About Me
Dancer, Circus Artist
Shun Sugimoto is a performer based in Tokyo. Shun, originally starting his practice as a Bboy (breakdancer) combines techniques from artistic and athletic influences such as contemporary dance, yoga and physical theatre to create unique vocabulary of movements and style.
While working in circus companies as a dancer specialising in flexibility, Shun trained himself with other artists and coaches in more traditional skills of contortion, physical theatre, aerial straps and in various performing arts.
Shun has an international background and was born in Japan and lived in The UK from the age of 13 until 23. Since then, Shun has been touring around the globe for shows. Shun is fluent in Japanese & English.
In his performing career, Shun has worked with Cirque du Soleil, Sadler’s Wells, V&A, The Box, Channel 4, Sky 1 etc., as a dancer and a solist. Shun was also an original cast member for Strut n Fret Production show Blanc de Blanc and has toured with the show for 4 years over 700 shows.
As of recently, Shun was an original cast member for Fierce 5, a Japanese version of 5es Hurlants by Cie L'Oubliée, performing aerial straps & clown and also performs as an MC in Maho Magic Bar in Australia.
With team Kinetic Art, Shun has won Arte Prize at the prestigious Festival du Cirque de Demain. The team's newest piece TANGLE, the co-directed, co-coreographed duet with Naoko Tozawa, has won various dance awards globally and was premiered in Japan in 2021 and since toured in France, Germany, and South Korea.
Shun's inspiration often comes from visual aspects in life as well as the physical; which prior to the performing arts career Shun has studied graphic design at Central Saint Martins College of Arts & Design and worked as a designer/art director.

Selected Experiences
TANGLE | France | 2023
Director, Choreographer (with Naoko Tozawa) Dancer, Aerial Straps
Breakin' Convention Netherlands Tour | Sadler's Wells | NL | 2021
Choreographer (with Naoko Tozawa) Dancer
TANGLE | Japan | 2021
Director, Choreographer (with Naoko Tozawa) Dancer, Aerial Straps
Fierce 5 | Raphaëlle Boitel | Japan | 2021
Original Cast, Aerias Straps & Clown
Maho Magic Bar | Broad Encounters | Australia | 2020
Original Cast, MC & Clown
International Story Telling Festival | Austria | 2020
Contortionist & Clown
Blanc de Blanc | Strut n Fret Production House | Australia | 2016 - 2020
Original Cast, Contortionist
Love Riot | Strut n Fret Production House | Australia | 2017
Contortionist
Limbo | Strut n Fret Production House | Australia | 2016
Contortionist
Young Stage Festival | Switzerland | 2016
Circolo Prize Winner (with Kinetic Art) | Switzerland
Festival du Cirque de Demain | France | 2015
Arte Prize Winner (with Kinetic Art)
Cirque du Soleil | Special Events | Canada, Switzerland, US, Andorra | 2013 - 2015
Dancer & Character
Cirque du Soleil | ONE NIGHT FOR ONE DROP | US | 2014
Dancer (with Kinetic Art)
Got To Dance | UK | 2013
Semi Finalist
Channel 4 | Random Acts | UK | 2013
Main Role