Q. What are you reading?

A. Right now I'm almost finished reading Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth." This is his newest book that Oprah featured with an online class, which I have not been involved in but am aware of. It was so amazing for us to find out that Oprah was featuring a very new age, consciousness-driven book to such masses. I think it's the first time there's been a worldwide online discussion about something that has to do with consciousness-raising.

Q. What do you like about it?

A. Well, I'm a little bit of a self-taught butoh artist and I really merged my butoh training with my new-age awareness into something that I think is very unique. So I've been teaching all of these principles of consciousness development and witness, and diminishing of the ego and nonjudgment — and that's exactly what this book is about. ... I'm heavy with the highlighter in this book — so it's a little life changing for me.

Q. Does Tolle's book give you a new language to use as you begin bringing Iona performances to other parts of the world?

A. I think it does help support my language in my teaching and my work with the dancers, because it validates a lot of things I've been talking about for years but had no basis for. A lot of the time I've been ahead of the wave in a way, and ... that this book was such a hit and featured by Oprah tells me that the world is interested in what I've been doing for years.