
I experience dance art as a way to connect intimately with the world, with others and with myself. I am interested in how this practice can be a channel for ritual and healing.
I lived in Tokyo from 1952-1955 where I was first immersed in Japanese culture. After college, I moved to New York City to study modern dance with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. In the 1970’s and 80’s I lived at the San Francisco Zen Center, concentrating on monastic life and meditation. Later, I received a PhD and taught at the University of California at Davis, specializing in how rivers form in nature. In 2018, I retired from university work and devoted myself to studying movement art inspired by butoh. I have performed extensively in California and Japan, including performing in Akita Japan at the Kamaitachi Museum of Art, an event celebrating Tatsumi Hijikata’s work. I have studied with many founding butoh teachers and spend part of each year practicing butoh and living in Kyoto, Japan.
Current projects include a biographical documentary film with New York City filmmaker Chris Fiore. Based on a performance at the Lucky Dragon 5 Fishing Boat Museum in Tokyo in 2018, this film raises awareness of the tragedies suffered as a consequence of the United States nuclear bombing of Japan.