

2015 Joe A. Callaway Award Recipient for Best Choreography
Red Eye Of Love, Dicapo Theater, Off Broadway
Co-choreographed by Alex Sanchez
Award presented by Graciela Daniele
2002 Joseph Jefferson Award Recipient for Best Choreography
Damn Yankees, Marriott Theatre
2003 Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination for Best Choreography
Hot Mikado, Marriott Theatre

Staging of 'Syncopation' That's Seamless
"The choreographer Lainie Sakakura's grasp of the interpretive possibilities of even the most elementary tangos and fox-trots are in step with Mr. Knee's narrative and the characters' quirks of temperament...Dancing may seem too facile a metaphor for dreams, for flight, for a harmonious life on earth. But ''Syncopation'' convinces us that it should get to be a habit." (Read more) The New York Times by Alvin Klein

An Album Of Fosse
"The ghost of the man being celebrated -- blurred and fleeting but definitely there -- first shows up when the girl bursts onstage with a scream...At the sound of that scream, which echoes not with terror but with irrepressible energy, a slender, elfin-faced fellow with a goatee shoots into view, sliding on his side like a runaway roller skate. The orchestra is playing Cole Porter's ''From This Moment On,'' as the couple perform an acrobatic, exuberant and exasperated mating dance, an ode to percolating hormones. You've just received, in darkest January, a quick infusion of springtime, and it's impossible not to grin...The vignette, here vibrantly performed by Andy Blankenbuehler and Lainie Sakakura, is a re-creation of the first sequence Fosse choreographed for film, a scene from the 1953 movie of ''Kiss Me, Kate,'' danced by Fosse and Carol Haney." The New York Times by Ben Brantley
Goodspeed makes a grand, intimate return with ‘A Grand Night for Singing’ Oct 7, 2021
"...choreographer Lainie Sakakura shines with ingenuity and progressive spirit. There’s a lot of casual, natural movement in the show that slyly grows into full ensemble dances." Hartford Courant by Christopher Arnott
Goodspeed reopens with Rodgers and Hammerstein hits
"Lainie Sakakura’s dance numbers sizzle" The Westfield News by Mark G. Auerbach
'A Grand Night for Singing' at Goodspeed Musicals
"The show was charmingly choreographed by Lainie Sakakura; the dancing adds much to the look of the scenes in which it is included." The Patch by Nancy Sasso Janis
ONCE at Pioneer Theatre Company Fully Captivates
"Credit the Choreographer Lainie Sakakura with the director how each scene efficiently flows on the tastefully used rotating set by Scenic Designer Yoon Bae." (Read more) Broadway World Review by by Blair Howell
PTC's 'Once' a musical feast that will have audience members falling quickly
"Some of the most enjoyable moments of the show were the musical interludes as the cast switched from one scene to another. During these moments it felt like the performers were having the time of their lives playing together. The irresistible beat along with the choreography made you want to dance right along with them." (Read more) Deseret News by Hannah LaFond
Dancing Majesty Takes the Stage in Fisher's The Little Dancer, Theatre 71, NYC "Directed by Richard Vida and choreographed by Lainie Sakakura, The Little Dancer is dazzling Upper West Side audiences with the poignant story it has to tell. This musical has every lovable quality a person can ever desire..." (Read more) Broadway World Review by Kristen Morale
‘Hot Mikado’ swings with engaging style"… with sensational choreography by Lainie Sakakura the addition of swing notes, tap dance, zoot suits and all around jazzification in “Hot Mikado” sweeps away the Victorian fustiness of Gilbert & Sullivan’s original operetta, “The Mikado,” and infuses it with a playful touch of naughtiness..."Chicago Sun-Times by Hedy Weiss
Damn Yankees, Marriott Theatre"The big blessing, however, is the hard-hoofing ensemble: directed by Bell and Lainie Sakakura, the dances are a joyful force of nature." (Read more) Chicago Reader by by Lawrence Bommer
Packed Majestic Theater Sees Unforgettable Tribute To Broadway's Great Composer-Lyricist Cy Coleman
"...as the full compliment of dance hall floozies belted out "Hey, Big Spender!" from "Sweet Charity," Bob Fosse's fabulous choreography of that slice of lowbrow sex life in New York re-created by Lainie Sakakura, featuring the still-sexy, God bless them, Ann Reinking and Chita Rivera." Playbill
Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Theatre 71 NYC
Book & Direction
60th Anniversary Flower Drum Song
Co-Conceived, Written, Additional Lyrics
Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 2021 NYC
Book & Direction
Tony Awards FOSSE wins Best Musical
Dance Reconstruction, Onstage Dance Captain
ONCE, Pioneer Theatre
Choreography
FOSSE Broadway, Trumpet Solo
Performed by Lainie Sakakura
Gypsy of the Year, Memorial Tribute to Gwen Verdon, Palace Theater, NYC
Dance Reconstruction, Performer
A Grand Night For Singing, Goodspeed
Choreography
The Verdon Fosse Legacy, Steps NYC
Fosse Instructor
Asian American Women of the Theater
G.R.O.W conversation with Arnold Mungioli
Theatrical Dance & Equity: Lainie Sakakura & BIPOC Leadership,Musco Center for the Arts
Chapman University
Theatrical Dance & Equity: Wilson Mendieta & BIPOC Audiences, Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University
The Radio City Rockettes: Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Life In LaDucas: AAPI Artists & Activists: Lainie Sakakura
AsAmNews: Rockettes of Color Alumnae: who they are and their hope to serve multiple generations
Live & In Color: What I Didn’t Know I Needed
Lucille Lortel Theatre IG Live Intervew with Viet Vo in Celebration of AAPI Month
Rockettes of Color Alumnae: ROCA Talk with Lainie Sakakura