Yokko is an actor, choreographer, movement artist, Butoh Artist, and solo performer from Japan. She has acted in, devised and choreographed a variety of local and international shows, having won several awards, including Best One-Woman Show for Butoh Medea (United Solo 2014 at Theatre Row).
Butoh Medea was selected to perform in Warsaw (Poland) (United Solo Europe 2015, Theatre Syrena), toured Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015, and was nominated for The Asian Arts Award. It was also the winner of Best Physical Theatre Show and Best Choreography at United Solo 2015 and 2014.
Yokko’s other solo show BALDY (CRS, United Solo 2013, HFF 2013, Fringe NYC 2012) also received a lot of recognition. On screen she acted in several local and international films, one of which is the Student Academy Winner film, Cloud-Kumo (2016). Yokko is the associate artistic director of The Ume Group, as well as the artistic director of Ren Gyo Soh in NYC.
She just premiered her new one-woman show Hide Your Fires at the United Solo 2017 at Theatre Row. Telling the story of Lady Macbeth solely through her perspective, this production uses Butoh (a Japanese avant-garde dance form), movement and various texts to put you inside the mind and body of one of Shakespeare's most famous villains.
Yokko holds a B.A in Theatre from the University of Albany and an MFA in Acting from The Actors Studio. She recently toured Europe to teach Butoh and movement to international performers.
