Diana Farah

DUBAI: Japanese dancer Yuko Shimoji spent her life looking for the right path in her career and found it within expressive dance.

Shimoji studied at top schools in Switzerland and New York, chasing her passions until she reached a place in life, which satisfied her.

The dancer started off with ballet when she was younger, taking her first classes in Japan.

“I started [ballet] because I saw an Irish dance at the Broadway in New York,” she told Arab News Japan. “At the time, I was living in Washington DC with my family.”

“When I was six years old, I went back to Japan and my mother placed me in ballet classes. Ballet is the basic of every kind of dancing, so I just decided to do it,” she said.

Shimoji went to university in Switzerland, however, quit just after four months to become a professional dancer there.

She explained that while she was in Switzerland, she came across a modern dancing class, which peaked her interest more than ballet did.

“It wasn’t about a fairy tale or a prince and princess. This was more than just a dance,” Shimoji said. “It was more like expressing your inner feelings and incorporating different elements into the dance.”

“I felt really calm performing that type of dance as opposed to classis ballet,” she told Arab News Japan.

Shimoji struggled with eating disorders during her time as a ballet dancer and had a negative view of the art. However, when she was performing modern, expressive dance, Shimoji could feel an energy inside her body that freed her from her negative thoughts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, like many others around the world, the dancer found that auditions were becoming less, and performances were rare.

“After 20 years of dance, I had to give it up,” she explained, as it was her only means of financial support.

“I didn’t take any classes, I couldn’t even watch a movie with dance in it. And then I just tried to forget my love and passion for dancing.”

During that time, Shimoji started her own business in which she would organize art events and auction off expensive antiques and rare items. She explained that it made her feel financially stable, but after two months, she still felt that she was not doing the right thing for herself.

“Six months ago, I started dancing again and following my passion,” she said. “Now, I am performing again.”

Shimoji said she started off performing dance that was very different to when she was a professional ballet dancer.

“Now, I do dance for myself. It’s more like a meditation for myself and if someone happens to pass by and enjoy my dancing, they can watch and connect with my performance.”

“This is what made me feel fulfilled,” she said.

As her journey progresses, Shimoji plans to continue her auctioning business as well as her dancing career.

In January, she will be performing at the Japanese Embassy in Oman as part of the Japan Day celebrations.

Shimoji said she is still in the middle of finding herself, but has ensured that she is doing what makes her comfortable and incorporating her heritage and Japanese culture into her art.