Chio Yamada
Chio Yamada’s, born and raised in Japan, dance journey started when she joined a baton twirling team when she was in high school which is like a rhythmic gymnastic. She started basic training in jazz technique and street groove. Then she started going to college in Japan and majoring in English. Chio started to take actual dance classes at a studio when she was 18, to take a real dance class.
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Dance has impacted Chio’s persona, lifestyle, and career by making her more outgoing, positive, and happy. Some lessons she learned from taking dance classes and teaching are to be patient because everybody is different. To do your best, treat, and teach others as you wanted to be treated and taught.
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Chio finished all her schooling throughout college in Japan and came to New York and got a student visa at Alvin Ailey, I studied there for about 1 year. That experience alone was tough because the program was really strict and her technique wasn’t as strong, but it made her a much stronger dancer.
Being the successful dancer that she is, some experiences that have been the most memorable for her where when she danced for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets (now it’s Brooklyn Nets) dance team. This was her first job as a dancer in the U.S. and also helped her to get a working visa, the O-1 visa an artist visa, to stay and work in the U.S.
She got all the opportunities from all the teachers she’s met including her first-ever audition for the Nets and didn’t expect at all that she was going to get it.
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When creating choreography, a lot of Chio’s inspiration comes from the musical artist she admires. Being a big fan of Janet Jackson, her music and performance inspire Chio a lot along with Britney Spears from her music, choreography and dance performances.
Chio’s favorite part about teaching dance is being able to meet and get inspired by so many dancers from all around the world. Another opportunity that comes from dancing is her being able to travel all around the world to teach what she loves to do.​
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Since she has been teaching, Chio’s favorite performances are when Broadway Dance Center holds a student showcase; every year is very special to her. This is because she gets to know the dancers better and it becomes a crew that works hard together, laugh together, and inspire one another. It is such a reward for her to watch all her dancers shine also see her work come to life on the stage.​
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has taken full effect, Chio’s has been impacted big time just like everyone else. However, thanks to technology, Chio now gets to stay connected and teach virtually online. This allows her to stay productive by putting up some dance tutorials and teach online.
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Having an impact on the dance community is something Chio does continuously by being able to share her knowledge and experiences with her students who have the same worries and problems that she has had in the past.
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Chio believes that all the teachers whose classes she has taken are like a mentor. She has learned so much from so many teachers. However, there are two teachers who impacted her dance life the most. One is her first-ever dance teacher in Japan was the one who introduced her to dance in New York and also taught Chio how to teach. Chio also got her first teaching job at the gym her teacher taught in Japan. ​
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The second was former Broadway Dance Center teacher, Bev, she gave Chio an opportunity to assist her in her classes as well as let Chio sub her classes. That opportunity had led Chio to her first own class at BDC. Chio just tries to pass along her knowledge to whoever comes to her for any advice. She teaches in a way that she hopes will inspire dancers to grow inside and outside the dance community.​
Chio believes that the dance community as a whole has an impact on society and communities. She thinks it brings joy and happiness to society. Chio has many students who have a regular job and hear that a lot of them have danced to help them to keep going with everyday life. Dance can also inspire people just by watching a performance.
Some goals Chio has to continue to reach the dance community are to simply continue living her dream of making a living with dance in New York. She still enjoys her career in dance very much by teaching every day and hoping that she gets to keep this for a little longer.​
Right now, because of this pandemic, Chio is teaching a little bit online via Instagram live as well as sending her tutorial to BDC to share on Instagram. She just wants to stay connected with the dancers and give some time for them to have fun and forget about the stress just for that moment. A goal of Chio is to have more places to teach. She enjoys teaching very much and wants to continue working hard and does her best to keep giving the best classes she can to students.
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