Life & Work with Chisato Iimori

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chisato Iimori.

Hi Chisato, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Japan. I started dancing when I was four. My mom took me to a dance studio in Tokyo because I was chubby back then. Haha Since then I had trained in Jazz until the age of 16. At the age of 12, I won the first prize at the JDA (Jazz Dance Alliance) contest. I love making people happy by my dancing, so the majority of my childhood was spent in a studio. At 16, I went to LA by myself to practice dancing and to broaden my perspective. The overall level of the class was very high, which left me inspired. Saying that I am grateful to my parents for letting me into the dance industry and allowing me to challenge myself in new environments. However, at the age of 17, I decided to quit dancing in order to focus on studying to get a stable job in the future. I just wasn’t confident enough. Yet, there was always a desire in my head to be a professional dancer. Although I decided to dedicate myself to studying, I encountered street dance such as Hip Hop through a dance team at my university in my late teens, and I started dancing again just for fun.

The turning point for me was when I began to study abroad at the age of 20. At that time, I had my first experience with living alone while also not dancing for one year, which never happened since I was 4. That was a tough time. Although I quit dancing once, that period made me realize how much I love dancing and how much I couldn’t live without it because dance was part of me. After I went back home during the time of job-hunting, one person who interviewed me gave me the advice to do what I want to do right now, not later just because of my career. Even though I had some jobs that I applied for, I switched to starting a dance career as a professional and decided to try myself again in LA.

For my dance career, I took my first big audition in 2018 before going to LA, and fortunately I passed it. So, I worked with Ayumi Hamasaki, who is one of the most famous artists in Japan. I have also done some jobs so far; assistant choreographer for Lee Hong Gi’s Japan solo tour, a dancer for Kumi Koda and some commercials/ music videos.
People in LA changed me a lot – not only as a dancer but also as a human. During that time I trained with Cameron Lee, Antoine Troupe, Kiira Harper, Boyboi and other amazing choreographers. They gave me the opportunity to train many different styles. Also, not only choreographers but my friends made me explore my creativity, musicality and body movement. They motivated me a lot even during the pandemic. I would not be who I am today if I didn’t meet them. Every single person and moment improved me and let me explore who I really am.

Now, I’m trying to choreograph more and perform more on a stage. One of my goals is to work with Beyoncé because she is the reason why I got passionate about stage performance and dance. I love music and dancing. My goal for life is to inspire people and have an impact on other people’s lives in a good way. I want to help and encourage people through my performance.

I’m so grateful for everything that I went through and I feel that nothing was in vain. I’m excited for my next chapter that I’m going to create.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey has not been easy. I disciplined myself and worked hard. Though I started dancing Jazz when I was a little, I entered this industry and started dancing Hip Hop when I was 19 years old. So, I feel like I didn’t have any connections nor skills. I practiced a lot, took many dance classes, and went to the gym to gain stamina to overcome those struggles. I just kept going and believed in myself because I knew that every decision that I made makes me who I am today. On the other hand, I sometimes struggle mentally too. Yet, I believe everything- both good and bad- happens for a reason. Every struggle I conquer makes me a stronger and better version of myself, and I always tell myself there are only challenges that can be overcome.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a dancer and choreographer in the music industry. I do perform on the stage, appear in music videos and commercials, choreograph and teach. I don’t usually label my dance style to keep myself out of bounds and I avoid restricting myself to a singular, typical style. If I had to label it, I would label it as something between Hip Hop and Jazz Funk. In Japan, I’m especially known as a Heels dancer, as I dance Hip Hop wearing Heels. I train in any type of style, so I love to combine many styles in one choreography, which I think is my unique point. I think my difference from others is the way I approach music in terms of dancing and choreographing. I really care about layers such as sounds, beats and lyrics. So, I dance focusing on music and facial expression when I perform. When choreographing, I aim to make the songs visible by my choreography because for me, dance is not the only step but also a way of expressing music and feelings.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Though many bad things happened in my life, I think being able to be who I am today is a result of good luck. When I was 19 years old, I studied hard and took university entrance examinations. Yet, I failed most of them, and I passed just one which I wasn’t planning to go to at all, which left me in shock. So, I promised myself to do everything that I wanted to do to make the next four years great with the aim of graduating without regrets. Thanks to that, I had many experiences during that time and I was able to study abroad, which made me decide to become a professional dancer. If I had passed the examinations, I wouldn’t be a dancer today. Also, a few years ago, I took auditions which I didn’t pass in the last call. It made me feel depressed at that time. However, I got a chance to have another, better job and take another audition which was supposed to happen on the same day. So, I’m not a lucky person but bad luck always turns out well in the end.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chi_pote27/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3RD5rAMDUJ5q_T80FSW47A

Image Credits
Mimee Alissa Rose Borough Nick Yamashita Ayesha