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Sabrina M. Imamura is a dancer and actress based between NYC and LA – but you might have seen her recently in the North American tour of “Hamilton”! Imamura got her start dancing in ballet classes at 3 years old, later receiving a classical piano education. She later got her BFA from the University of Michigan, and made the move to New York, where she welcomed all kinds of new performance opportunities – including musical theatre. Now, her resume includes“Hamilton,” as well as an ad for Swarovski with Ariana Grande, commercial for Shiseido, and doubling work on “The After Party” Season 2! Her advice to young artists? “You should always be your authentic self and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.” Read on to learn more about Sabrina M. Imamura and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Name: Sabrina M. Imamura
Heritage: Japanese and Polish
Hometown: Plymouth, Michigan
Current City: Bicoastal between New York City and Los Angeles
Current project: I just closed the Philip Tour with “Hamilton”!
What are some of your favorite credits/projects:
“Hamilton” is definitely one of my favorite accomplishments. A few other projects that I had a blast working on are a commercial for Swarovski with Ariana Grande, a worldwide commercial with Shiseido, and dancing/dance doubling on “The After Party” Season 2!
Any advice for young people getting into the arts?
My best advice for anyone seeking a career in the arts is that you should always be your authentic self and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. I also think it's important to be able to say “no” in this industry, whether it be a job spreading you too thin, a toxic work environment or something that just doesn’t feed you artistically.
How did you get your start?
My mom put me in ballet classes when I was 3 years old. She had always wanted to dance and never took classes, so she put me and my sister in them. I always loved dancing and spent most of my childhood and high school years at May dance studio training and having the time of my life. I eventually went to college for dance and received my BFA from the University of Michigan. Once I left school, I knew I HAD to be in NYC. I spent most of my early years working with several small contemporary ballet companies, working odd jobs and modeling on the side. I even bartended for a while. I eventually joined a dance agency (shout out to my agents at MSA because they’re the best!). They asked about my interest in musical theatre, and I was a young and hungry artist so I was obviously open to any and all opportunities — even though I didn’t know how to sing. I auditioned here and there for off-Broadway, Broadway, and regional theatre, but it never panned out. Even when I got my first audition for “Hamilton”, I thought I most definitely wouldn’t book it, but I went just to have fun.Surprisingly, I got a callback and then an additional callback the next day, which ended up being almost a 12-hour day of auditioning. A month later my agent called and told me I had booked the 1st National Tour with “Hamilton”! I was shocked, emotional, and just so grateful that I had been given this opportunity. Since then, I have performed in virtually every North American Company of “Hamilton” in multiple roles as ensemble, swing and a Peggy/Maria understudy. It has been an absolute wild ride and I am extremely lucky to have had such an amazing adventure so far.
Do you have any favorite moments in your career that you'd like to share?
The moment I booked “Hamilton” is definitely one of those moments I will never forget. I was in NYC moving into my new apartment with my parents right before Thanksgiving. I had missed a call from my agent, so I immediately called her back and she asked what I was doing. When she found out I was with my parents she asked me to put her on speaker phone and she told me I had booked the show! It was honestly such a surreal moment.
Another of my favorite moments was when my agent called me to tell me I had booked “Hamilton” on Broadway. I remember exactly where I was — I had just gotten out of a rehearsal with one of the ballet companies I was with and I was heading to the subway. My agent called and told me they had tapped me to be on Broadway to cover a leave of absence.
Aside from the many magical “Hamilton” moments, I think one of my other favorites were getting to dance double for“The After Party” Season 2, and getting to dance with Jon Cho, who is just such a humble, hardworking, talented individual.
Another great moment was when I got to work on a VS Pink commercial, but then I pulled my hamstring, and the next day I had a commercial shoot with Timberland. I just remember telling them I could only do certain movements on one side. The footage and final product we got from both of those projects turned out so incredible, and they’re still in my commercial reels to this day.
Another extremely favorite moment in my career was being the lead in one of the numbers for “Broadway Bares” (a yearly performance the BCEFA puts on to raise money for AIDS/HIV). Iwas the singular female in the number which felt so wild for me. It was a piece about a Geisha,so it felt really personal for me being a Japanese woman. The whole piece was about how herhome was burning down and feeling helpless, but instead of being weak, she turns into a warrior and saves herself and her home. It was such a powerful piece for me to perform and it was also just such a FIERCE number to watch back!
What have you found is the biggest challenge in your career?
I honestly feel like one challenge that I struggle with a lot is maintaining my confidence in this industry. It can definitely throw you for a loop and you can go from the highest of highs, to the lowest low. I think as artists we tie our art to who we are as people, and sometimes those lines can get blurred where we think our worth as a human is our art. So it's definitely a process to make sure I separate the two, and not let it affect my confidence. It's something I have to continuously work on to make sure my mental/emotional health is at its peak, and I can continue doing what I do in this industry.
What are some interesting facts about yourself?
I am a classically trained pianist. I started playing when I was 7 because my mom was a pianist. She put my sister and I in classes at a very young age. I also taught myself how to play guitar about 7 years ago because I was always interested in the instrument. I was gifted a hand-me-down Fender from my brother-in-law and just went for it. Also, as stated above, I had absolutely no vocal training before I got into musical theatre. Everything that I know and implement as a vocalist was either self-taught or taught from my colleagues in “Hamilton” — for any dancer who may be questioning whether they can step into musical theatre without vocal training… if I can do it, you can! I also love video games and tennis.
Did you always want to be in the arts or did you have another path before you got here?
I think I came from a very artistic family and I’ve always loved the arts. As a kid, I not only danced and played piano, but I took drawing classes, learned calligraphy, tried to teach myself violin, etc. Like every young child I had a typical dream of being a veterinarian because I love animals, but that was never an actual career goal. Once I got a little older, I realized that I didn’t know what I would be doing if I wasn’t dancing and that’s when I knew that was the career I wanted for myself.
When did you know you wanted to have a career in the arts?
I was a bit more of a late bloomer on this realization I would say. Around my sophomore/junior year of high school when I had to start thinking about applying to colleges, there just wasn’t anything I was interested in aside from dance, so that’s when I knew. I only applied to schools where I would get both a great dance and academic education.
Is where you are now where you thought you’d be?
Most definitely not. I had no idea I would get into musical theatre. My dreams in dance initially were to perform with companies like Joffrey, Cedar Lake, or Complexions. It was an unintentional pivot, but I’m also so grateful for where I am now and my continued journey.
Did you have any interesting “odd jobs” you worked at between gigs to pay the bills?
Absolutely! I think we, as artists, all have odd jobs. I used to work for a company called OneFineStay where I was a “greeter”. I was essentially responsible for welcoming guests into amazing homes in NYC where they were staying for vacation. I would go through the home rules and set them up with a phone provided by the company. It was like an upscale Airbnb. I also used to shoe model. You would think as a dancer my feet were not suitable, but surprisingly my feet are pretty unscathed from dancing and I have a sample shoe size.
Do you have any side projects you’d like to highlight?
I recently worked on an independent short film with a “Hamilton” colleague. I’m not sure I’m allowed to say what it is yet, because they are still working on editing – but I am super proud of the work we did, and I will most likely post updates on my socials when everything starts to come together!
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
I think the most simple thing — love yourself more and be confident in who you are and what you have to offer.
Where did you study at?
Before college I studied at Bunny’s School of Dance in Livonia as well as attending programs with Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theater. I went to college at the University of Michigan and left with a BFA in dance and art history.
What are some goals you hope to achieve?
One of my biggest goals at the moment is trying to break out into TV/film. But aside from thatI’ve always wanted to write a book and one day create my own fashion line. I’ve always been in love with fashion and that’s probably the industry I’d be in if I weren’t in the arts.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love the community of people that I get to surround myself with and I love how what we do inspires other people. Sometimes what we do, at least on a smaller scale, can feel like a whisper into the void, but when even just one person is changed or inspired by what we do… that’s what it's all for.
What do you think is the hardest thing about being a dancer?
The hardest thing for me is being kind to my body. There is a very old mindset in dance that you are supposed to “dance through the pain” and a lot of times I think I push my body too hard. It’s really important to take those breaks when you need them and most importantly to know that it isokay to take those breaks and rest times. Also… remember to stretch. I am very bad at doing that.
How do you deal with performance anxiety?
Oof, that is a loaded question. I actually think that people who experience anxiety in the entertainment industry don’t talk about it enough. I have chronic anxiety and I’ve done a lot of work over the past few years to be in a good place with my anxiety. There was a point in my career where I was suffering from anxiety attacks every night while I was onstage. It was miserable and I felt like half of a person. The worst part was that I felt alone and that no one else was experiencing what I was going through, so I kept it inside. When I finally started opening up to other performers about it is when I started to feel slightly better because I discovered that a lot of us go through it. It was still a long road ahead after that turning point, but I did a lot of work through therapy and eventually going on anti- anxiety medication to get through what I was experiencing. Now balancing my anxiety feels much more manageable, but it felt like I had to do a lot of mental gymnastics to get there. One thing that has helped me is telling myself that I will not sacrifice my peace for a job — but this applies to anything in my life. My peace and mental health is most important, and I will always prioritize that.
What do you think is the greatest asset a dancer can have?
Courage, confidence and persistence. We put ourselves out there everyday and we get told “no” constantly. Dancers need to have the courage, confidence and persistence to keep going even when the industry can tear us down. What matters most is being your authentic self as an artist and it takes a lot of courage to do that.
Since so many of us spent a lot of time isolated during the pandemic, how has that experience specifically changed your creative or preparation process or your outlook on life?
I think what changed the most after the pandemic was knowing that taking breaks is very necessary and important for my well being. The pandemic allowed me to slow down in this fast paced life and to also realize that that is OK. To continue to be the artist that I want to be, I need to keep my mental/emotional health in tip top shape and that means taking personal days when I need them, taking mental health days when I need them and taking a vacation if I need to unplug.
If you are a choreographer, how do you go about putting together a dance piece? What inspires you?
I get really inspired by other artists’ work. If I feel creatively in a slump and I come across someone’s new choreographic work or project they’re working on, it inspires me to get up and get out and create. The arts are really there to lift people up and to be an outlet to express all of our feelings, emotions and viewpoints as humans. That is why I love the arts so much.
To find out more on Sabrina M. Imamura, please visit her at:
Instagram: @sabrinamik
TikTok: @sabrinamiko_
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