We were lucky to catch up with Eri Chikusa recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eri, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
Being a short asian person in the entertainment world is easy all the time.
I am a dancer/choreographer/performer/artist from Japan, living in Los Angeles California as a working professional. I moved to the states in 2016 till 2020, moved back to Japan for getting an artist visa, got back to the states as a working dancer in 2022. I was spoiled to be honest till that point because the dance community I was a part of was mostly Asian community. My professional dance team, Choreo Cookies has many Asian team mates, and all the other projects and jobs I’ve done in the past such as dancer for Daddy Yankee and Amber Liu were mostly Asian casts too. I was really fortunate to be in that environment,
When I say it’s not always easy to be an Asian, it is actually not. After I moved to Los Angeles and started to go to auditions, I thought that it is 2023, people like having a diverse casts, they got to have more opportunities for me this time. It was not still an easy road. I’ve been in an audition for a well known artist’s show where I got a call back and only 2 people including myself out of 100 people were Asian. To be honest with you, it made me small as an Asian person. Every dancers in the room were blonds, tall and curvy when I have a typical Asian body image. I doubt myself and had an imposter syndrome in a way. Still till this day, I rarely come across with a Japanese dancer or any Asian dancers in audition settings.
It took me a bit to figure it out how to have a self confidence and navigate this crazy entertainment world in Los Angeles. How should I present myself? What is my branding? Should I be more “Japanese looking”? Should I die my hair color to something outstanding? These questions circled around everyday until I booked a first job in LA as a talent.
The first job after I got my artist visa was a campaign for FIFA World Cup on Snapchat. I was casted as a talent who represents Japan and I got to perform and be a part of this campaign, I realized that if I open myself more, I have places to shine. The end of last year, I got casted to be a part of a Cirque du Soleil show called Twas The Night Before. The role I got was a principle dancer and back up cast for the main acrobatic character of the show, Isabella. They were specifically looking for someone who can be Tuques who tells the story with dancing throughout the show and can fit Isabella who is a teenager. Casting though I was perfect for both role and got casted. They actually cares about diversity as well, so I was a perfect talent for that. By working on the project, I felt that I truly found the place for me to shine. I didn’t need to f*ke myself to perform in front of massive audience. I didn’t need to fit into the character because I am the character and they cherished that. I genuinely enjoyed performing the role.
That was the moment for me to realize if I really embrace my own uniqueness, background and be unapologetic about it, the opportunity will come to me and I can have the job I want to have. Of course my talent was valued but because how I look, I got to be a part of this kind of amazing show that I resonate with. The key was truly believing who I am inside and out and people will see that. It is easier said and done, but I needed to experience every negative experience in order to be where I am today, acknowledge, and gain back my confidence. I don’t need to change who I am, how I look because once I do that, it changes my core value as a person and the right job will not come for me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Dancing is my tool to connect to people and that is why it is special. My special talent is talking through my body movement, not singing or writing or anything else. Being able to have a connection through my choreography locally or internationally and getting to know other cultures are so exciting to me.
I always thrive to inspire people through my dancing or choreography/art I make. It’s been a privilege to have a space like a studio I am faculty at, Ruts Dance Studio, I am officially on the roster this year to have a slot and continue to share my art with my students. My focus when I teach and share my craft to my students is not only just teaching dance moves to them but also seeking their growth as a person and mover. My choreography often has some sort of message/meaning behind it; I like to tell stories through my craft. I always want them to connect to the song and/or choreography. I also put so much energy into creating the safest space as possible so that they can make mistakes and try new things so that they can grow and tell the story in their own way. I let myself be available, open and vulnerable so that they can be one too, When everyone is on the same page, a safe environment will be cultivated. I want them to be able to share their own story, and having a safe space to do that is a must and mission for my classroom. I am also excited to be a faculty member of the one of biggest studios in Los Angeles called movement lifestyle this year. mL has been a big part of my life as a dancer and to be able to share my knowledge in a space like this is such an honor. I believe having my experience as a teacher now contributes to cultivating the richer community, and my wish is to spread positivity and students will feed off that energy to each other.
When I meet people internationally on a job, the first thing we would have in common is the passion for dance/art. Often time, that itself makes is easier to connect with others. Sometimes, we don’t speak each other’s language well, but one move can lead to having a friendship with them and that is the only thing it takes to have a connection with each other. We can feel each other through working together on a project and go through hard time together and creates bond. The Cirque du Soleil job was the perfect example for me. It was such a multicultural environment but I loved meeting many people from different culture in the same room and we were there because each discipline lead us to be there, and that was the bottom line of us being there, nothing else. It was for sure the best experience I’ve had in my dance career. Twas The Night Before is one of the reoccuring shows in Cirque du Soleil and I cannot wait to tour again with them this year and more years to come.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first skills that came up into my mind is communication skill. Often times, you make a deeper connection with someone through a good conversation. I was fortunate enough to speak English fluently aside from Japanese and I considered it is one of my special skill set. Because of it, I was able to translate in the classroom setting and assist many international choreographers and made connections through that experience. It ended up leading to jobs here as well. Or because I have a great relationships with choreographers here in LA, I was able to work with a major company such as Universal Music and train the artist there such as Travis Japan. Especially when you are an independent contractor, which we as dancers tend to fall into this occupation, you really need a communication skills to negotiate and being to communicate what your needs.
This connects to the second qualities that impact my journey, knowing your value as an artist. If you can communicate to whoever you work with or to your agent with knowing your value, you don’t get lost in this crazy entertainment industry because you would know what resonates with you or not and make decisions based on that for yourself. Your value becomes your compass in your journey, so trust that. The journey will reveal itself after that. Once I knew what I am capable of and acknowledging my uniqueness, everything became easier for me too. Less pressure to feel, I don’t need to prove myself to anyone else, and confidence became more solid inside of me. It gave me peace.
The last one would be the will power to make your dream/goals true. Having a will power really manifested so many things for me. Becoming the first international member of Choreo Cookies, a world widely well known professional dance team, getting the prestigious agency in LA, Go 2 Talent Agency, getting approved for O1 visa, getting to work with artist and company such as Daddy Yankee, Cirque du Soleil, Amber Liu, and so on…. I work towards to my goals like this with my full effort. Nothing was possible without any of qualities/skills that I listed and of course, with a lot of people’s support. However, I am the one who is gonna put those effort and make it happen because I really really wanted it. You’d be surprised about yourself the strength and power you have within yourself. Tap into that. picturing yourself the environment you want to be in, and it will happen.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
Yes and no – I think everyone grows differently so knowing what kind of learner you are would be great acknowledging to have.
I said yes, because for example, if you just started dancing or any discipline, then I always recommend them to learn as much as possible in the general area and then really study yourself what you need to be a better dancer/performer. If you want to became a Hip Hop dancer and if you are lacking the area in grooves, it is crucial. Problem solving, right? Take groove classes, fundamental classes so that you can have a better quality of being a Hip Hop dancer.
If you are already advance in your dancing/discipline, there is two ways in my opinion; train the area you are lacking and level up your artistry or you really embrace what you are good at and brand yourself with it. Both is going to be beneficial I think. I know the type of dancer I am, but I am also type of person who look for challenges. I want to be challenged so I started to train with Tobias Ellehammer, one of choreographers in LA. His style is complex, need mind and body connection and it excites me. This year, I want to challenge myself to be in heels class more because I know that is not my best strength. I want to express myself in heels as well so that is my goal for this year. However, some of them who is successful because of their outstanding talent in specific area of dancing. They book jobs because clients are looking for those specific style of dance. I think that is a way to go as well and I admire for that.
At the end, you are going to make your choice right. I mean you should. Whether you are still searching your way or not, start from learning who you are as a dancer and student, and move from there. There is no right or wrong and that is the beauty of this industry. Anything you be right and you might invent your style and you might be a pioneer of it. Keep searching and learning!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eri_chikusa/
Image Credits
Yagub Allahverdiyev Mizuki Kinefuchi
