He is founding artistic director of Abarukas and an
award-winning choreographer. His work was seen in
Germany, Poland,
Italy, Spain, Israel, Mexico, and the U.S. He won
the International Choreographic Competition at NW
Dance Project and
Choreographic Shindig at Whim W'him in the U.S. He
was awarded for Best Choreography Award in Italy at
FINI Dance
Festival and Audience Award at Masdanza
International Contemporary Dance Festival in Spain,
and he was invited to present
his work "Coming Home" for the Masdanza Extensions
Tour in 2018 to perform in the seven islands of the
Canary Islands.
He's commissioned to create a work from Peridance
Contemporary Dance Company, NW Dance Project, Whim
W'Him, Ballet
Des Moines, Ballet Arkansas, Graham II, Alvin
Ailey/Fordham University, University of North
Carolina School of the Arts, Elon
University, Peabody/Johns Hopkins University,
Muhlenberg College, HSPVA, GHAA, IAA, Making Moves
Dance Festival, Dance
Gallery Festival/Level Up, FINI Dance Festival,
Interlochen Center for the Arts, Jamaica Performing
Arts Center, Rozsa Center
for the Performing Arts, and more.
He's presented his work for International Solo Tanz
Theater Festival (Germany), Gdansk Dance Festival
(Poland), Masdanza
International Contemporary Dance Festival (Spain),
Mash International Choreography Festival (Israel),
and FIDCDMX
(Mexico), Festival 10 Sentidos (Spain), and FINI
Dance Festival (Italy). He's been featured in NY1 as
well as Bric TV on
Spectrum Cable Channel. He has taught at Amsterdam
Dance Centre (Netherlands), DAF Dance Arts Faculty
(Italy), FINI
Dance (Italy), The Playground (NYC), Dance Theater
of Harlem (NYC), Open Dance Festival (Iowa), and
more. He currently
teaches at Peridance, GIBNEY, and the Martha Graham
School. He will create a new production for 2020-
2021 with a
London-based composer with support from Rabbit
Island Foundation and Rozsa Center at Michigan
Technological
University.
He founded Abarukas in the fall of 2012, and the
Company performed at BAM Fisher, Jazz at Lincoln
Center, Jacob’s Pillow
Inside/Out Series in 2014 and 2016, Palm Desert
Choreography Festival, Pan Asian Dance Festival,
LaMama Moves Dance
Festival, DanceNow at Joe's Pub, WestFest, Making
Moves Dance Festival, APAP Showcase at Peridance,
Alvin Ailey Citigroup
Theater, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 92Y, GK Arts
Center, and a number of universities in the U.S as
well as a residency
and performance at Kaatsbaan International Dance
Center. Broadway Dance World describes, “I witnessed
a true work of
art...Mr. Sakuraba's brilliant mind for choreography
has captivated me... extreme creativity, fine
detail, and high level
dancing."
Class Description:
Class will start with warm-up infused with ballet,
stretching, cardio, and strength/power workout
followed by guided solo & contact
improvisation - dancers will be challenged with
their creative habits and movements and learn to be
more explorative. After warm up,
dancers will learn phrase work OR a set of
partnering choreography (pas de duex). In Pas de
deux, it is designed for dancers to improve
their
contemporary partnering skills. Dancers will learn
how they shift through space and around/with their
partner, understanding the flow and
energy, creating a partnership bond & executing the
momentum, and challenging their physical abilities
to shift their partners. And
through
my phrase work, dancers will work on their
versatility, articulation and precision.
