Seniors Squared

Ballet and classical music were thriving in “I mean how could she expect to teach the 1950’s so it is no ballet when she weighed close to 400 surprise that Art found pounds.” a girl who was an avid dancer. Many people consider the 50’s and 60’s to be “the golden years” of ballet because of the famous dancers and choreographers from that time period. The New York City ballet was home to performances choreographed by such greats as, Stravinsky and Balanchine. Art’s interest in this nice girl drove him to enroll in the same ballet school and begin studying ballet. Art certainly chose the right city to study ballet. Chicago is home to a rich culture of classical music, ballet and other musical theatre including a variety of prestigious opera houses. During his time as a dancer Art was taught a variety of dance moves and lifts that male dancers are expected to execute in performances. However, Art’s ballet career was cut short by the Korean War.

Being a young man living in the United States in 1953 was difficult. The US was in the middle of the Korean War and a draft was happening. Young men from around the country were being plucked from their home and thrown into basic training and then off to the front lines. Rather than becoming drafted many men opted to enlist into the military so they had some control over their fate.

This is the same path Art took. He enlisted in the Air Force to avoid going to Korea and fighting on the fronts. In total he spent five years with the Air Force.

His first year was spent in the United States doing basic training in Wiskott Falls, Texas to become maintenance personnel. He jumped at the first chance he had to go to Japan because he had never been there before but has always been fascinated with their culture.

While he was serving in Japan he was able to pursue his dancing career. Ballet in Japan was considerably younger compared to other countries. It had only been around for 40 years or so at that time. The first record of ballet in Japan was in 1912, however, it didn’t take root until after World War II. Eiryo Ashihara was a widely known critic in Japan who was famous for bringing western culture to Japan. He co‐founded the Tokyo Ballet Company. Japanese ballet was still in its infancy when Art came to Japan.