Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yurie Ono. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yurie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

There is a piece called “Shogeki” I made with Umami Playground Dance Company. I was planning to do this piece as a solo dance video. But the company director decided to do it as a company group piece on stage.

The theme is about human-being which has both ugly side and beautiful side. I started the piece with small notes in Japanese on my phone. I talked with 4 choreographers and they gave me a lot of ideas. Five of us were talking more than moving because the topic was very deep. This conversation really made the piece so special. We put many things in the piece, such as hate chain, bullying, brainwash, diversity, generation problem and so on.

After we finalized ideas, we had to actually move to the song or let the dancers move. Dancers were very patient and flexible with all the changes. We tried and failed many times, but made it better every rehearsal, thanks to these experienced amazing dancers. They also tried very hard to understand meaning or story of each section, not just remember the moves.

I am so grateful for each choreographers and dancers. They changed my small notes on my phone into a 10 people piece on a big stage with a lot of storytellings. I could not do this alone.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

People told me that I am a passionate dancer. I usually look very gentle and quiet, but they say I look different when I dance. I think that is because I always try to say something through my dance. I dance with emotions, storytelling, feelings, and my heart. And that makes me different from other dancers.

In terms of dance styles, I learned so many different styles. I teach waacking and choreography class weekly, but sometimes I am in a contemporary piece, sometimes a hip-hop team, sometimes a locking piece, etc. But when I make my piece, I try to use the knowledge from all the different styles I learned. My style is a mix of many dance forms, and that helps me express what I want to tell.

In addition, I think my musicality is a little special. I am very sensitive to some small quiet sounds. I sometimes pick up the sounds that other people cannot catch even after they listen to the song a few times. And because I listen to many different kinds of dance music, I can make choreography with many rhythm changes. For example, I follow the slow vocal and suddenly switch to the fast guitar, or my left arm follows the piano in an uneven rhythm while my legs step on the even beats. I also show the different textures based on how each instrument/vocal sounds. So the choreography might change from a very soft texture into a super sharp texture all of a sudden, or different body parts will have different textures simultaneously. Considering all of that makes my musicality more interesting.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I started ballet when I was four years old and loved it so much. However, I always had a hard time with my parents because they were unhappy about my dream of becoming a professional dancer. They wanted me to study more and have a stable job. So I gave up and went to college in Hokkaido to become a vet (it was my second dream, though).

In college, I joined a college street dance team SIVA and fell in love with dance again. I was always happy to learn new styles. After six years, my love for dance has grown so much, and I realized I could not resist loving dance even though my parents don’t want me to do so. Then I decided to come to the US to dance.

After training in NYC, I was lucky enough to get some opportunities to teach in some studios. Now I have regular classes at PJM Studio. Also, I became a choreographer for Umami Playground Dance Company.

I am very happy that I decided to persuade what I love again.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am trying to heal people, including myself, through dance. Whenever I have negative things or thoughts, I burn them out in the piece. Whenever I have a happy experience, I expand it in the piece. In that way, I feel better, but some people told me that watching my piece is making them feel better too. I know many people are suffering from their stuff, having a tough time, and trying to figure out their lives. I always want to help them. I want them to have a little better day tomorrow. That’s why I keep creating; that will be my goal forever.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yurie.siva/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yurie.ono.16
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_eUomiD7fYUHsY7e5UNvEA
• Other: Linktree https://linktr.ee/yurie.siva

Image Credits
Sean Chee Christopher Kayden Alice Castro Guangmin