Biography
Early in the first decade of her career as a Dancer, Mariko Endo concurrently studied Butoh under Akira Kasai, one of the co-founders of the Butoh movement. From 2000 to 2004, she toured throughout Japan and the U.S. with the legendary artistic director, Akaji Maro.
More recently, as a Dancer and choreographer, Ms. Endo has collaborated with international composers and visual artists to produce multimedia performance Art. In 2016, at the garden of the American Museum of Natural History, Mariko performed her original solo piece to the music of the American contemporary composer Dary John Mizelle's "Metal Song". Prior to that, Mariko had choreographed and danced to Maltese composer Mariella C. Cordina's "Ggantija" at Symphony Space.
In 2017, as an experienced educator of at-risk children, Mariko worked with a group of these youngsters to produce the documentary-dance film "Mask Task," directed by the Los Angeles-based filmmaker Josephine Decker.
In October 2018, Mariko performed her original solo Butoh piece to Joel Thome’s music, Adoration of The Divine Mother, a canto from SAVITRI TRAVELER OF THE WORLDS (Pulitzer Prize Nomination) at New York Butoh Institute Festival at Theater for the New City. Later that month, at the American Dance Guild Festival at Ailey Citigroup Theater, Ms. Endo performed a new work "Heavy Water," by Gloria McLean. In 2019, both of them toured to Japan, performing an expanded version of Heavy Water in Tokyo Daigo Fukuryū Maru Memorial Peace Park.
In October 2021, Mariko premièred 2 new solo dance films at the Metropolitan Museum, NYC, as part of their "Balcony Bar from Home" series. This event marked her career début at the Met, albeit "virtually." Created with renowned contemporary composer, Stanley Grill, "American Landscape," and “Remembering”. “American Landscape” won 2022 Telly Awards, Silver for Cinematography, Bronz for General Music Video.
In Spring 2022, the rehearsal began for two major productions at Trinity Church Wall Street. Ms. Endo performed Marilyn Green’s work “Humankind” in Fall 2022, and choreographed her solo piece “Ahimsa” (World Premier) in Spring 2023, at the site of extraordinary, St. Paul chapel.
