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

Hi Sacha, how do you think about risk?
I always thought of risk as an existential part of my life. It has been the fuel of many of my decisions personally and in my career. Anytime my guts tell me that I am not longer fulfilled in a place or environment I always take the risk of reinventing myself somewhere else or changing the scenery around me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started dancing when I was 6 years old in France, where I am originally from. I went to pick up a friend of mine with her mom and when I saw the costume she was wearing I immediately wanted to were this for the rest of my life. I started taking classes after school and at the age of 12, I auditioned for the Superior Dance Academy Rosella Hightower and was admitted to their Academy. I had to leave my house and family at a very young age and go to boarding school to pursue my dream. This was not an easy decision, especially for my parents
. My passion for dance kept growing and growing and I begin dreaming of moving to New York. So for the first 7 years of my professional career, I was determined to achieve this goal and built everything around it.
At the age of 18, I got hired for various musicals in France, I toured in Russia and all around Europe with contemporary dance companies, and in 2012 I booked a job that will take me for 2 years in Macau China to perform in the Circus Show, The House of Dancing Water by Franco Dragone.
This has been a pivotal moment in my career, as I entered the circus and acrobatics world on such a huge scale. I discovered so many different arts and skills that are still having an immense impact on me and my work to this day.

After this, I got my artistic visa and finally moved to New York achieving a long-time goal of mine. I believe that one of the reasons that have set me apart in the field has been the opportunities to work in so many different countries and absorb as much as I could about different cultures, different visions and use it to open my spirit that diversity is a true treasure.

An experience that had a profound impact on me was when I went to work in Lebanon as the Assistant Art Director and Choreographer for the program the Voice. I worked on and off for about a year, and I discovered the beauty of Arabic poetry, voices, and music. The contestants were coming from all around the Middle East region and had shared with me all the beauty of their cultures.

As a dancer of one my dream was to perform for the company Cirque du Soleil and in 2019 I had the honor to be part of the show in Saudi Arabia, it was such a pivotal moment for the country as it was the first time women and men were allowed to watch a show in the same room, as well as seeing the performer from the opposite gender to touch each other and dance together.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to work for the first time at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood as an Associate Choreographer on the HBO Max show Legendary. This shows features and highlights people from the Ballroom community and the dance style called Vogue. It has been an extraordinary experience that has broadened my horizons and taught me so many unforgettable lessons on empathy, acceptance, respect, and love.

All the lessons I learned along the way in my career are a message of compassion, a message of respect, and patience towards the unfamiliar and unknown. With kindness toward each other, we achieve magical moments and art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was coming here, my first stop will be to take her to west street Beach in Laguna, it is the most beautiful beach out here. For food, I love Zinqué so we will go there for brunch. I will take her for dinner at my favorite Pizza restaurant Roberta’s. I will definitely take a couple of days to go to Joshua Tree national park and enjoy the beauty of the scenery.
We will go have a yoga class in Topanga and enjoy the farmer’s market Marina del Rey.
And we will go take some pilates class at P.volve LA
We will go see some dance or musical performances at Segerstrom Center for the arts and listen to some concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family for their unconditional support and in particular my mother without whom I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Also to my partner who sees in me magic even when I don’t see anything at all. And to everyone that has given me opportunities and trust to surpass myself, I am deeply humbled for it.

Website: https://www.sachastorto.com/

Instagram: @sachastorto

Linkedin: Sacha Storto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sacha.storto

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJB9Byu4UyIo536AfgPn_gA

Other: I have an online platform on Youtube called Naia Studios where I propose, pilates, meditation, and stretching classes.

Image Credits
Justin Patterson Kriss Logan Luc Jean Baptiste The Voice Middle East Cirque Du Soleil Paramount Studio Legendary HBO max

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