Sara Ito, a Japanese dancer based in Los Angeles, discusses how moving to the United States at 16 helped her trust her own artistic identity. In Billboard Japan’s Women in Music series, she says dance gave her purpose during a difficult upbringing and remains the way she expresses emotions rather than suppressing them.

Born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Ito now performs with major artists including NE-YO. She specialises in popping, using its sharp muscular “hits” to convey music and feeling, and says the competitive US environment values distinctive expression over age or status; although she initially felt self-conscious as the only Asian dancer among four performers, she chose to treat her individual perspective as a strength.