Yoshito Sakuraba is the Artistic Director of Abarukas. His work has been presented internationally in Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Israel, Mexico, Japan, and across the United States. Originally from Japan, Sakuraba developed his artistic career in New York City. His choreography is characterized by sculptural composition, psychologically layered imagery, and cinematic logic, creating symbol-driven worlds shaped by mimetic sound, objects, projection, and lighting.

Sakuraba’s choreography has been presented at venues including The Joyce Theater, BAM Fisher, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Kaatsbaan, and the McCallum Theatre as part of the Palm Desert Choreography Festival. His work has received the Best Choreography Award at FINI Dance Festival in Italy and the Audience Award at the Masdanza International Contemporary Dance Festival in Spain. He was also a winner of NW Dance Project’s Pretty Creatives and Whim W’Him’s Choreographic Shindig.

He has created original works for Bayerisches Staatsballett (Germany), NW Dance Project, Whim W’Him, Lamondance (Canada), DAF (Italy), Louisville Ballet, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Nimbus Dance, Newport Contemporary Ballet, Graham II, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Pony Box Dance Theater, SALT Contemporary Dance’s LINK, Dance Lab New York, MOVElNYC, and other organizations.

Sakuraba has taught, led workshops, and staged choreography at institutions including the Martha Graham School, Joffrey Ballet School, The Ailey School/Fordham University, Paul Taylor School, Steps on Broadway, Peridance Center, and Gibney, as well as the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Marymount Manhattan College, Barnard College, and Vassar College.