Photo by Felix BaumsteigerCan you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Mami Izumi. I am Japanese, born and raised in Kobe, Japan. I studied classic ballet and worked in classical ballet company in Osaka, Japan until 2011. In 2012, I left my country, lived and studied a contemporary dance in Salzburg, Austria and graduated in 2014.
Afterwards, I traveled around the world and I got the opportunity to work with Gotra/Joost Vrouenraets, and I came to Maastricht and eventually I got a permit to stay because I am Japanese so I came up to make a decision to base myself here in Maastricht, The Netherlands. I work as a dancer, teacher and I started to create my personal project since 2016.
Also I initiate activities that highlight the culture and art work of my country, it happens occasionally but I organised the Japanese Dance workshop and Kintsugi technique workshop together with Audrey Wang from Hae in 2016.
I also work as independent dancer in different production, currently working with Anton Lachky company In Brussels and touring to different cities.
I am interested in movement, senses and the physical interaction in communication (not necessary by having avphysical contact). Let’s say that the gesture or movement communicates and expresses the feeling from inside ourself, that is sometimes more visible and honest feedback from our body than what we have in our mind.
I have been dancing intensively over 20 years, I realized that when I move, dance, using my body is helping me to understand what is the feeling of day, what’s in my mind, what is difference in everyday life.
My vision is to create the environment where people can sense more with their sensory body, understand the world and give yourself a chance to have new experience in life.
From September 2017, I will do a master program at Fontys Tilburg to enrich the skill for making a performance in public space, which is a brand new master course called ‘Perming in Public Space’. I am very exited to take be part In it.
What do you consider your distinctive achievement?
I think my distinctive achievement is to create the opportunity to experiencing new discovery with the sensory body. Throughout my dancing carrier, I’ve discovered that it is not important for me which style or form of dance is presented. I think that dance must communicate the sensation, feeling and imagination through the space. For me I use dance as language; sometimes it communicates more than words, because of sensations. We all have the senses to feel. I like to create the experimental environment for the people to understand that everyone has sensitivity and they can feel more than they think.
What are you looking forward too?
I am a very spontaneous person and always curious about different things that I haven’t known yet. I am looking forward to meet with people and professionals in different filed to get new ideas and share a practice. Also to meet and experience together with the people who never seen a dance or even didn’t know about dance. I would love to see the diversity of people and places, and understand what are the differences and what we have in common.
Which advice would you give to other professionals?
I actually don’t have any advice for other professionals. I believe that every single person has its own way that they found interesting to explore. Maybe everyone can come to join my dance class and use the body together with others, that would be great!
What are the challenges that we need to come to make about cultural entrepreneurship more accessible?
I think, we need to keep on going and doing what we believe is good for ourself, what is your value and quality of your work. It is very difficult to always be able to challenge yourself and let people know what we are all doing: it’s all based upon the whole involvement in society, people and movement nowadays.
What I found through my understanding, is to create less distance from the field where I place myself as performer and maker. As I said also before, I would like to get closer to people’s point of view, position myself in a perspective that is common to enrich the experience for both, the performance and the people by sharing the performance in same space and time.
I think that I will take time to make a change or shift things. That’s why we keep on going, always, dance, dancers, artists, proposing new things to people and the world.
