We had the good fortune of connecting with Natsuki Miya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natsuki, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
I think that dance, activities, traveling, art, fashion, nature, the ocean, music and “things” like these simply make me happy. It is true, there are things that make me happier, but I realized I’ve never really asked myself and dug down enough to the core to find the source of my happiness until this pandemic and lock down hit L.A. I consider myself a very happy person. I smile, I laugh. I seek love and positivity. People who know me know how consistent I am on that part. Since the lock down began, it has been a blessing for me to be forced to have this much time that I’ve never really had for myself. During this tough time for all of us, I wanted to remain happy and positive even with these limitations. This awakening and answer might be from an artistic point of view, but that is who I am. I started realizing that everything starts within you. Your heart. To know who you really are. Accept it and stay true to yourself. When you get to know about yourself, good or bad of course, then you get comfortable with being yourself. To truly know myself can lead to me loving myself to the core. To love myself can lead to me loving someone else. To accept who I am can lead to growth and a change. To work hard for what I believe in can bring a gain in confidence. Confidence can lead to having more acceptance of the good and the bad. This turns into more growth and helps keep me evolving. This positive energy flow in me is the ultimate source of happiness. I believe that true happiness starts within the heart. To love who I truly am. This requires constant effort but it all starts from here.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, I came to USA when I was 18 years old. Growing up as tomboy, I loved expressing myself through many forms of art. I cannot be more thankful for my parents who fully supported and allowed me to be as curious as I was and never stopped me from trying new things. From all the things I tried since I was little, what shaped my artistry today were piano, calligraphy, karate, baseball, basketball, track and field (especially marathons), acting, camping, and most importantly my love for music and dance. The biggest part of my artistry has been performing and creating choreography. Which means bringing someone’s vision into reality through dancing and bringing someone’s message of their music into life by creating my own vision and movement. In my off time from industry work, I teach dance, that is another thing I am very passionate about. My 20’s were full of experiences, learning, studying, and bettering myself each day. Now, I am close to being 30 this month. (Wow. I cannot believe it.) I am excited for my 30’s to continue pushing myself as always yet sharing more of what I have gained through my life experiences. Blessings came along from hard work, I have worked with so many major artists from all over the world, traveled, toured, performed on different types of stages. As petite and as the small Japanese I am, I had to work extra hard to be noticed by the American industry. Believing in myself through thick and thin and motivating myself to get back up is something I think is so important to make a living off of what I truly love to do. To never stay the same (seek for growth) but always stay true to myself is the lesson that I’ve learned from working in the entertainment industry. Like I said earlier, I would love to share and educate aspiring artists more through my artistry in my next chapter as I’m entering my 30’s, and I hope more people in the world receive love, raw energy and positivity through my art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For eating, Du-par’s for breakfast. The pancakes from there are the best I’ve ever had in my life! Body Energy Club’s smoothies and Acai Bowls are my favorite. Great and healthy snacks. Then I go to Silver Lake for dinner at some of my favorite restaurants. They have awesome spots for vegan, ramen, asian food etc. Personally everyone usually loves pasta, so, I would bring them to Speranza (Italian restaurant). The pasta from there is just mind-blowing! Then probably hop around the area for some drinks at a bar. For activities, I would bring them to Runyon Canyon Park for hiking to see LA city view and the famous Hollywood sign over the hill. I would definitely bring them to Malibu (El matador State Beach) for a great sunset view. If I would have more time, then I would go to Joshua Tree National Park and get an Airbnb in the area so we can see the massive and beautiful creation of nature and also the breathtaking stars at night. Last time I was there at night, I saw shooting stars EVERY 5 mins. Some other very “LA things” are: Hot yoga, Soul cycle, Laser tag, Escape rooms are very fun to do with my friends. For fashion, I love flea markets. The Melrose Trading Post and Rose Bowl Flea Market are definitely fun place to go shopping. If my friends come from Japan, I would bring them to the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria. They are right next to each other and are massive shopping malls that have everything you would probably want for souvenirs for friends and family back home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Dana Foglia, my mentor and a great friend of mine. She is an esteemed, brilliant innovator who has enhanced the dance industry and created a league of her own. She is also an excellent educator, more specifically in Contemporary Fusion and stiletto heels. My parents. Yuko and Yoshinori. Who are both dentists and just really COOL and kind people. I am so thankful for how they educated and raised me into who I am today.

Website: http://la.blocagency.com/talent/dance/natsuki-miya
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natsukimiya/?hl=en

Image Credits
Kay Kasemwatana

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