What is Kabuki Academy?

Mary Mariko Ohno has opened the KABUKI ACADEMY in 1983 to instruct Japanese classical dancing, Naga-uta style shamisen music and the general concepts of Kabuki Arts at the Tacoma Community College, Seattle Central Community College and her studio in Tacoma, Washington (Pacific Northwest). Up to now, the numbers of her enthusiastic students reached well over 500 who are either Americans, Japanese-Americans or even Japanese live in U.S.A.

Although, she lives in Tacoma, Mary Ohno goes to Japan to perform Japanese dancing or shamisen music at numerous theaters in Tokyo, Japan to accomplish her skills. Those who join her Kabuki Academy are fully satisfied with her energetic, patient and well disciplined lessons proceeded by her fluent English and Japanese.

You might feel odds for those want to learn just a dancing or music, "Why should I also learn Japanese discipline or traditions? You can hardly learn any Japanese traditional arts unless knowing its cultures or traditions. The more you learn, the more you enjoy working on whatever you are taking lessons in. "Seeing is believing" Come and join our Kabuki Academy and discover yourself. For those who join the Kabuki Academy, will receive the "Kabuki Academy Manners & Etiquette Manual" and you can learn a lot of things from this manual, which you've never heard nor thought of them.

Besides conducting those classes, Mary Ohno is also the fonder and Director of the Kabuki Academy Performance Troupe. In past ten years, several Kabuki Academy Recitals were held at the Nippon-kan Theater, Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Community College Theater, etc. presented by Kabuki Academy students and/with numbers of professional Kabuki actor/dancers, Naga-uta shamisen musicians and percussionists joined, from Tokyo Japan.

Mary Ohno also produces and directs traditional KABUKI style performances, being as a producer as well as performer herself. In 1988 at Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, TX. In 1996, at Berklee Performance Center of Berklee College of Music with Boston Conservatory, in Boston, MA. All these performances were quite unique and first attempt of Kabuki performance/demonstrate program in overseas that their achievements were highly apraised by those specialists in Boston, MA.

"KABUKI ACADEMY" door is always open for you. Come and enjoy learning Kabuki Arts. Mary Ohno personally knows many kabuki artists of dancers, actors, musicians, percussionists, and also artisans of stage costumes, stage wigs and stage makeup, etc. She is planning to invite those artisans to "Kabuki Seminars" and have a workshop. Also planning a "Kabuki Tour" to Japan and visit the Kabuki-za Theater or Japanese traditional artisans' workshops.

If you are interested in Kabuki AcademyClick here

VIDEO

The video of our Kabuki Academy is available with $20 plus postage/handling. This video is introducing not only dancing and shamisen music but also demonstration of the stage make-up and kimono dressing. You can learn the history of the Kabuk, as well. One hour program of this video was televised on the "Majestic Performance Hour" in WA