June 1, 2010. Kazuo Ohno, pioneer of dance in Japan. grandfather of butoh and good friend died at 3am on June 1 in Japan. I remember him fondly and with reverance. He was the embodiment of dance, death, life, grace and horror. We will all miss him.

I met Kazuo Ohno back in 1979… I have seen him move, heard him speak, wrote about his work and life, and more vital than that, have been honored to eat his incredible cooking. Dancing is (was) his life. There is no question that he lived to dance, and danced to live. A while ago, a collection of his words, and the words of his son, Yoshito, was published by Wesleyan press. When that happened, I declared that the so-called critics and experts (like me) can finally rest. We were given the gift of Ohno’s words in a stellar translation that has been inspirational. I had a glimpse of spiritual power in Ohno’s dance. I was empowered by his benevolence and his cruelty, by his passion and his grace. Each time I watched him dance I thought it was the last. We all thought it was the last. This is the secret we shared with him. It was ALWAYS the last time. with love and sending his spirit to the bodies of dancers everywhere.

–Bonnie Sue Stein