Takehiro Ueyama, born and raised in Japan, has traveled the world and the USA with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, and received praise from critics like Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times:

"Takehiro Ueyama stands for the easy clarity of his dancing. All will be right with the world when Mr. Ueyama, 35, is on the stage . . . . Dancing today can look like an exhausting dash to the finish line. Mr. Ueyama brings a soft and silky calm and sunny sweetness to everything he does. Even his villains are reassuringly serene."

Finis: Where were you born, and how did you get started dancing?

Take: I was born in Tokyo, Japan. I don't really know why I started dancing, because my dream was to become a professional baseball player. I think when I was 18 or 19, I had seen several Michael Jackson concerts. I was watching music videos, and dancing by myself, doing hip hop and break dancing. At that age, since I wasn't planning on a dance career, I had never had any classical or modern training, and the first time I went to a dance studio, it was to study jazz dance.

Finis: And then?

Take: That made me decide to study seriously, because I saw a flyer that talked about going to New York City to study dance. So, I went to a dance school in Tokyo - it turned out to not be a good one - and began studying ballet, modern, and jazz. And then,Tatsuo Mochizuki, a dance teacher who had gone to Juilliard, became my mentor and suggested I get more serious and study modern dance at his studio. That was the first time I took modern, and I hated it.

Finis: So what did you do?

Take: Well, I liked my teacher, and so I stuck with him for several years. From the ages of 19 to 23, I studied ballet and modern twice a week. Mr. Mochizuki's mentor was Kazuko Hirabayashi, who was teaching at Juilliard at the time. She came to Japan and had a big workshop, and I took class, and I fell in love with her style of contemporary modern dance. I had no hope of becoming a professional dancer in Tokyo, so Kazuko invited me to come to New York and Juilliard. So, I decided to do it; I auditioned in NYC, and was accepted. I started at Juilliard in 1991, when I was 24 years old.

Finis: And that is when I first met you, you took my class while I was teaching at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.

Take: Yes, that was a long time ago!

Finis: What are your memories of being at Juilliard?

Take: I have lots of good memories. I had a great four years, studying with fabulous teachers like Kazuko, Ben Harkarvy, Hector Zaraspe, Alfredo Corvino, Maria Grandy, Linda Kent, and Carolyn Adams. I got to dance a lot. . . works by Paul Taylor, DeMille, Graham, Limon, Kylian, and York. In my third year, I did Taylor's Esplanade, which was a very special experience for me. Dancing in that piece felt so right for me, and it was made me think I'd like to work for Paul in his company.

Finis: So, how did you get into Taylor?

Take: First of all, in my senior year, I auditioned for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and they offered me a job. I consulted Kazuko and Ben, and they told me that even though Hubbard Street was a very good company, I should stay and find work in New York, which is actually what I wanted to do. They kept me calling me for about a week, but I decided no.

Finis: Then what happened?

Take: At the same time I graduated, Kazuko became director of The Martha Graham Ensemble (the second company) and asked me to join her. Ever since I had met Kazuko, and investigated her work with her own company, my dream was to dance for her. However, since she didn't have her own company any more, the next best thing was to work with her and the Ensemble.

Finis: How long did you do that, and what was it like?

Take: I stayed about one summer. I was expecting to be part of creating new work. There had been discussion about doing works by Twyla Tharp, Christopher Bruce, and Kazuko herself, but nothing ever happened. All we did was Graham repertoire - Diversion of Angels and Rite of Spring, everyday. I wasn't being paid, and I was disappointed in not doing new works. Then, Linda Kent called and said there was an audition for Paul Taylor II, so I went.

Finis: And?

Take: Paul asked me to join the second company, but I turned it down, because I had made a commitment to work with Kaz. I asked Paul if I would have a chance of dancing with his main company, and he said he couldn't guarantee it.

Finis: What happened next?

Take: Soon after that, Paul had an audition for the main company. By that time, I felt I had to leave Kazuko and the Ensemble. So I went to the audition, and before we did anything, I was asked by Linda Hodes, Director of Taylor 2, if I was really serious this time, and would be willing to work in the second company. I said, no, I only want to dance with the Main Company.

Finis: That was very brave of you!

Take: So, I did the audition along with everyone else, and when we were finished, Paul called me over, and said he liked my dancing, and asked me to join the Main Company.

Finis: Your guts paid off!

Take: That was one of the great moments of my life. I was speechless.

Finis: I always like to think that following your heart is always the best rule when you are a performer. So how was life with The Paul Taylor Dance Company?

Take: Crazy . . . lots of dancing . . . constant dancing . . . constant touring. But, it was great being able to dance so many wonderful Taylor masterpieces like Sunset, Arden court, Last Look, Cloven Kingdom, Roses, and, of course, Esplanade.

Finis: Were you ever bothered by the fact that Taylor is not an AGMA (Union) Company with regulated pay scales and working conditions?

Take: I didn't know anything, so I had no idea what we should be paid. I was happy dancing with Paul, and I always made enough to live on. I think that working with Paul has been a priceless experience. You know, so many people would "kill" to dance for Paul Taylor. I always considered myself very lucky to have that job! As far as modern companies go, I think we probably have one of the highest pay scales. It's never been a problem for me.

Finis: How many weeks did you usually work each year?

Take: Every year is different, but I would say we worked at least 40, even 45 weeks.

Finis: How much of that was touring?

Take: I'd say that every year, Paul would create two new works. Each work would be given six weeks of production, so that would have us in New York City for twelve weeks, and then we'd rehearse repertory for about five weeks altogether. Then we'd have our annual two week season at City Center. And then we'd tour!

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