We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Miho Ryu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Miho, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
I think that my own experiences in life have helped me to adopt a more generous perspective on things. In my life so far, I have experienced many setbacks, failures, illnesses and injuries. From these experiences, I have come to understand that life does not always go according to plan. I also believe that fate has a way of working everything out for the best. With this in mind, instead of expecting or being disappointed by things, I have learned to accept things as they are without judging them. Even so, sometimes I find myself in a negative condition and unable to be generous with those around me. In such cases, I try to make time and have a conversation with myself with a generous heart.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a New York based dancer, choreographer and teaching artist, originally from Tokyo.
I have loved dancing since I was a child, and I want to continue dancing until the end of my life. It is no exaggeration to say that my passion for dance is what sustains me.
In 1999, I came to New York to study dance immediately after graduating from university in Japan. After the September 11th attacks, as a young foreign artist I experienced the difficulties of living in New York, and in a sense gave up on the challenge of the New York dance scene and returned to Japan in 2004. The year after I returned to Japan, I gave birth to my daughter, and then I began life as a single mother, raising my child while dancing. Even though I was in a very difficult financial situation, I never considered giving up dancing, but earning a living as a dancer, making time, and raising my daughter was extremely tough on my body and mind.
Perhaps due to stress, I developed a series of illnesses, including asthma, an eating disorder, a meniscus injury, and spinal stenosis. When my body stopped being able to dance, I completely lost sight of my purpose in life and fell into a deep depression. Even in those circumstances, my daughter’s presence beside me gave me encouragement, and over time, my body and mind recovered like a miracle, and I was able to dance and work again.
Amidst the rough waves of this life, which could be called a series of miracles, my work gradually got back on track, and I had more opportunities to go dancing in various regions, including Asia, Europe and North America. And gradually, I began to feel the desire to return to New York as the base of my activities. It was an irresistible feeling that made me want to chase after the dream I had given up on 20 years ago. I thought that if I didn’t do it, I would regret it at the end of my life. With the support of my beloved daughter who had turned 20, my parents, and everyone involved in Japan, I obtained an artist visa in 2024 and resumed my activities as a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist in New York in June of the same year.
After years of strain, I now have breast cancer and am currently undergoing treatment. I truly believe that my passion for dance will give me the strength to overcome this breast cancer. I believe that the human body and mind can be sustained by a certain kind of passion. I believe that passion is the power that can create miracles and turn life around like magic.
This is not a miracle that has only happened to me. I think that many people in this world are living their lives, burning with passion, connecting miracles, and living their lives while struggling, wondering, and suffering every day in a life with no clear future.
I strongly believe that passion can move people’s lives in a big way, and I want to keep dancing and embodying that. And also, I would like to continue creating dance works that use the beauty of human physique to bring light to people’s hearts, and to present works that bless the lives of us humans, who are living in conflict.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. A strong will to move forward straight towards what you can dream about and what excites you.
This is not just a mental belief, but also a clue to using your body to tackle things. I think that recognizing where you are now and where you want to be in the future is the starting point for improving yourself. If you can do this, you will be able to see the distance and path to achieving your dreams. Then, think about what is lacking in order to move forward on that path, how you can make up for it, and take action. I think it is also important to analyze things to a certain extent in a calm and objective way.
2. The ability to change your own mindset
This is a skill I learned when I was suffering from depression.
When you’re feeling down and negative, it’s easy to think that you need to quickly shift your reality to a positive one, but sometimes that’s difficult to do. In those cases, I start by thinking, “I don’t want to stay like this.” By clearly telling yourself that you want a different future, you can open up a path for yourself. It’s like a big door opening just by touching a small switch, without having to pull a huge lever. By switching your thinking, you can put yourself in a safer place.
3. Long-term connections with people I meet
In my line of work, I meet many people every day. There are dancers who come all the way from overseas to take my classes, and there are also overseas artists and organizers with whom I travel and create works. There are also many friends I have made through raising my daughter. I maintain these connections through social networking services, sending messages and holding online meetings. I value these connections very much, because not only do they deepen friendships and expand our interactions around the world, but the relationships of mutual support and the trust we create are essential to the artist community to which I belong.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I will answer based on the premise that I myself am a dancer with a specialized occupation.
I think it is better to put all your effort into your area of expertise.
As we continue to do this, we will inevitably see our next goal, and in order to achieve it, we will be required to acquire new knowledge and skills.
For example in my case, in order to work globally, I was required to learn English, my second language, in the early stages. In order to produce my own activities, I naturally learned the skills of website creation, image, music and video production. In addition, in order to keep my body, which is my medium of expression, in good condition, I acquired basic knowledge of anatomy and also studied and received a certification of Qi Gong master. In this way, the necessary knowledge has been added naturally as I enjoyed pursuing my areas of expertise. When I need skills in areas that I am not good at and cannot learn, I ask experts to collaborate with me. This has not only led to new encounters but also provided opportunities for me to create employment and expand my projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ryumiho.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryumihoryu/?hl=ja （@ryumihoryu）
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@MihoRyu
Image Credits
IMG_2984(Square cropped tie-dyed pink T shirts) : Mickey Ono
MIC_0411(Dancing between walls) : Mickey Ono
All other 6 photos : Horoyasu Daido
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
