Today we’d like to introduce you to Yurie Ono.
Hi Yurie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
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 and Gramercy Dance Studio. Also, I became a choreographer for Umami Playground Dance Company.
I am very happy that I decided to persuade what I love again.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The biggest struggle was my parents and my grandmother.
They wanted me to get a stable job and married because they thought those are happy things in life. I was trying to be a good daughter when I was young. I had always been in a conflict situation between listening to my parents and chasing what I really love.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
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.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
People say I am a hard-working dancer/creator. I appreciate it, but I feel like that is not my real character. I think I am a lazy person in general. I would lay on the sofa for a whole day if I didn’t have anything to do. I think people are telling me that because I am very into what I love; dance/creation. I’m always trying to put my 100% into dancing since I love it so much. When I create, sometimes some concepts or moves are not working well for the piece, and I like to make them make sense because I feel like I am making it closer to what I would love to express. When I am in somebody else’s piece, I will try to get the moves and concepts fully from choreographers not only because I appreciate them for having me but also because that is where I can learn and absorb a lot of things I might never think of by myself. I don’t think I can do the same for any other jobs. My love to dance makes me move/think like that.
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: https://linktr.ee/yurie.siva
Image Credits
Sean Chee
Christopher Kayden
Josef Pinlac
Guangmin
