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MSWC Dance Studio Performance Showcase 2001February 4, 2001
Comments and Photos by Robert Abrams
Miyuki Sakurai has been operating a dance studio for a little under two years. This afternoon, her students, invited guest performers, and Ms. Sakurai herself put on a stunning exhibition of ballet and dance styles from around the world. The audience was mostly parents of the students who performed, but it was worth attending even if you didn't have a daughter on the stage. Ms. Sakurai's studio, MSWC Dance Studio, appears to cater mostly to Japanese people. Nearly all of the performers, except a few of the invited guests, were Japanese. Most of the narration introducing each number was in Japanese. Even though I don't know any Japanese except the one or two phrases I picked up during the year I studied Aikido, it really didn't matter. The language of dance is universal. There were many excellent numbers in the show. My favorite, though, was the Taiko drum and tap dance number. Yako Miyamoto, Emi Namimatsu and Hana Ogata managed to seamlessly integrate these two very different artistic traditions. They made it look like Taiko drumming and tap dance are supposed to be performed together. If you would like more information about the MSWC Dance Studio, please call 212-678-7656.
 Little ballerinas
 More little ballerinas
 A very little ballerina dances with two big ballerinas
 Elegant arms
 Mayuna Shimizu and Keith Miller of the Long Island Ballet perform Adagio from Swan Lake
 More Swan Lake
 The Swan goes on
 Sensei, under the influence of Dr. Maybe's confusion ray, attacks Little One
 Little One foils the attack. The world is once again safe for dance!
 The littlest Samba
 International Style Samba performed by Christian Perry and Aleksandra Gisher
 Arabic Dance from the Nutcracker - Larry Crabtree, Keiko Akiyama, Yuko Kobayashi, Yoko Kimura
 African dance - Yuki Tenma, Kayo Higuchi, Kazuho Nozaki, Megumi Nakashouji, Kimi Aoki
 Tango - Michael and Yuka Lepore, Christian Perry, Miyuki Sakurai
 Taiko drum and Tap dance - Yako Miyamoto, Emi Namimatsu, Hana Ogata (Taiko Drummers Drumming)
 Taiko Drummers Tapping
 This picture may be a little dim, but the dancers lit up the stage
 China - from the Nutcracker - Rio Otsudo, Natsuko Takashima
 China - from the Nutcracker - Hikaru Futami, Yukiho Iwase, Yuki Komatsu
 Paso Doble - Christian Perry, Aleksandra Gisher
 Flamenco - Kumi Kuwahata, accompanied by Arturo Martinez and Atsuko Kino
 Flamenco with dramatic lighting
 Andrij Cybyk of the Anglo-American Ballet performs a Russian number from the Nutcracker with support from many young dancers
 Hip Hop - Noritaka Maeda, Tomomo Arai, Kentaro Takahashi
 Hollywood Style Swing (Lindy) - Christian Perry, Miyuki Sakurai
 Dancers often carry each other - in this case, literally.
 Tap - Yumiko Moriyama, Kayo Higuchi, Emiko Sadakata, Kumiko Arai
 The grand finale
 Ta Da!
 Flowers for everyone!
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