We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kentaro Kikuchi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kentaro, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.
I transitioned from competitive gymnastics to dance, which set me apart from those who started dancing at a young age. This required me to carefully evaluate my strengths, weaknesses, and goals. I had to decide what I could do, what I couldn’t, where to focus my time, and how to refine my unique qualities to stand out. I determined the direction I wanted to pursue and clarified what I could achieve within those boundaries.
As an immigrant with visa restrictions and the physical limitations that come with age in a dancer’s career, I became highly conscious of my priorities. I avoided unnecessary distractions like excessive partying or drinking, dedicating myself to self-improvement and consistent practice. These circumstances pushed me to make deliberate, thoughtful choices, ensuring I could sustain a career as a dancer and performer while making the most of the opportunities available to me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera, and soon I will celebrate 15 years of performing here. At the same time, I am also a personal trainer.
As a professional dancer, every rehearsal, performance, and moment of earning a living through art feels incredibly special. There’s something magical about it, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity. I hold great respect for everyone involved in this creative world—the conductors, orchestra members, singers, dancers, costume designers, makeup artists, stagehands, and all the other artists who contribute their unique talents.
Alongside my dance career, I am also active as a personal trainer. (Starting in late January, I will open a gym in Midtown offering personal training, Pilates, and assisted stretching. I’d love for anyone interested to stop by!) Using my experience to support people’s health and well-being is deeply fulfilling for me. Helping others prevent unhealthy lifestyles and promoting physical and mental wellness is a rewarding mission.
I’ve also been fortunate to have clients who come to see me perform on stage, deepening our connection in a unique way. As I open this new gym, I’m looking forward to building more meaningful relationships and supporting even more people on their journeys to better health and happiness.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
First, soccer. From an early age, I dedicated eight years to playing soccer, which helped me develop my physical abilities. The second, and perhaps the most impactful, was gymnastics. This experience built the foundation of my body control skills and allowed me to hone them further.
Soccer is a team sport, whereas gymnastics is an individual sport—this difference was profound. In team sports like soccer, even if you make mistakes, your teammates can step in and support you. In gymnastics, however, every success or failure is entirely your responsibility. This taught me to become mentally resilient.
During daily training, I began to think critically: How does this practice connect to my performance in competitions? How does it contribute to my growth? Why is this practice necessary? Is it the right way to train? What is the correct approach? What do the best athletes do in their training?
These questions shaped my mindset and were made possible thanks to the guidance of my coaches and the support of my family.
For those at the beginning of their journey, my advice lies here. Even with just one training session, ask yourself: How does this practice relate to your goals? What do you want to achieve? What techniques should you focus on mastering—or let go of? I believe these reflections are the key to effective growth.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I believe it’s better to focus on your strengths. I started dancing at the age of 24, which is considered a very late start in this field. Despite this, I have managed to become a professional dancer with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. This was possible because I maximized my strengths. In my case, I utilized my acrobatic skills from gymnastics, combined with the Hip Hop, House, and street dance styles I learned as a child and enjoyed in my free time, as well as the physical abilities I developed through soccer. By integrating these elements, I created a unique style of contemporary dance that stands out.
However, while focusing on your strengths, it’s crucial to ensure that you are also mastering the fundamental skills needed in your field. For me, this was classical ballet technique. In auditions, having this foundation often determines how you are evaluated. In my line of work, the requirements vary depending on the production—sometimes ballet technique is essential, other times theater dance, jazz, or even African dance is required.
Even if a particular style isn’t your strength, there are still opportunities to shine if you leverage your unique qualities. For instance, I’ve been able to secure roles even in genres where I’m less experienced because I focused on maximizing my strengths. That said, to make the most of these opportunities, you must also have a general level of proficiency in widely used techniques, such as ensemble choreography, to meet the baseline requirements.
Ultimately, I believe it’s about identifying the places where your unique strengths can shine and determining what is necessary to succeed in those areas. To elevate your strengths, you also need the drive to master the supporting skills required in your field. This balance is key to reaching your goals and thriving in your chosen path.
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