The UW Department of Dance is delighted to announce that Mr. Arthur Yorozu has created a new fellowship in the Department of Dance. The Helene Tsutsumoto Yorozu and Arthur S. Yorozu Endowed Fellowship in Dance will support graduate students who perform in the Chamber Dance Company. Helene Tsutsumoto Yorozu was an accomplished modern dancer, actress, and Japanese classical dancer. A 1955 graduate of the University of Washington, she served as the president of the Orchesis Dance Club during her time here. We are so grateful for Mr. Yorozu’s tremendous gift to the department.
About Helene Tsutsumoto Yorozu
Helene Yorozu was a strong, inspirational, and resilient woman of color. She was born on September 30, 1932, to immigrant parents from Japan. From the age of five, she and her older sister May studied Nihon Buyo, Japanese Classical Dance, which she continued through adulthood.
At the University of Washington, her passion and love for modern dance was ignited. She had an insightful moment realizing she was incorporating her Nihon Buyo training into modern dance. Through nuanced gestures, isolations, thrusts, contractions, and stillness, she was able to express her artistic creativity. She truly loved modern dance—the feeling of being connected to the earth and dancing barefoot was her favorite.
Helene Tsutsumoto Yorozu and Arthur S. Yorozu Endowed Fellowship in Dance is aligned with the University of Washington’s values to support diversity, equity, and inclusion among the student body. Passionate, creative, enthusiastic, vibrant, an ineffable spirit—these are the qualities the recipient in need of financial aid embodies—as did Helene.
Support the UW Department of Dance
It is with the help of generous donors such as Mr. Arthur Yorozu, that the Department of Dance is able to produce concerts, bring in guest artists, send students to conferences, contribute to scholarship funds, and support our internationally recognized faculty in continuing to create their innovative work. Gifts to the Department of Dance can be made at any level, and any gift - large or small - is sincerely appreciated.
Consider making a gift today! Your gift would support a wide range of needs that fill the gap not covered by state funding. From basic necessities to fulfilling dreams, all private funds support educational activities for students and faculty.