Nice to meet you, Steemit!

Hi Steemians!

very nice to meet you all!

I am Manaho Shimokawa. A dancer, model and director based in Vienna / Austria.

Vienna | Katharina Boenig

I'd love to share my life as a traveler, exploring the world with my profession. Since my job let me explore the diverse of countries and culture, I became so obsessed by curiousity. Constantly hungry to learn the difference and unknown field I have never stepped into.

Today, please let me talk about little story about me as a dancer.

When I dance, I discover myself in the most honest stand. I sometimes wonder if I am honest enough in social life. We all "act" with masks in some certain situations. But once when I am on stage, I am naked. When I move my finger 1cm, all eyes are on that point. The tense of the atmosphere, concentration, I start to hear my breath.. I live in every moment.

Isn't it difficult to find such moment in routine life?

Austria | Fleisch Magazine | Mark glassner

If I may describe in that way.. It's very similar feeling like when you are making love. There, you are indeed naked (most of the times) and honest. You can't hide anything.

Vienna | Odeon Theater | Elizabeth Gatterburg

Since I was able to crawl, I loved moving my body.

When I was 5 years old, I saw my friend dancing like a fairy. I remember I said, "Mom, I wanna wear that tutus!". It was probably the only reason why I wanted to dance. I learned Classic Ballet for 12 years and decided to go to Europe to study classic ballet. Since the condition of being a professional ballet dancer in Japan wasn't established 15 years ago, I thought I shouldn't keep on dreaming in Japan, but in Europe. Where the actual history of ballet started. It was very "risky" choice because I had to give up graduating high school. I worried a bit about my future, which probably not stable at all. Since Japan itself love and does push kids to go for "stable life", it was a "way too couraged" choice that no one really could understand why I am going for it. But same time I was too young and fool not to be scared to choose that way, which I have never regretted the choice I've made until today.

I went to Europe when I was 17 years old.

After 10 months of learning ballet in Germany, guess what? I shifted to learn contemporary dance. I was caught by the attraction of the opposite of classic ballet. Dancing with bare feet not toe shoes, lose clothes not tight corset, dancing towards to ground not to the heaven... Everything was new for me. I was obsessed by curiousity learning the movement I have never done in my life. My body was thirsty and hungry to feel the joy of new way of expressing myself. I wasn't someone else on the stage like a princess in the story, but myself on the stage.

Dancing is always developing.

It's able to mix the styles, which cause tons of variations of the chemistry of different genres. Nowadays it's very difficult to define once's dance style. I really can't describe my dance style. Among classic ballet, contemporary dance, Japanese Traditional dance, and little taste of flamenco, breakdance, popping, and jazz. So let me call myself, chameleon performer.

Thank you so much for reading.
Let's inspire eachother!

All the love,
Mana

.................................................
Manaho Shimokawa 下川 愛帆

manadance.com

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Linz | Zoe M. Riess