NOA MATSUZAKI
I am a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. I graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho with a Bachelor of arts degree with an emphasis in dance. I began my dance training in classical ballet as a child and continued learning other forms and genres of dance in Wyoming where I received an associate degree and then went on to continue my education and development as a dancer at BYUI. Furthering my education, I enjoy teaching a wide range of ages and has coaching experience for ages 2 to 18, and I have been trained to teach ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, and contemporary.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Making art has great aspects. There are thousands of ways to create art and there is no wrong or right. Dance is where I can be myself and express my feelings. When I make art, it always has meaning. My choreographing process for dance always includes the idea of what kind of message I want to deliver to the audience and dancers. I would say my work is therapeutic. It can be therapy for myself and others. In my work, there is something I get inspired by to start off making dance most of the time. At the beginning of the process, I get ideas from true events, books, problems in modern society, etc. I intend my creative works to be a way for people to feel empathy, comfort, and release. That is what I like about the dance, and I hope work to be the way for us to connect with hearts.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
As a teacher, I would like to create a classroom where students are motivated to learn and become better instead of feeling forced to work hard. I achieve that by giving clear feedback, creating an open-question environment, and creating strong relationships with students., I hope students can genially enjoy dancing, enjoy the process of practice, and feel safe to say opinions or decide not to. I want students to have autonomy in their learning process.
