In her 20s, YOKO was active in New York as a contemporary, contemporary African, and underground dancer. Alongside her performance career, she encountered Contact Improvisation (CI) and studied release techniques and somatic exercises, including the Simonson Dance Technique and obtaining the RYT200 certification from the Yoga Alliance. From 2007 to 2010, she was also active in Japan as a member of C.I.co./CIFJ.

 

In 2013, she appeared as a dancer in the stage production “On Earth Together” by Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company in New York. From 2017 to 2021, she trained at Chunky Move in Melbourne. During this time, she was also active with CIJamsta (a community of experienced CI dancers in Melbourne) and worked as a dance instructor at Wendon Dance School.

 

Her involvement with Zouk and Lambada began when she was invited as a guest instructor as a CI dancer, which gradually led her to study these dance forms herself.

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After returning to Japan in 2022, she has been teaching regular classes at Session House and within the Tokyo CI community, while also working as a guest instructor. She is also active as a therapist.

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In July–August 2025, she trained in Brazil. In 2025, she was invited as an instructor at ZoukSea, where she led workshops focusing on connection.