Adjudicator

Ms. Sagami is a faculty member at the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, Fort Wayne Ballet Summer Intensive, and holds master classes nationally. She has taught at the MidStates Regional Dance America Festival, Joffrey II, Joffrey San Antonio Workshop, and numerous schools in the greater Chicagoland area. Her career extended into musical theater when she danced a featured role in the national touring company of The Phantom of the Opera.

Ms. Sagami is a répétiteur for The Gerald Arpino Foundation, and serves on its board of directors. She has most recently staged Arpino ballets with Fort Wayne Ballet and Central Indiana Dance Ensemble.

Following a two-year debut with American Ballet Theater II, Ms. Sagami joined the Joffrey Ballet at the invitation of Robert Joffrey in 1983. Joffrey embraced an eclectic repertory that ranged from classical to controversial. Each piece, whether chosen for its historical legacy, choreographic precedence, or its celebration of dance, reflected Joffrey’s artistic taste and attention to detail. He encouraged his dancers to take pride in the process behind the performance and insisted that each person contributed to the whole.

Under the influence of Joffrey and choreographer Gerald Arpino, Ms. Sagami challenges her students with Arpino’s passion and Joffrey’s integrity. In her eighteen-year career of performing and touring worldwide, she developed other interests as well. After seeing the grand cathedrals of Europe and the gardens of the Alhambra Palace in Spain, she began to cultivate her curiosity and appreciation for architecture. In 2004, she received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Her interdisciplinary studies provide Ms. Sagami with a unique perspective on form, structure, and aesthetics, which she rigorously applies to dance.

Kim is delighted to adjudicate the Southwest Region for 2025 Festival.