Meet Sara Pizzi

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

Hi Sara , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
The work ethic I’m funding my values on and how I approach each aspect of my dance collective and other dance projects/companies I’m part of- it comes from our being and what we want to input in the dance community. With my movement collective “sarAika” co-funded with Aika Takeshima, We aim to offer the platform which we have been looking for, a safe place of growth and launch desired from our diverse communities. We make art for and about people, representing and empowering the communities we belong to and creating awarewnss of topical aspects to spark creativity, reflection and imagination. Taking in consideration the founding values and mission of sarAika movement collective, we are a collaborative dance company which makes art for dancers and non-dancers of all capacities and identification, that is able to create unexpected creative work, a diverse workforce & inclusive, equitable work environment, which we consider fundamental for the growth and longevity of our workflow. In addition, as representatives of underrepresented communities such as LGBTQIA+, immigrants, POC, and women, ensuring our professionals and all of our communities are respected, feel safe and belong are essential having in our board the DEI officier Aika Takeshima to advocate and monitoring that our workflow and teamwork is based on the ethics of equity, diversity and inclusion.

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’m a contemporary conceptual dance artist, which includes also being a choreographer, dancer and dance facilitator. My career started in my teen years with urban/commercial dance, being part of the dance agency “Spotlight work team” that allowed me to perform for national events, competitions, tv shows and advertisements commercials. Therefore, my career had a drastic change of direction once I moved to New York. My education has become primarily based on ballet & modern techniques, landing on the complete focus on the study and application of contemporary dance, being able to create an organic and unique style that mixed my urban background with a more academic and technical aspect. Now, my art is based on any physical medium which can evoke any inner personal exploration, deeper analysis of our inner self, the creation of a safe place for discovering and questioning & can bring togetherness in solving some common social issues. This creates performances which break the concept of standard performance creating collaborative, conceptual, interactive art experiences & teaching any level and any age, prioritizing any class that involves people with physical and mental disabilities or for underrepresented communities. These are the goals of my own movement collective that I founded in 2021 with Aika Takeshima, naming it sarAika movement collective, looking forward to expanding my network and dance abilities to other contemporary dance companies/organizations. I really trust in this project and it makes me proud that last year we were able to grow so much, performing every month for different DEI organizations/events, being able to assist and represent underrepresented communities and voices. Thanks to the success of this year, the schedule for 2023/24 is full and this makes me proud of myself and the NYC dance community. In the meantime, as a performer I’m currently working for several dance companies based in NYC and for some projects of various aspects that can include pure dance or collaboration with visual and performing artists. I’m a company member of: Valerie Green/Dance Entropy (which I’m also teaching artists for afterschool programs) and Six Degrees Dance, I’m dance captain of The next Stage Project & Light Painting NYC, project based member for Kaleid Dance Collective & I was guest artists/choreographer/dancer to more than 60 events/organizations based in the 5 boroughs of NYC. I’m dance teacher for the program Woodside on the Move teaching dance to the combined class that sees youth and seniors together – I’m dance facilitator for MUSICAMENTE institute, offering classes for individuals with autism. Lastly, I’m a videographer/photographer assistant for BECCAVISION.

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?
Three qualities which really create a positive impact in sarAika Movement collective and in workflow with other dance companies or organizations are: organization, transparency and generosity. A clear organization was really game changing for me: scheduling my work-time and when to complete tasks, collecting and archiving every template and event material, organizing them in a clear way, so it is easier to pull up any time we need the material needed, was really helpful to organize my everyday life decreasing stress and minimizing mistakes. Transparency in how I communicate my opinion and needs , introducing myself unapologetically, how I approach our collaborators and how I present our work. Being my true self, sharing my humanity, comprehension, qualities and gaps, appreciation of the support of all the people around me, clarity in explaining the context and expectations of each project, sharing what I need and wha I can give; those really brought me to create over time appreciation and trust from my communities and collaborators, being able to support each other and shine together. Generosity in a term of “help to be helped”. If we do not support each other, as artists, as community, as humans, there is no way to improve and grow. Understanding where we come from, who we are, our abilities and resources, being humble to understand our position and always being open to help anyone in need who support our values and mission, and appreciating whoever is willing to help us to grow our community and work. These three qualities were able to establish me and my collective pretty quickly in the dance environment and really paid off.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Who has been the most helpful in assist me to overcome challenges and develop essential skills.. I have a list of three people: Aika Takeshima (my life and working partner), Marijke Eliasberg (my first ever dancer mentor in NYC) and Cristina Loss (my mom). Aika helped me crating my dream job of funding a movement collective, beside having the patience in helping me with some technical movement corrections and executions of movement supporting me in developing a wider quality of movement and dynamic in floor work. As a life partner, I felt supported, listened, protected and deeply inspired from such a different way to approach life and arts, allowing me to grow as artist and person. Marijke deeply changed my life, trusting me from the beginning of my early career as contemporary dancer, teaching me how to listen my body and trusting in my voice and passion. Her way to approach teaching and the body in space is unique and mind-blowing, definitely molding me as contemporary dancer. Along with her new movement approach due her discovery of Tai Chi application is dance which I found deeply helpful, interesting and revolutionary. Lastly my mum (and my dad too) which has been always be my big supporters, always helping and trusting me even when nobody else was. Thanks to those people I’m an artist, living and working in NYC, spreading dance, education and passion. This shoutout is for you.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Chanette Manso BECCAVISION SDF MEDIA Julian J. Peeples Alvin Caal for Queensboro Dance Festival

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