Occupation:
Dancer
Time in Japan:
Off and on, since birth






Where are you from and how long have you been here?
Well, I' half Indian and half Japanese. My mother is Japanese and my father is Indian and I was born and raised in Kyoto, then moved to New York where I attended Columbia University. But every year we go back to India so I'm from all over.

What do you do?
I dance - that's what I've been doing all my life and that's what I'll keep doing. My mother was the first Japanese to bring Indian dance to Japan; I learned it from her, and my father taught me yoga. For my first 18 years I was trained in both, then I evolved my own new form. I perform over 100 times a year, mainly in Europe.

What do you call your type of dance?
The movement is based on Indian dance and yoga. I don't think we need a category but since people do like to categorize, we've been called "avant-garde." In Europe these days it's considered "erotic dance," which doesn't really match what we want to do. But then again it's not butoh, it's not modern, it's not ethnic so it just became erotic dance. It's delicate and Indian but at the same time very modern.

What does your dancing express?
Our theme is the eros of love and death, the two extremes of life. It's sexual energy, which is the most creative force in the universe, but can also be a destructive force. We try to convey this energy through our dance and since our troupe is comprised of all women, the energy is more feminine.

What are you performing this year?
We're doing "The Tibetan Book of the Dead"; our next show is November 20 at the new National Theater in Hatsudai. It shows the 49 days in the passage of death to life, the theme being you don't need to be afraid of death because it's just a passage. In order to live fully and to be totally free in the world today, you have to look forward to what's coming up next.

How many dancers do you have in your troupe?
We have seven dancers, all Japanese. We're always open to new dancers but they have to not only dance but believe in our philosophy. Sometimes people ask me if I'm a dancer and I usually say I don't know. I express what I believe in through my body - and the body is a universal language. I can go to any country and the people there will understand the movement and the passion.

When you perform in Japan, does the audience understand?
Some do, but some are a little shocked in the beginning because our dancing is quite intense and wild. There's no proper way to interpret the dance; each person has their own interpretation. If they can get something out of our dance, great.

What's your goal?
To continue. As long as people keep coming, it means that we are getting some sort of message across so we won't change what we do.

What's your recipe for a happy life in Japan?
Easy. Do what you want to do, be responsible and enjoy every moment. Live each day with passion. Know yourself.

Contact Shakti at shakti@tka.att.ne.jp  or see homepage.

Shakti spoke to Maki Nibayashi.

Do you know an interesting person in Tokyo? If so, email us at maki@tokyoclassified.com