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Besides being a model herself, Kasumi Shimizu is also the manager of the Los Angeles division for
My Elite Models. Her talents include traditional Japanese dance and being quite skilled on the basketball court. I was impressed by her photos (like the one above from what was her first public shoot and “a lot of fun” she said), so I contacted her about an interview a couple of months ago. She graciously agreed then, but because of her busy schedule and final exams, she wasn’t able to get back to me until just recently.Standing a proud 5′ 3″, Kasumi tells me that she’s been playing basketball since she was a child. She also has formal dance training that includes ballet and tap but currently her main focus is on traditional Japanese dance or “nihon-buyo.” “In the next year or so, I hope to go to Japan to take the ‘nattori’ test for dancers who want to get their Masters,” she says.
Check out my full interview with Kasumi here.
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From Kasumi’s very first photo shoot. As a drummer myself, this one naturally caught my eye. She told me of this shoot: “I was incredibly nervous but it’s when I first fell in love with modeling.”
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At Glamourcon 2010
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From her first traditional Japanese photo shoot
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Another from the above-mentioned shoot. She’s wearing her own outfit that she wears to dance practice.
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As a Geisha Dominatrix. Her first alternative-type shoot.
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Another from the Geisha Dominatrix shoot. Kasumi told me this one was a lot of fun and she and the other girls “got to boss the handsome male model around.” (She was joking. They were nice to him.)
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Kasumi didn’t comment on the shoot this photo’s from, but she did say getting to it was quite an adventure. “It was before I had a car and it took seven buses to get there!” she explained.
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On of her favorites. She said of this one; “The photographer was shooting from above me and I was on the ground. Since I was suppose to stay within the spotlight area I had very limited room to move. It was fun and I think it turned out great!”
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Kasumi’s Official Website
Her Facebook Fan Page
Kasumi on Twitter