Sana Sasaki

Sana Sasaki

Japanese Sana Sasaki doesn't have a specific ambition or dream at the moment, but what drives her - especially after sitting at home so much during the corona pandemic - is the desire to meet and work with many people.

"I have an enormous curiosity, a hunger even, to discover, to broaden my perspective on dance and on the world. Through this I discover more colours in myself, understand myself better. Mentally, emotionally, but also physically - dance can teach you so much about your own body."

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Video by Iris Hendriks

Cat out of the tree

Because of her father's work, the young Sana is constantly moving. She has lived in Malaysia, the Fiji Islands and Australia, among other places. "I was always able to adapt quite easily, but was quite shy. I still am. Instead of jumping right in, I prefer to find out what the people are like, what the customs are, and what is expected of me.

Even her first ballet lesson, at the age of seven, feels awkward - "those strange ballet positions" - but ballet soon becomes her 'biggest joy'. At thirteen, she moved to Australia on her own to study dance at The McDonald College. "It was a lot of fun with thirty girls at the boarding school, all far away from home."

Sana Sasaki

Fun has brought me where I am now.

 

Rotterdam? No idea!

Only later did doubts arise: does she really enjoy ballet, or is she doing what she does because others expect her to? At 16, she also realised that she could no longer ignore an ankle injury she had suffered previously. She goes back to Japan and doesn't do another dance step for a year. "It was a tough decision, but it felt like a huge relief."

She studies Liberal Arts for one semester, but in the end cannot imagine a future profession with the subjects she studies. She starts travelling, takes some dance lessons in London, where her sister lives, then discovers a great studio for modern dance lessons in Tokyo, and via some teachers ends up at Codarts Rotterdam. "I had no idea where Rotterdam was, but I had absolutely no fear. The pressure was gone, everything I did, I did out of pure pleasure."

Curriculum Vitae

Born
1996, Yokohama, Japan

Eduction
- The McDonald College for Performing Arts, Australië
- Architanz, Japan
- Codarts Rotterdam

With Scapino sindce
2017

Performed in (i.a.)
Pas de Deux, TWOOLS, TOF!, Le Chat Noir, Pearl, The Great Bean, What remains, Casablanca, The Square 2, Oscar

Sana Sasaki

So new

Her first performance with Scapino, in 2017, will always be a 'big moment' for her. "It was my very first professional performance. I was just a trainee and to be able to stand there knowing that Ed Wubbe, that Scapino apparently had confidence in me, felt very special." In the meantime, she has already spent several years at Scapino, but everything still feels new. "Every season is a new discovery. There are so many choreographers and teachers here, and it is so wonderful to be able to explore their world."

Sana Sasaki

Different countries, languages, cultures and schools: as a child, I always had to see where and how I fitted into a new environment.

Comfortable with the silence

‘Having fun' has become her motto in life. "It has brought me where I am today. Connecting with others is also important to her, but she also needs peace and quiet, to be comfortable with the silence. Smiling: "You can see that in how I spend my free time: I like to be in good company, but I also like sewing, knitting, cooking, playing the piano, listening to music; spending time on my own."

 

Photography: Khalid Amakran | Interview: Astrid van Leeuwen

This season featuring in

  • Vrouw met rode lippen die mysterieus kijkt en in het spiegelbeeld zwoel

    Origin

    An absurdist satire and search for hope in dark times. Origin is created by three emerging avant-garde dance makers with a socially critical perspective in their work.

Danced in a.o.

  • Beeld met vijf dansers die elkaar bij de armen vasthouden met een in het midden die probeert te ontsnappen. Tegen een oranje achtergrond met een geverfd kruis.

    Origin 2024

    For Origin, Ed Wubbe brings two extraordinary, international choreographers to The Netherlands: Xingxing Gong and Lior Tavori.
  • Man met vegen opgezocht zit op een bed in het bos en kijkt langs de camera. Op de achtergrond lopen een vrouw en een kind hand in hand.

    Song of the dark forest

    A moving, compelling and comforting performance, performed by the complete group of dancers of Scapino, an opera singer and live music by the DoelenEnsemble.
  • Twee dansers in het zwart met armen geopend en geknield op de vloer. Op de achtergrond een neongeelgroen kruis.

    Made in Rotterdam

    New work, performed and created by Scapino dancers. Made in Rotterdam is Scapino's dance laboratory where dancers can develop their talent as a choreographer.
  • Vergrijsd-blauwe afbeelding met daarop twee personen met rood haar. De vrouw vooraan heeft een arm op haar heup en leunt naar achteren. Achter haar staat een man met zijn armen als pijl en boog.

    Two Tales

    Young emerging dance makers tell poignant stories with solid roots in the lore and customs of their native land.
  • Casablanca

    Casablanca

    Casablanca is a visual performance about passion, freedom and desire for a better world.
  • Vrouw in een zwart korset met blote armen en een grote gouden tooi op het hoofd in de vorm van de manen van een paard. Zij heeft haar armen sierlijk geheven alsof zij loopt. De achtergrond is goud met een geverfde cirkel.

    Oscar

    Carré en Scapino Ballet presenteren: Oscar, een hommage aan Oscar Carré met dans, theater, circus én live muziek van Blaudzun. Exclusief te zien in Carré.
  • Danser op een rode achtergrond met geverfde letter X. Hij draagt een zwarte glimmende top en strekt zijn armen uit richting de camera.

    The Square2

    Four young makers meet eachother in The Square2, a new full-length production of Scapino Ballet Rotterdam.
  • Casablanca

    Duplicate of Casablanca

    Casablanca is a visual performance about passion, freedom and desire for a better world.
  • Made in Rotterdam foto met twee dansers

    Made in Rotterdam

    Scapino Ballet Rotterdam presents four new works, performed and created by Scapino dancers.
  • Vier rechthoekken met daarin een deel van een menselijk lichaam, zodat zij samen een volledig danserslichaam vormen

    The Square Recordings

    Young makers go on an adventure in this online edition of The Square.
  • Leslie Humbert in The Great Bean

    The Great Bean

    Circus, illusionism, variety and dance: The Great Bean takes place in the atmosphere of the roaring twenties, the emergence of jazz, Hollywood and vaudeville.
  • The Blend

    The Blend

    Scapino starts the new season at the Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam icon and world heritage monument.
  • Een leeg theater met op het podium 2 trompettisten

    Music in Motion

    The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Scapino Ballet Rotterdam have joined forces for a new video project: Music in motion.
  • Pearl

    Pearl

    World class dance, stunning costumes and mesmerising music by composers like Vivaldi.
  • Wit geschminkt persoon met zijn vingers om zijn snor

    Holland & Le Chat Noir

    The superb, theatrical dance of this captivating diptych transports audiences to the Golden Age and the Paris Revue. Two iconic pieces by choreographer Ed Wubbe in one program.
  • Made in Rotterdam foto met twee dansers

    Made in Rotterdam

    Scapino Ballet Rotterdam presents four new works, performed and created by Scapino dancers.
  • TOF!

    TOF! at the Parade

    Coming home to a place that never changes. Where you can be yourself and where things are good. With that ideal in mind, seven dancers begin their journey.
  • Twee dansers in intiem duet

    Pas de Deux

    Pas de Deux is a pure music and dance experience. Crystal clear piano by Michiel Borstlap with the eye-catching choreographies of Ed Wubbe, danced by twelve dancers of Scapino Ballet Rotterdam.
  • twools_headerweb.jpg

    TWOOLS 18

    TWOOLS 18 appears to be the last in the series. It is a worthy finale with world premieres by choreographers Ryan Djojokarso, Joeri Dubbe and Maciej Kuzminski.
  • TING! | choreografie Ed Wubbe (foto Eric Fecken)

    TING!

    Dance, music and circus come together on and above a rotating arena to create an enchanting spectacle.