Susan Kawashima
After taking a dance class in college, Susan realized her love of movement, music, and of people, compelled her to dance; so she changed her major to Dance and graduated from UCLA. She was a member of modern dance companies M.J. Eisenberg & Dancers, Donna Sternberg & Dancers, Trip Dance Theatre, and others. Working with Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, in site-specific pieces not only gave her the opportunity to climb up prison bars, hang from ropes in an abandoned subway tunnel, dance IN the California Plaza fountain, and in a window display covered w/styrofoam peanuts in the Ambassador Hotel, amongst other adventures; it planted a seed of expression through acting. Most recently she guested as “Cleopatra Jones Kawashima” in Cleopatra CEO.
While raising her son and daughter, who are a constant source of love and support, she opened Studio Séishin, where she does one-on-one sessions in Pilates, GYTOTONIC®, and fiveflow®, a method of movement ease & efficiency she trademarked.
Although always trying to strike a balance between the different facets of her life, necessity dictated family and teaching come first, though her imagination and creativity refused to take a break. So she was very excited to be introduced to acting through Diana Castle and Steve Tietsort’s The Imagined Life. With her children now grown, her first full length play was DSDQ last November, which marked a great victory for a person who began with an intense fear of public speaking. She is grateful to be able to play again in the world Vincent has created.
Recent credits include independent films, “Fragile World,” “The Republic of Two,” and commercial work.
