, voice, painting, light painting, poetry, or AR technology – their work revolves around exploring emotions and experiences and capturing vulnerability. Witnessing their vulnerable art can help people connect with their authentic selves and their community. The collective aims to foster authenticity to strengthen their community. Their art also serves as a form of activism, shedding light on key social issues and providing a safe space for reflection for minority and underrepresented groups. They hope to secure funding for their collective in NYC to expand their artistic vision, inspire the local youth, and support local artists. Their recent performances have had a significant impact, reaching a wide audience and promoting self-reflection, social action, and artistic expression for all communities, including immigrants, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community. They have also organized workshops to introduce contemporary dance and dance as a form of social action to a broader audience, aiming to make this reality more accessible to people who may not have encountered it before.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

sarAika specializes in creating contemporary-conceptual dance works. What sets sarAika apart is their strong artistic statement: “Art is social action, and we create art about and for people. Our art serves as a form of activism, shedding light on important issues and self-awareness topics, prompting reflection and change. Therefore, the themes of our work are always based on people’s current needs or things we should release. Art has the power to make people laugh, feel light, or contemplate and rediscover important or forgotten things, such as solidarity and unity.

Our mission is to help people discover freedom and potential within themselves through our movements, words, and passion. By doing so, we aim to empower everyone to be true to themselves, fostering a sense of comfort and togetherness to strengthen and unite our community. By creating art for and about people, we prioritize the needs of others, deeply grounding our creative process in analyzing the media, behaviors, movements, thoughts, symbolism, and cognitive processes of people. It is crucial to hear their opinions during and after the creative process. This is why sarAika is a movement collective, deeply committed to enhancing people’s artistic abilities, fostering collaboration, and supporting the self-discovery process for others, ultimately serving and empowering the community.

Our work ethic is driven by our collective identity and our desire to contribute to the dance community. We strive to provide the platform we once sought—a safe environment for growth and advancement for our diverse communities. Additionally, as representatives of underrepresented communities such as LGBTQIA+, immigrants, POC, and women, it is crucial to us that our professionals and communities are respected, feel secure, and have a sense of belonging. This is why we have a DEI officer, Aika Takeshima, on our board to advocate for and monitor that our workflow and teamwork adhere to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is inspiring people and building community. As mentioned before, we are deeply committed to enhancing people’s artistic abilities, fostering collaboration, and supporting the self-discovery process for others, ultimately serving and empowering the community. Our work ethic is driven by our collective identity and our desire to contribute to the dance community. We strive to provide the platform we once sought—a safe environment for growth and advancement for our diverse communities. Our dance speaks for and about people, and when we receive feedback of appreciation and inspiration from our audiences, peers, and other fellow artists, we succeed in delivering the message that our art is effective and we are representing and building community. There is no art if the art cannot be shared.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saraikacreation.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraikamovementcollective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saraikamovementcollective
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzt6OwSe3GFvQwWKsLO02UA

Image Credits

WaxWorks – Triskelion Arts
Queensboro Dance Festival
Amplified Series – Mason Lee – Arts on Site