Mariko Takayasu is born 1957 in Kyoto, Japan. She was brought up in the Samurai traditional family. She left Japan when she was 16 and spend the next 11 years in the USA. There she worked as a psychotherapist & dance therapist. She graduated Portland State University in Psychology and Dance, and went on to dance at the school of Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham. She translates the Kendo art of fencing and the basic principles of Samurai body and spiritual training into a contemporary language of movement. She lives through her suffering from rheumatic fever to find the way to balance of body, mind spiritual revolution to open her heart and mind to understand potential to repair mechanical system. Her solo dance "Mandala" is her life work to understand human potential. Mandala at the early stages was danced at temples, and outdoors gardens.

Her works reflect both her origins and her dramatic experiences with her body. She sees dance as a way to go beyond the physical plane to know the meaning of life and death. She found Mariko Dance Theatre in 1983 in Kyoto. She performs, creates, teaches and work as therapist in Japan. She says "Our body communicates much more than our words. We are dance and music. We are here to be in harmony to become dance and music in peace with love and compassion."　 Improvised Inner Feelings and Emotional Expressions.

She developed new version "MANDALA"for IN TRANSIT 05, where she celebrates her European stage  première           at  HAUS DER KULTUREN DER WELT. Photo by W.Gambell