Every Second Counts

On Saturday the 21st of February, choreographer Yuiko Masukawa will present the world premiere of her piece, This Moment, at Ballet Under the Stars in Horsham. Created on The Australian Ballet dancers Henry Berlin, Jeremy Hargreaves, Amy Ronnfeldt and Alexandra Walton, Yuiko has developed a work that seamlessly integrates classical technique with contemporary dynamics. 

We last worked with Yuiko during the 2024 Bodytorque season, where she presented Standing on a Rising Wave, a piece that delighted audiences and astounded critics. Reviewers praised Standing on a Rising Wave for its “pure classism", comparing the emerging choreographer to ballet icons William Forsythe and George Balanchine. When asked about being likened to two titans of the dance industry, Yuiko says, “Oh my God, I cried when I read that. I grew up watching their work, being inspired by their work, and it was just such an incredible moment." 

Yuiko has trained and worked all over the world, which can account for her distinctive style that infuses the American razzle-dazzle stylings of Jerome Robbins with the more structured, careful movement from her Japanese training. 

A former Principal Artist with Melbourne City Ballet, Yuiko began choreographing while still performing for the company. When the opportunity arose to create something new after another creative had to drop out, Yuiko says, “I really wasn’t thinking much. I just made it." 

Instantly hooked, Yuiko was shocked to discover she loved this new way of communicating with the audience. “At first, I thought I would never choreograph, but then I tried and realised, 'I like this more than dancing; this is crazy.'" For Yuiko, it was a new way to express herself after years of performing. "Before I was communicating through my dancing, but I realised by choreographing I could continue to communicate with audiences, and I really liked that.”  

In 2023, Yuiko won the Telstra Emerging Choreographer for the digital work, 3, and has since gone on to work with world-renowned companies and creatives, including Lucy Guerin Inc., Arts House, Dancehouse, Trisha Brown Company under choreographer Lee Serle, New York City Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet.  

Creating a brand-new work to be performed as part of both Ballet Under the Stars in Horsham and also at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in Signature Works is “the realisation of a lifelong dream. Says Yuiko, “Being part of this program, alongside choreographers whose work I have admired for so many years, makes the experience even more meaningful. Because this opportunity holds such significance for me, I felt a strong desire to truly treasure the experience and to be fully present in every moment of the process."

This impulse eventually became the concept of the work itself, and involving the entire creative team was a pivotal aspect. “I wanted to get to know the dancers really well,” says Yuiko. “Dancers are experts at being present. On stage, we listen deeply to our own bodies, to one another, and to the space around us. I wanted to bring that same quality of presence into the rehearsal room. By being fully present with my four dancers, I’ve been able to connect with them closely and discover their individual artistic voices. In many ways, this work is a celebration of them. My hope is that the audience will feel that same sense of connection and, for a moment, simply be there with us.”