Sono Osato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sono Osato
Sono Osato in "Original Ballet Russe" performing at Theatre Royal, Sydney
Born	(1919-08-29)August 29, 1919 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	December 26, 2018(2018-12-26) (aged 99) New York City, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Victor Elmaleh ​ ​ (m. 1943; died 2014)​
Children	2
Former groups	Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo American Ballet Theatre

Sono Osato (大里 ソノ, Osato Sono, August 29, 1919 – December 26, 2018) was an amazing American dancer and actress. She was born in 1919 and passed away in 2018. Sono became famous for her incredible ballet performances and also acted in movies.

Early Life and Dance Dreams

Sono Osato was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1919. She was the oldest of three children. Her father was Japanese, and her mother was Canadian with French-Irish family. In 1925, her family moved to Chicago.

When Sono was eight, her mother took her and her sister to Europe. While in Monte Carlo, they saw a ballet show called Cléopâtre. This show was by a very famous dance group called Ballets Russes. Seeing this performance made Sono want to become a ballet dancer. When she returned to Chicago in 1929, she started taking ballet classes. She learned from great dancers like Berenice Holmes and Adolph Bolm.

A Star on the Stage

Sono Osato began her dance career at just 14 years old. She joined Wassily de Basil's Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo. This was one of the most famous ballet companies in the world at that time. Sono was the youngest dancer in the group. She was also their first American dancer and their first dancer of Japanese background.

The company's leader wanted Sono to change her name to a Russian name, but she said no. She toured the world with the company for six years. She danced in the United States, Europe, Australia, and South America.

In 1941, Sono left the Ballets Russe. She felt her career was not growing anymore. She then studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City. After six months, she joined the American Ballet Theatre as a dancer. With this company, she performed in many famous ballets. These included Sleeping Beauty and Pillar of Fire.

Sono Osato in a costume for Francesca da Rimini in the 1930s.

Challenges and New Paths

After the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, things became difficult for people of Japanese descent in the U.S. Sono was asked to change her name to something more "American." For a short time, she used her mother's last name, Fitzpatrick.

Around this time, her father was arrested. He was held in Chicago because of the Japanese American Internment policy. This policy affected many Japanese Americans during World War II. In 1942, Sono could not join the Ballet Theatre's tour to Mexico. Japanese Americans were not allowed to leave the country. She also could not perform in California or other western states. These areas were considered military zones and were off-limits to people of Japanese heritage.

Despite these challenges, Sono continued to perform. She also started acting in musical theater shows on Broadway. She was in One Touch of Venus, On the Town, and Ballet Ballads. For her role in One Touch of Venus, she won a Donaldson Award in 1943.

Acting and Later Life

In the late 1940s and 1950s, Sono Osato also became an actress. She appeared on Broadway in Peer Gynt. She also acted in the movie The Kissing Bandit with Frank Sinatra. She made guest appearances on TV shows like The Adventures of Ellery Queen.

In 1980, Sono wrote a book about her life called Distant Dances. She also helped other dancers. In 2006, she started the Sono Osato Scholarship Program. This program helps former dancers pay for college. In 2016, a dance company in Chicago created a show about her life called Sono's Journey.

Personal Life

Sono Osato married a real estate developer named Victor Elmaleh in 1943. They had two sons together. Victor passed away in 2014.

Sono Osato died at her home in Manhattan on December 26, 2018. She was 99 years old. Her niece, who is an artist, is also named Sono Osato.

Images for kids

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  Sono Osato in "Original Ballet Russe" performing at Theatre Royal, Sydney

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  Sono Osato in a costume for Francesca da Rimini in the 1930s.