The art form of ballet is arguably one of the most classical art forms that still exists and is in intense practice even in modern times. It is true that like almost every other art form, dance has also evolved and continued to move with the times. Yet many dance studios and venues still bring the most classical stories and symphonies to life. This is due to their timelessness and elegance that is always sought after from their audiences, and the truth they hold that appeals to dancers and producers alike.
How Dance Becomes a Passion
Dance, just like any other art form in its own space has its process and its gradual progress for the person who is practicing it. For many people who begin dancing, it could be interesting. That is the way most things begin. Not every person is passionate about the subject they dive into, especially if they are very young. In most cases of successful dancers, they have started at a very early age. This is also common for musicians as well. While it is common and very helpful to start at a young age, it does not mean someone who begins practicing their interest will not become successful or hold a fruitful career in that profession. But there must be a spark of interest before it turns into passion. The interest slowly develops into skills, learned techniques, and then within time, a person’s style will present themselves as they practice every day, thoroughly, to reach their goal. And once it does, calling it a passion will make sense because they want to continue and discover newer things both in that art form and within themselves.
This applies to dance as dance is all about movement, variations, and coordination. Many dancers employ traditional and classical techniques because they always work, but they also learn a lot about their own body and how they can bring some of themselves into a performance by injecting their style into the choreography. That is when passion is visible on a stage, and it synergizes the audience who is becoming inspired.
Dancers Become Artists Too
Dancers go through rigorous practice and rehearsals in order to perform. They are given a script and they follow the notes of music, but the role of a performer is truly artistic and innovative. If a dancer only follows the technique and nothing else, their performance may not appeal to the audience. It will make the audience know they are special and uniquely gifted when they are also putting their soul into the performance. This is about the passion that they have developed as artists. Once they have that passion, they can transform the role into a memorable performance. It is undoubtedly magical to watch a dancer in their element, placed in the universe of that dance, performing with their castmates on the stage.
An Artist You Need to Know: Risa Takeshima
Among modern dancers, there are many that flawlessly portray classical roles in performances such as Don Quixote, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and many others titles. But they also have modern styles and fresher ideas that will keep these timeless stories alive, which is significant in bringing these tales to life on the stage. An artist that is incredibly gifted and changing the game in the dance industry right now is Risa Takeshima. Risa has had a great background in training and quickly developed a passion for dance when she was young. She practiced without any gaps and became known by her peers and dance producers and choreographers in every studio she practiced in, as well as other productions that sought out performers for their roles.
Risa has been involved with a number of prestigious ballet studios that shaped her understanding of dance techniques and informed her interpretation of musical notes and stories. She has worked with Iwakoshi Chiharu Ballet Studio in her earlier days, where she remembered falling in love with the art form and the way her peers strengthened that love of ballet. She has also been a dancer at The Australian Conservatoire of Ballet, Thuringer Staats Ballett, Tokyo City Ballet as a First artist, and soon in the near future, The Ajkun Ballet Theatre as a Senior artist. Just like any other great artist, Risa has gone through the long journey of discovering herself through dance and bringing that to the stage with countless classical performances. Most recently, she performed the role of Cupid in Don Quixote, at the Ajkun Ballet Theatre which exposed her to the theatre and landed her opportunities. Becoming a senior artist at a ballet studio is indeed the dream of many dancers, and Risa has made that dream come true with inspiring directors, choreographers, and audiences alike. Among her performances, she also starred as Cygents in Swan Lake at Tokyo City Ballet. This was deeply influential to her because of how ground the production was, and how she felt the weight of the story in every moment of rehearsal up to the performance. This was prior to Don Quixote.
Before these two performances, Risa had a busy season during Swan Lake, performing in Giselle as Willis. She also received 1st prize at Victoire Ballet Competition in Osaka, Japan. This is one of Risa’s favorite things about the art form, being able to take away so much from every movement and having that lifelong memory. Currently, Risa is a senior artist at The Ajkun Ballet Theatre where she cultivates her profession and inspired those around her.
