Kazuo Ohno

Kazuo Ohno was a famous dancer from Japan. He loved to move his body. He helped create a new dance called Butoh. This dance was very special. It helped people feel big emotions.

He was a teacher for many years. He even taught physical education. Later, he made his own dance studio.

He traveled to many far lands to dance. He showed his work in New York and London. People all over the world came to watch him.

When he was old, he could not walk. He still danced using only his hands. He loved to share his art.

He lived to be 103 years old. He left behind many books and dances for us.

Kazuo Ohno was a famous dancer from Japan. He helped start a new dance style called Butoh. This dance was not like other kinds. It used new moves to show deep feelings. Ohno wanted people to feel the dance. He said it was okay if people did not understand him. He just wanted them to respond to the art.

Ohno was a very active man. He studied modern dance in his youth. He also served in the Japanese Army. During the war, he was a prisoner of war. These hard times helped inspire his art. One of his dances was called Jellyfish Dance. It was a way to think about things he saw at sea.

After the war, Ohno became a great teacher. He started the Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio. His son, Yoshito Ohno, runs the studio now. Even when Ohno could not walk, he did not stop. He used his hands to dance on stage. He lived to be 103 years old. He wrote many books about his life and dance. His work still helps people all over the world.

Kazuo Ohno was a famous dancer from Japan. He helped create a unique style of dance called Butoh. This dance was very different from other styles. It used new movements to show deep feelings. Ohno wanted his art to touch people deeply. He once said that the best thing was when people cried while watching him. He believed it was okay if people did not understand his moves. He just wanted them to respond to the dance itself.

Ohno's life had many different parts. He was born in Hakodate City, Japan, in 1906. He was very good at sports when he was young. He even graduated from an athletic college in 1929. Later, he studied modern dance with pioneers Baku Ishii and Takaya Eguchi. He also served in the Japanese Army as a lieutenant and a captain. During the war, he was a prisoner of war. These difficult times helped inspire his art. For example, his Jellyfish Dance was a way to think about things he saw at sea.

After the war, Ohno began to build his career in dance. He presented his first solo works in Tokyo in 1949. He met a man named Tatsumi Hijikata, who was a great inspiration. Together, they helped develop the Butoh movement. In 1961, Hijikata gave this new style a specific name. Ohno spent much of the 1960s finding his own special style. He worked closely with Hijikata to create many new ideas. They even worked together to make major dances like My Mother and Dead Sea.

Ohno became a star all over the world. In 1977, he performed a solo called La Argentina Sho. This dance was for a famous Spanish dancer named Antonia Mercé. He won the Japan Dance Critics' Circle Award for this show. He then traveled to many different cities to perform. He went to Nancy, France, in 1980. In 1981, he made his first big appearance in New York City. He also danced in London, Paris, and Stockholm.

Even in his later years, Ohno never stopped being an artist. He started the Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio in 1949. His son, Yoshito Ohno, runs the studio today. Even when Ohno lost the ability to walk, he kept dancing. He found ways to express himself just by moving his hands. He lived to be 103 years old. He also wrote several books about his work. These books include titles like Food for the Soul and The Palace Soars through the Sky.

Kazuo Ohno was a legendary Japanese dancer and a central figure in Butoh. Butoh is a unique form of modern dance that emerged from the social changes in postwar Japan. Ohno acted as a guru and an inspirational leader for this movement. He believed that dance should touch the emotions of the audience directly. He once stated that it was not vital for viewers to understand his specific actions. Instead, he hoped they would simply respond to the dance itself. For Ohno, the highest praise was when an audience member began to cry during a performance.

Ohno's journey into dance began with a strong foundation in physical movement. He was born in Hakodate City, Hokkaido, on October 27, 1906. As a student, he showed great talent in athletics. He graduated from an athletic college in 1929 and later taught physical education. In 1933, he transitioned into the world of dance by studying with pioneers Baku Ishii and Takaya Eguchi. This training allowed him to teach dance at the Soshin Girls' School in Yokohama. His early life combined physical discipline with the beginnings of artistic expression.

During World War II, Ohno's life took a very different path. He was drafted into the Japanese Army, serving first as a lieutenant and later as a captain. He saw combat in China and New Guinea. During this time, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war by Australian forces. These heavy experiences deeply influenced his creative work later in life. For instance, his work titled Jellyfish Dance served as a meditation on the burials at sea he observed while being transported back to Japan. The trauma of the war provided a somber inspiration for his unique movement vocabulary.

After the war ended, Ohno returned to his passion for dance. He presented his first solo works in Tokyo in 1949. During the 1950s, he taught at the Mime Studio. A major turning point occurred when he met Tatsumi Hijikata. Hijikata rejected the Western dance styles that were popular in Japan at the time. Together, Ohno and Hijikata helped develop a new vocabulary of movements and ideas. In 1961, Hijikata officially named this movement Ankoku Butoh-ha. Ohno spent the 1960s collaborating with Hijikata while also searching for his own distinct artistic voice.

Ohno's career reached new heights through his celebrated solo performances. In 1977, he premiered a solo piece titled La Argentina Sho. This work was directed by Hijikata and dedicated to the Spanish dancer Antonia Mercé. The performance earned him the prestigious Dance Critics' Circle Award in Japan. This success led to an international tour that brought Butoh to the world stage. He performed in Nancy, France, in 1980, and made his American debut in New York City in 1981. His tours also included stops in London, Paris, Stuttgart, and Stockholm.

Beyond performing, Ohno was a dedicated teacher and author. He founded the Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio in 1949. He also established the Kamihoshikawa studio in 1961 in Hodogaya, Yokohama, for rehearsals and choreography. His son, Yoshito Ohno, now leads the studio and manages a Butoh archive. Ohno also shared his wisdom through several books. These include The Palace Soars through the Sky, Dessin, Words of Workshop, and Food for the Soul. Two of these were published together in English in 2004 as Kazuo Ohno's World: From Without & Within.

Even as his physical strength declined, Ohno's spirit as a dancer remained unbroken. In his later years, he lost the ability to walk. However, he adapted his technique to express himself solely through the movement of his hands. He continued to appear on stage, particularly in works performed with his son. He celebrated his 100th birthday with a gala in January 2007. Ohno passed away from respiratory failure on June 1, 2010. He was 103 years old at the time of his death in Yokohama, leaving behind a massive legacy in the world of dance.