ERIKA SUGANUMA

Participation from April to May 2017

Erika Suganuma is a pole dancer from Kyoto. She uses a combination of several different dance styles and acrobatics in her routines and turns this into an art performance with Japanese elements. In 2014 she won the Korean International Championship. Furthermore, she is a registerd artist of Cirque Du Soleil.

Visual art and performing art Collaboration
Erika stayed at the house of two artists Regula Muller and Moritz Ebinger. An interesting relationship grew between them and Erika and they collaborated on several projects.

“I was very lucky that I was able to stay at Regula Maria Muller and Moritz Ebinger’s house. It was nice that I was able to see their ateliers and observe their work and process. Regula taught me how to make bead accessories and we spent the whole day working together at her atelier. At an exhibition of Regula, I danced while wearing artwork made by her. Moritz made me two paintings. I used them and performed with his works in a photoshoot. It was very interesting that they knew what they were interested in and how this inspired their works.

Dutch and Japanese techniques
Erika was interested in the Dutch Pole dance style and wanted to exchange techniques and styles. She therefore visited several pole dance studios in Amsterdam and gained new experiences. She gave performed at Sexyland. And she also held a workshop and performance in the courtyard of the Artists Community Wittenburcht in Amsterdam.

“It was interesting that Hannie and other people who do not usually pole dance, got to experience pole dancing. It was a feeling of playing on common ground. I realized that even if I don’t understand the words, I can communicate through physical expression.”

After the project participation
“Regula and Moritz are artists who make things, I am a performer who uses their artistic works, I think this relationship is very interesting and I am continuing to collaborate with Japanese artist after returning home. Last January I collaborated with a Japanese sculptor and exhibited at the gallery of Kyoto City Arts University for one month. In the future, I will continue this experiment of co-production and plan to present it.

By joining and practicing among Dutch pole dancers, my own pole dance style became clearer. I was able to discover my quality. I was able to gain confidence in my own style. Like the difference between the oil paintings of the West and the touch of the brush of Japanese ink painting, I replaced it with pole dance and applied it.”

“Erika is very lively, cheerful and curious. She is a real dancer, a performer.’

 – Regula Muller, textile artist