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Jay Hirabayashi – Kokoro Dance
Jay Hirabayashi was born in 1947 to Gordon Hirayashi, a Japanese American, and Esther Hirabayashi, a Caucasian, in Seattle, Washington. As a child, he lived in Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt and went to junior and senior high schools in Edmonton, Alberta. After spending several years in the United States working at different jobs, Jay went to the University of Alberta and graduated with majors in philosophy and religious studies in 1973. He attended graduate school at the University of British Columbia and received his MA in Buddhist Studies. To rehabilitate an old knee injury, Jay took dance lessons studying modern dance, ballet and contact improvisation. Subsequently, he was hired by a number of dance groups and in 1986, he and his wife, Barbara Bouget, founded Kokoro Dance that was inspired by a Japanese modern dance form known as butoh. Kokoro Dance has produced nearly 800 performances across Canada, in the United States and in Europe and has performed at numerous and varied festivals, including over 200 shows for young audiences.
Barbara Bouget and Jay Hirabayashi.
(photo: Chris Randle)
(photo: Avril Patrick)
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Jay Hirabayashi in “Ascension”.
(photo: Lawrence M. Svichev)
(photo: Avril Patrick)
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