Described as “moving everyday sculptures, artfully cast in naturalness” (Luzerner Zeitung, Switzerland), Ayako Kato is a kinetic philosopher/poet, originally from Yokohama, Japan. Since 1998, Ayako Kato/Art Union Humanscape has been pursuing contemporary experimental dance/choreography/improvisation in deep collaboration with over 100 musicians and composers, presenting in Europe, Asia, and the US. Advocating the principles of fūryū, Japanese for “wind flow,” cyclical transformation, and human motion in nature, Ayako creates solo, ensemble pieces, and movement installations for traditional stages and large-scale site-specific locations. She is grateful for everyone who has supported and guided her to move forward together with her belief that dance has the power to uplift people and generate peace. www.ayakokatodance.com
Ayako has been teaching dance since 1996 based on her classical ballet, modern, Tai-Chi, Noh Theater Dance, butoh (practiced under butoh founder Kazuo Ohno), and somatic training. Ayako has been teaching Master classes at the University of Chicago; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; DePaul University; Northwestern University; University of Colorado Colorado Springs; University of Michigan; Indiana University; Laurence University; and the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. Since 2012, she has been teaching her own unique dance/movement workshops, combining her somatic, philosophical, and artistic movement practice with Japanese essence, on themes such as "Art of Being," "ETHOS," "Eclipse," "Finding Nature," "Be a Poet," "No(h) Butoh," "Dance & Music Improvisation" at currently Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Loft space, formally Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theater as part of the Chicago Moving Company community dance classes, and also has been teaching CPS students through Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education since 2012. Back in Japan, she taught ballet for Taito Cultural Ballet School in Japan for three years. She was a ballet mistress (and a cast member) for Kimie Sasamoto to revive her "Concert Royal" for the All Japan Ballet Association Concert at the New National Theater of Japan. Ayako has taught ballet at the University of Michigan for non-dance major students while she was pursuing her MFA.
Take a look at Ayako’s upcoming workshops: Saturdays, Feb 28-April 4: Art of Being: More Quantum Entanglement through Dance with an informal showing & Mondays, Feb 23-March 30: Windflow Dance.
I was introduced to Ballet at age 4 and immediately fell in love and was fascinated. I became a finalist at the All Japan Ballet competition when I was 17. Yet, I left the ballet world questioning whether I could be more useful to society rather than dancing for only myself. At age 19, I started to feel guilty about dancing and training to become a ballerina if I didn’t see a high level of recognition in my future. This marked the beginning of my journey of decolonizing my body and mind. I made the difficult decision to step away from the ballet world as I concluded pursuing ballet was useless in a world filled with suffering. In my early 20s, amongst Japan's bubble economy and its growing international relationships, I realized the importance of sharing the Eastern/Japanese perspective with non-Japanese people to avoid misunderstanding. I turned to Japanese traditional culture, delving deep into its philosophies and aesthetics. One concept that resonated deeply with me was fūryū, which translates to "wind flow" and symbolizes coexistence within the cycle of nature, the beauty of being as it is. This exploration has profoundly influenced my approach to movement and choreography, blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with contemporary experimental dance forms.
Ballet has played a significant role in shaping my life, teaching me discipline and perseverance from a young age. And today, while I do not engage with it so obviously, it is still present because Ballet is known as a prominent Western dance form. I find myself watching YouTube videos of Ballet from time to time and I think often of my mentor, Kimie Sasamoto. By joining this project in 2024, I worked with Ballet again a little more directly and clarified my redefinition and relationship. This year, I hope to explore how ballet has influenced me and nurtured me as a dancer to pursue my own expression.