Sono Osato

Sono Osato was a Japanese-American ballet dancer and actress who performed with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and starred in the original Broadway production of On the Town.

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George Balanchine: George Balanchine was a Georgian-American choreographer who helped establish neoclassical ballet in the United States. Balanchine choreographed works Osato performed with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
On the Town: On the Town is a 1944 musical about three sailors on a day’s leave in New York City. Osato starred as Ivy Smith in the original Broadway production, which opened in 1944.
San Francisco: San Francisco is a major port city in Northern California. Osato was born and raised in San Francisco before beginning her professional dance career.
Distant Dances: Distant Dances is Sono Osato’s 1980 memoir about her life and career in dance. The memoir recounts Osato’s experiences in ballet, Broadway, and wartime America.
Jerome Robbins: Jerome Robbins was an American choreographer and director known for work in ballet and musical theater. Robbins directed and choreographed the original Broadway production of On the Town, in which Osato starred.
Filling Station: Filling Station is a comic ballet choreographed by Lew Christensen, first performed in 1938. Osato performed in this American ballet during her career with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
Japanese Americans: Japanese Americans are people in the United States with Japanese ancestry. Osato’s Japanese-American identity shaped her experience in the performing arts and during World War II.
Asian Americans in the performing arts: Asian Americans in the performing arts are artists of Asian descent working in theater, dance, music, and related fields in the United States. Osato’s leading Broadway role challenged the limited opportunities available to Asian-American performers in her era.
Leonide Massine: Leonide Massine was a Russian-born choreographer and dancer who shaped twentieth-century ballet and worked with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Massine choreographed for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo during Osato’s years with the company.
The Red Poppy: The Red Poppy is a Soviet ballet by Reinhold Glière, first staged in 1927. Osato danced in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo’s production of this repertory ballet.