Tapas Das in Blogs

“Cabaret” Dancer Ida Saki on Staying Present During Each Role

When it comes to her dance career, Ida Saki lets intuition lead the way. “I try to follow whatever I’m interested in at the present moment,” she says. “Every job opportunity has opened up another door for me and shifted my career in ways I never could have imagined.” Originally from Dallas, Saki, a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, began her professional career with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in 2011, and has performed as Lady Macbeth in Sleep No More, on Broadway in Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’, and in music videos for Coldplay and Lola Kirke. She’s currently a “Prologue Dancer” and the dance captain of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson Theatre.

Saki is an immensely present performer, with an electric movement quality that radiates both ease and complexity. And as she continues to navigate each new chapter of her career, she is committed to trusting the process: “I remind myself that what is for me will not pass me,” Saki says. “Always wondering ‘What’s next?’ was an amazing vehicle to get me to where I am, but now I just want to enjoy the ride.”

Ida Saki. Photo by Emma Zordan.

A Constant Refresh

“I love the constant stimulation of newness and readjustment that comes with a freelance career. My whole lifestyle shifts with each new job, from the music I listen to to the way I take care of my body. I always find out something new about myself, from how I relate to other people to how I approach dance.”

No Two Alike

“What I love about my role in Cabaret is that, as a performer, I receive instantaneous feedback from the audience—they often react back, whether it’s with laughter, a smile, or a wave. All the jobs I’ve said yes to in my career provide differentiation between each performance. Every single show is always fresh and new.”

Taking It as It Comes

“Once I was able to let go of everyone else’s perceptions of me, I found myself. I continue to trust the path and follow what’s in front of me without putting too much pressure on the future, which has been a big relief.”

The post “Cabaret” Dancer Ida Saki on Staying Present During Each Role appeared first on Dance Spirit.

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Tapas Das: Tapas Das, a young entrepreneur of our times started TWIST N TURNS in 2005. A person who is kind, generous, creative and down to earth wanted to start his own one of a kind dance academy. According to him, Dance is a language of movements that involves space, time and the human body. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, the cultural hub of India. Being appreciated in the field of dance all his life, he is extremely talented. He has been dancing since the age of four. Once he finished his high school, he learned jazz/modern and contemporary dance. His horizons were broadened even more when he started dancing Bollywood with Beat Busters for 4 years, which then was the most upcoming dance crew in Kolkata. After that exposure, he studied how to be a dance teacher, which later started helping him impart his knowledge about dance. Thus, in 2005, with the help of family and friends, he started TWIST N TURNS. Starting with a mere number of 40 students, today TWIST N TURNS currently has over 500 students. Over the time Tapas has taught and performed all over the country. He has performed in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jhansi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur etc. He has been an active participant in the Salsa India Congress in the cities of Bangalore and Bombay, and he has also visited various International Salsa Congresses in Europe, namely in Berlin ,Singapore, Hong Kong,Dubai. He is been also trained recently at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Alvin Alley (New York) and Steps on Broadway (New York). He is not only a dancer or teacher. He is a successful choreographer and has coordinated various shows without difficulty in our country. His leadership skills are exceptional, thus he is where he stands today. His aim in life would be to become a dance educator. He wants to share his tremendous knowledge in the right way to the right people. He is also, simultaneously running other brands like Zumba Kolkata, Bollywood Studio ArtistWala.com and India International Dance Institute.