A creative yet shy child fascinated with origami and crafts, Kaiji Moriyama discovered dance late, at the age of 21 while a university student. He has certainly made up for the lost time, though. Just seven years since first studying the art form, he performed to rave reviews at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland and was named "one of the year's most talented dancers." Moriyama followed his debut success with "Katana," a breakthrough original production, in New York in 2005.

Since then Moriyama, 46, has participated in more than 100 performances in Japan and abroad, both solo and in collaboration with other artists. He debuts his newest work, "Ninja," at the New National Theatre, Tokyo on May 31.

Because Moriyama draws from a diverse selection of dance styles and genres, his work appeals to a wide range of audiences, from children to adults and classical fans to contemporary. Due to popular demand, an extra performance has already been added to the run. Following the Tokyo performances, Moriyama will tour the nation into July, traveling to Fukushima, Iwate, Ibaraki, Shiga, Tottori, Fukuoka, and Nagano prefectures.