Japanese dancer is Australian made

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Being able to earn a living through dance, and the laid-back lifestyle of her adopted country, were among the qualities that first attracted Wakako Asano to Australia. Years on, she continues to reach out to people around the world through the power of dance.
It was the opportunity to perform as an extra with the Sydney Dance Company in 1990 that launched Asano's career as an Australian dancer. Then a student of The Australian Ballet School, Asano's performance led to a formal invitation to join the Sydney troupe.
"In Australia, it is possible for dancers to solely earn a living by dancing, which was something that could not be done in Japan at that time, so I decided to stay and pursue my career," she says.

Asano was scouted by former director Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon of the Sydney Dance Company, where she performed for 17 years, appearing in more than 20 of Murphy's productions.
"I am very grateful to the Sydney Dance Company and Graeme Murphy for giving me the chance to pursue my passion in dance," she says. "It was an honour working with him and being a part of his spectacular productions and I look forward to working with him in the future. I now also have a deep fondness of nature as well as an appreciation for the laid-back lifestyle of Australia".

Asano says long hours of rehearsals for overseas tours of 10 weeks or more was hard work, but the excitement of jetting off to locations like Mexico, Italy and New York, and the close bond formed between dancers gave her memories she will always treasure. Now a choreographer, Asano is undertaking many projects such as her original production, In Repose.
"Rather than dance in productions that were provided for me, I wanted to perform in something that I created," she says. "Reaching out to people through dance by expressing nature, life and emotion is fascinating."