Yayoi Hirano

Born and raised in Japan, Yayoi is a graduate of Toho Gakuen College of Drama. In 1989, she became the first mime artist to receive the Japanese Ministry of Education Fellowship and spent a year collaborating with mime and dance artists in Germany and Canada. She has lived in Vancouver since 2002. Yayoi has extensive experience with both western and traditional Japanese dance theatre.

Her career as a solo performer includes numerous European, Asian festivals and five North American tours beginning with appearance at Vancouver Expo ‘86. Yayoi is also a carver of Noh-style masks. Some of her recent works include her company YTM productions Shinju (2008), Identity-Ancestral Memory (2011) and A Greek tragedy in Noh-theatre style Medea/Rokujo in November 2013 at the Orpheum Theatre Annex, OKUNI-Mother of Kabuki in March 2017 at Studio 1398.

Yayoi performed as a guest for Sara Davis Buechner’s concert at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Centre on June 1, 2017, Ibert’s “Histories” and received a great review from NY Times. This program was presented in Washington DC on April 10 at Freer Gallery of Art (Smithsonian Museum), on May 10 Victoria Music at Wentworth Villa, and on July 29 at the “Orford Music Festival” near Montreal.

Yayoi started to work “Comedia” since 2018 November at Visual Space with Cellist Marina Hasselberg as a working progress and performed second one on May 2019. The final “Comedia 2020” performed at The Dance Centre on Feb. 21 & 22 2020. Her newest project” A Life- At the Hawk’s Well” started since March 2021 and will be presented in Italy Bologna April 2022 supported by the Canada Council.

Yayoi has also worked as a movement coach for Vancouver Opera’s Madama Butterfly (2010), Mortal Coil’s Salmon Row (2011) and Carousel Theatre’s Wondrous Tales of Old Japan (2014).