Welcome to Sentivia

Okay, let me tell you a bit about myself. I guess you could say my story is about finding passion where you least expect it and not letting what society thinks define you.

So, it all started when I was 14. Like many teenagers, I was struggling with low self-esteem. I honestly felt like I didn't have any talents, like I was just… ordinary. I wasn't good at sports, I wasn't naturally gifted at anything in particular, and I felt it. I wasn’t the most coordinated kid either. Then, one day, I decided to buy a yo-yo – I can't even remember why! When I tried my first basic trick it was honestly a disaster. I'm pretty sure I looked ridiculous, a complete mess with this thing tangled all over the place. It wasn't natural for me at all, which I suppose wasn’t really surprising given my lack of coordination and hatred for all things physical! But you know what? That was actually part of the appeal. It was a challenge, something I could actually work at.

After about a week of practice, I was starting to get the hang of it a little bit. My throws were getting smoother, I was actually landing some tricks, and it was a good feeling. And it's funny, but that's all it took. I suddenly realized, "Hey, this yo-yo thing… this might actually be *my* thing." It was the first time in my life that I felt like I was good at something. I had found a passion, something that made me feel like I had potential.

From that moment on, that yo-yo became an extension of me. I was obsessed. I practiced for hours and hours every day, pushing myself to learn new tricks, to get better, faster, more precise. I just felt that if I worked at it I could get better and better. I pushed through the initial awkwardness and frustration and focused on the joy of improving. I poured my heart and soul into it. Fast forward four years. There I was, at 18, on the stage at the World YoYo Contest! And you know what? I won! The feeling was incredible, I finally did it, I was a World Champion. I started fantasizing, thinking that now I would be famous, that I would get sponsors, that I’d get rich, and that I’d be on TV all the time. The whole shebang you know?

But when I got back to Japan, nothing changed! Life went on as usual. That’s when it struck me, society just didn’t really see the value in what I did. They didn’t get why it was so amazing that I could do these things with a yo-yo. So, like the average joe, I went back to college and became a systems engineer, the typical Japanese worker. I felt like a part of me was missing, my spark had just gone out, I really felt like I had lost a part of myself. It was like I was just going through the motions and that my passion and my heart had left my body. I was miserable. I didn't feel alive.

I began to question things. What was I really meant to be doing? I realized I was not living my life, I was living a life I thought I was supposed to. And that’s when I decided to come back to my passion. I felt that I could bring the yo-yo to a new level, that I could show people just how incredible it could be, beyond just a child’s toy. I knew I could change people's minds about the yo-yo if I worked hard enough and pushed the boundaries. So, I quit my job and started a career as a professional performer. I wanted to be not just a yo-yo player, but an artist.

I started to really invest in myself, taking ballet, jazz, dance, acrobatics lessons, and even studying theater. I needed to incorporate everything to make my performance more dynamic and captivating. I learned a lot from other people and those experiences helped make my performance better. It was a ton of hard work but it was the only thing I knew I could do. As a result of all the effort, and the help from amazing people around me, I did it again. I won the World YoYo Contest a second time, but this time in the artistic performance division. I'm not sure which one was more gratifying, honestly. Then, to top it all off, I actually got a spot with Cirque du Soleil. It was an absolute dream come true. And here I am, standing on the TED stage today, still with my yo-yo, in front of all of you.

What I learned through the yo-yo is this: if you are passionate enough and make the effort to pursue something, there really isn't anything that is impossible. Now, if you'll allow me, I would like to share that passion with you.

*Begins Performance*