who we are

Judith Kajiwara, artistic director

After 20 years as a solo butoh performing artist, Judith has shifted forward to train and mentor a talented ensemble of dancers. As a third-generation Japanese American dancer, having studied numerous dance genres throughout her life, in 1994, she decided to devote herself entirely to the study of Butoh. Butoh, with its rebellious origins, was the perfect bridge between being Japanese born in America and her Japanese ancestry. Butoh was the answer to her search for a dance form that truly voiced her experiences as a Japanese American woman. Judith considers her Butoh "self-taught", having spent endless hours alone, searching within, to find innovative ways to express the endless stream of stories, memories, images and emotions that had begun to emerge. She has since created and performed countless Butoh solo works for the stage, beginning with "The Ballad of Machiko", at the NOHspace, in 1995. Much of her work has focused on creating characters that reflect the history of Japanese Americans. She loves to teach, and has taught and choreographed dances since she was in her early 20s. In addition to Butoh, Judith teaches a weekly hip hop dance workout for adults and is a Reiki (energy healing) practitioner and teacher.

Ruth Ichinaga, butoh and taiko

Ruth Ichinaga was born and raised in Berkeley, California. In 1942, she and her family were incarcerated along with other Japanese American families at Topaz, Utah for three years. When the family was released, they returned to Berkeley. Ruth received her degree in nursing from UCSF and worked as a house call nurse at Kaiser San Francisco, a public health nurse for Alameda County Health Department and as a school nurse for Oakland Public Schools for 25 years. She was married to her husband, Norman, for fifty years and together raised three children. She is also the proud grandmother of three. In 1995 she began her study of taiko drumming. Her most recent teacher is Mr. Jimi Nakagawa. She finds taiko a great way to keep her mind and body active. Twice a month, she has been teaching taiko to seniors at the senior center. She has also studied improvisational dance with Terry Sendgraff for the last fifteen years. From 2009 through 2014, Ruth performed with Jill Togawa and the Purple Moon Dance Project in “When Dreams are Interrupted” , a site specific endeavor in several cities in California. She was also one of ten older women dancers who performed their stories in “Uhane” in 2012. At present she takes classes in Butoh from Judith Kajiwara, Artistic Director of OnenessButoh. Ruth is discovering the truth in the notion that it is never too late to do what one loves to do.

Kiyono Kishi, butoh and taiko

As a recently retired teacher, Kiyono has been playing taiko with Stockton Bukkyo Taiko for over 15 years. This year with more time and the opportunity, she has had the good fortune to begin studying Butoh with Judith Kajiwara. Kiyono is learning that the two art forms have many similarities, yet express very different aspects of who we are. Never before a dancer, learning Butoh is opening Kiyono up to new understandings of the connection between mind, body and spirit. She’s very grateful for that.

Lipton Mah, butoh

Lipton Mah is a relative late-starter to performing. After leaving a 39 year career in the corporate world, he has since participated in several Judith Kajiwara-led butoh programs, including "Shedding Skin" and "Tsunami of Light". His most recent performance was in the Oakland Asian Cultural Center program, "Journeys", about the Asian American immigration experience. In that program, he made his solo dance debut in "Angel Island Poems". He is a founding member of the performance ensemble, OnenessButoh.

Nina Moore, butoh

Nina is a mother, sister, daughter, auntie and stands on the shoulders of many strong ancestors. A descendant of Africans who survived slavery and Jewish relations who escaped the holocaust, she is blessed and honored to carry on their legacy. She's worked in the field of education for 30 years, committed to better serve our young people who are traditionally underserved by our public school educational system. Ten years ago, returned to school to pursue a doctoral degree. While writing her dissertation, Nina discovered the joy of storytelling. Having also discovered dance, she fell in love with Afro-Haitian dance--the ancient rhythms of the drums, and the beauty of movement that represents the deep, rich cultures of the African continent. This led her to dancing with a Bay Area Haitian company for 8 years. Dance is like storytelling with the body instead of the pen. She is pleased to have been introduced to Butoh by Judith Kajiwara. Her Butoh experience again moved her from deep inside, telling stories with her body from the inside out.

Irene Wibawa, butoh

Irene Wibawa is ethnically Chinese, was born in Indonesia, and has resided in the USA since she was 8 years old. She is a multi disciplinary artist in visual and performance art. Her dance training range from traditional Balinese dance to choreography to Missy Elliott songs. In January 2018, she began her first butoh journey with OnenessButoh dance group. Butoh has become a refuge where societal pressures contract, awareness and authenticity expand, and the storytelling thrives. Her first butoh performance was in Ode to Minamata in UMI. She is eager to retire, even though it will be over a decade from now, from her job at US Department of Agriculture because despite her love for growing plants and rearing insects, it is clear from OnenessButoh dance group that retirees have the most fun.

Our Training Program

OnenessButoh includes a training program designed to gradually merge potential butohistas into performance roles. Applicants are invited to undergo an extensive audition and interview with the Founding Members before being accepted into the program.

Our current trainee is: Irene Wibawa