Kimiko Ohtani

🪔 About

Kimiko Ohtani, born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, is a distinguished figure in Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam. Her journey into this art form began while she was studying music research at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. A professor recommended she explore Indian classical dance music, leading her to Chennai, India, where she trained at the renowned Kalakshetra from 1966 to 1968. During her time there, she received instruction in Bharatanatyam from teachers including N.S. Jayalakshmi. Upon her return to Japan, Ohtani gave a concert in Kyoto, which garnered significant attention due to the rarity of Indian classical dance in Japan at the time, leading to numerous performance opportunities across the country. She furthered her academic pursuits by completing a Master's in Dance Ethnology in Hawaii over three years. Her career included teaching Dance and Music Ethnology at Soai University in Osaka, where she continued to teach even after her official retirement from Kochi University, where she had previously taught music. Ohtani also spent six years in Northern Ireland, where she taught Bharatanatyam to the local Indian community. She has continued to perform, giving a Bharatanatyam recital in Kyoto in September 2017 and performing on World Dance Day by UNESCO in Osaka on April 31, 2018, at the age of 76. Her dissertation was also on Bharatanatyam.