Deborah Klens-Bigman

Teaches at RESOBOX

Deborah Klens-Bigman has studied iaido for over 25 years. Her original teacher was Otani Yoshiteru, an Osaka native and descendant of the samurai class who moved to New York after World War II, with whom she studied Muso Shinden Ryu iaido until his death in 2004.She holds dan (black belt) rankings in three styles of iaido, and has studied other weapon arts, including jodo (stick), kyudo (bow) and naginata (glaive). She also spent several years studying modern fencing and rapier and dagger fight choreography.

Deborah studies Japanese classical dance with Shihan Fujima Nishiki-No (Helen Moss).She is the chief instructor of Iaikai dojo and has published numerous articles on dance and Japanese swordsmanship and their relationships to traditional aesthetics.She holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University.She is married to artist Vernon Bigman and lives in the Bronx, NY, with four cats who definitely own the place.