Masako Ono trained in modern dance, Western classical ballet, jazz and hip hop before joining Nrityagram in Bangalore to train in Odissi. She continued under the tutelage of renowned Odissi artists Kelucharan Mohapatra, Ramani Ranjan Jena and Naba Kishore Mishra. She’s been here 11 years, has trained in yoga, kalaripayattu and Mayurbhanj chhau, and this fortnight, she’s performing in Delhi. She talks to Ajitha GS about dance, foreignness and the beauty of being bendy.

You’ve trained in various dance forms. Has it been difficult to arrive at your identity as an Odissi dancer?
I had never thought of becoming a professional dancer until I came across Odissi dance. Also, until I came to India, I never had the ideal situation that would allow me to devote myself to practice alone. And this is what I’ve been doing for the past 11 years here, so it’s only natural that I arrive at this identity. But now, I have started choreographing and performing my original dance, which is neither Odissi nor any other named dance. The movement depends on the theme that I am choreographing, and is also inspired by the kind of music I choose.

How did you chance upon Odissi?
I learnt Urdu, Hindi and some Sanskrit at university in Tokyo. There, I saw a video of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and went to the Indian Embassy in Tokyo to ask where I could learn Odissi. They gave me the brochure for Nrityagram, and I really liked their curriculum. I travelled to India and met the late Protima Gauri Bedi. I wasn’t sure then that I could be a professional dancer, but she gave me the strength to believe in myself. Also, maybe I chose Odissi because I loved the “tribhangi” postures [literally, three bends – at the neck, torso and knee; typical of Odissi] so much. And Odissi was so, so difficult that I just had to keep practising. The music was also attractive. See, I had never thought of being a professional dancer until I saw Odissi, and I did not have to choose between seven Indian classical dances!

Do you see parallels between your early training in the Martha Graham school of modern dance and your traning in Odissi?
No, not really. But it definitely helped. I think any experience in learning dance would have helped me with the Odissi  training.

You have chosen to base yourself largely in India. Why is this?
I hadn’t planned to stay on so long. I was in Tokyo after I left Nrityagram, teaching Odissi and yoga in a workshop. I was thinking about what to do next. Among my students was a Canadian lady who had stayed in India for 12 years. She suggested I return to India and start actively performing instead of settling down in Japan to teach. She inspired me. I must say, I had thought of India only as a place to learn Odissi dance, but now I really enjoy being here. I meet so many interesting people.

Is the way of learning dance here more personalised? Is it similar to the way you learnt dance in Japan?
Well, yes and no. I never learnt traditional Japanese dances like noh or kabuki, so I cannot answer that question adequately. Nor was I ever part of a dance company in Japan. But my sister is a member of a Western classical ballet company in Tokyo. I see many similarities between her company and Nrityagram. In India, there is the guru-shishya parampara, where the relationship between the guru and student is very strong. But nowadays in Bhubaneswar, I see this changing. I believe that one should go through total surrender to the guru in order to really master an art form. I also say