Until 1 June theatremakers, actors, artists and dancers are forced to sit at home. As part of the official measures aimed at keeping the spread of the coronavirus under control, exhibitions are off and performances have been cancelled. What do these measures mean for Piket Art Prizes’ young artists? Part 6: Aya Misaki.
The corona measures have also had their impact on Aya Misaki, a 2019 nominee in the Dance category. “I had been engaged to teach in Germany, in Neurenberg, but this has been cancelled. And several planned workshops won’t take place either. I briefly considered going back to Japan, but my parents said it would be better for me to remain here – because I would come from Europe, I would probably be unable to make a lot of appointments. And besides, I didn’t want to run any risks because of airport contacts. So I stayed.”
Despite everything, Aya tries to keep moving. She dances at home and seizes every opportunity to go jogging. “The weather’s perfect! It would have been dreadful if it had been raining all the time. I try not to have too many people around me, I wouldn’t want anyone to fall ill. My boyfriend is a musician and he’s trying to teach via YouTube. So I help him, editing his videos and things. And I bought a sewing machine! We try to keep ourselves busy,” Aya says.
“I had planned to go to Montreal this summer to work on NDT pieces with dance students during a summer course, but I’m not yet sure if the course will take place,” Aya explains. In 2021 she hopes to be going to Germany to work as an assistant choreographer.
Photo: Hessel Waalewijn
