Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Pizzi.
Hi Sara, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’m a performing contemporary conceptual artist, which includes also being a choreographer, dancer, and teacher. I started my career in my teen years with urban/commercial dance, being part of a dance agency that allowed me to perform for national events, competitions, tv shows, and advertisements commercials. My life completely shifted after I moved from Italy to NYC. My education has become primarily based on ballet and 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 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 after-school programs, dance captain of The Next Stage Project & Light Painting NYC, dance member of Six Degrees dance company, and guest artists/choreographer/dancer to more than 60 events/organizations based in the 5 boroughs of NYC. Also, I’m educator for Woodside on The Move adult and youth pre-school program and facilitator for MUSICAMENTE dance classes for individual with autism. In my free time, I like experimenting in front of the camera, collaborating with some NYC and NJ-based photographers as model and dance model, or being the camera being photographer/videographer assistant of BECCAVISION.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The struggles I’m facing right now as independent artists living in New York are the lack of time, the highest risk of burnout from work, and losing your goals. Time becomes a slippery object that you barely can hold on to, keeping slipping to the fingertips. Being a freelancer pushes you to be able to work every day and every time, and managing the time in an efficient way must be in york skills if you don’t want to lose your social life. Feeling you are doing too much at the same time feeling you are not doing enough is one of the most concrete and struggling feelings I have (and I’m sure I’m not the only one). Learning to say no to opportunities and focus yourself in defining what is helpful, satisfying, and productive for the success of your career is one of the biggest struggles all the artists like me suffer in this city. The increase of the importance of presence into the social media is not helpful too, pushing everyone to compare themselves with other individuals, losing track if you are doing what your heart is telling you to do, or because you are inside the copy mechanism of becoming someone that you are not just because that looks like happiness? Having a daily reminder of who you are, what you what, and doing only what: will help you to proceed your career, pays you rent, and makes you happy is a lifesaving tip that will allow yourself to decrease your daily struggle and have more time with your beloved ones.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
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. What sets me apart from others, I believe, is the themes my work underlines and the intention behind it. Breaking these two concepts down, the themes my dance represents does not start from a personal story or from my singular experience, which rose a specific personal emotion, but are topical aspects within which everyone can resonate with. So, my work speaks for/to/about people in order to be able to spark the imagination and inspire every individual, no matter about status, language, or experience. Regarding the intention: I’m using my technique to tell a story; I’m not using a story to show off my technique. I’m dancing for others, not for myself. My dance is an action of love, dance as social action. And I’m proud that in the last couple of years, this message was well derived, being able to perform all over NYC receding appreciation and growth back, being able to produce performances and classes which gave a huge benefit to our community starting to create a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
One of my biggest takeaways was because of the Covid-19 Crisis. Seeing my life scrambled, all calendar erased for months, everything I had disappeared in a few days, solidified my skill of recreate yourself. Losing everything is scary, but I’ve learned that it was a huge opportunity to reinvent myself. Nobody was going to give me an opportunity to dance, so I created my movement collective. I took time to dig into my creative practice and identity, solidifying my mission and future career. Having that time was really precious and fundamental to define the person I become, and personally, I don’t know who I would be right now if Covid-19 never happened. But because it happened, now I’m dancing for four dance companies; I’ve my own dance company, I’ve performed more than 60 times in NYC in the last year, I’m having videographic and photographic experience, I’m teaching artist, and I’ve inspired so many people with my art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sarapizzi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_sarapizzi_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sara.pizzi.7
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraPizzi3
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrojXl1b6CortTwOIyKIvCA
- Yelp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-pizzi-a514281a6/
Image Credits
BECCAVISION
Conrad Turner
Mark Harris
