Øyvind Jørgensen was born and raised in Norway, where he also began his dance career in 1978 at the age of 18. After two years of intensive training he attended The National College of Dance and Ballet (department of Dance) in Oslo, Norway. He graduated in 1983 with a major in contemporary dance.

During the following two years he extended his studies at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York, where he worked with a number of different choreographers. He performed with the Martha Graham Ensemble
under the direction of Yuriko. While in New York he also studied the techniques of Lester Horton and Jennifer Muller.

After returning to Norway in 1985, he became part of a new generation of choreographers, presenting his first work Recognition in 1986. Together with two other choreographers Karen Foss and Ingun Bjørnsgaard he founded the Zakraz Dance Company in 1987, where he was resident choreographer, co-producer and dancer until 1993.

Pieces worthy of mention include Largo (1990), a full length piece set to Baroque music and themes (in collaboration with Karen Foss).

His last production for Zakraz was Impulses (1993), an evening of three works comprised of: Tundra, Princes In Exile and Changes. Tundra was selected for performance at The Norwegian National Ballet’s Year of Dance Gala, 1993.

In 1995 he choreographed a full length work for Nye Carte Blanche in Bergen, a piece commissioned by The Norwegian State Church for the Millennial Anniversary of Christianity in Norway.

He was introduced to Butoh through Sankai Juku in New York 1984. Later, he had the opportunity of working as a dancer in Anzu Furukawa’s production Under The Window in 1991. He has also danced with Monica Herstad - who has worked as Min Tanaka’s assistant - in her performance Recollection Of An Unlived Life.