CHIEKO IMADA

Learning and teaching life lessons through ballet

By the time Chieko Imada arrived in Tucson in the mid-1980s, she already was an accomplished professional dancer, leading the confident, purposeful life she was trained to live from the time she started ballet lessons in Tokyo at age 8.

Soon Tucson settled into Imada, turning her reality into a decades-long dream that she is in no hurry to see end.

“I’m just so amazed,” says Imada, assistant artistic director and director of educational outreach at Ballet Tucson. “You know, Tucson is not a big city. To be able to continue what I love to do, and to be able to explore in this community for 30 years and hopefully inspire people and children interested in the dance world, I’m very thrilled and appreciative.”

Trading Concrete For Cactus

Imada went through a personal transformation when she moved from what she calls the “concrete life” of a city teeming with people to the quiet company of cactuses.

“I always tried to experience my true feelings when I was performing, but when I came here I became more mature in a way,” Imada says. “[The desert’s beauty] helped me to become a better artist.”

Stuff Of Life

Imada has sealed her artistic legacy in Tucson with years of teaching, choreography and outreach programs, including Putting Your Best Foot Forward with Ballet Tucson for students in Title 1 schools.

“To share what I learned through my life through dancing and then extend it to young children is such a joy,” Imada says. “I believe ballet helps with life learning—not only creativity but patience and discipline, all the important stuff in their life.”

The important stuff that helps make dreams come true.

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