KAMBARA+ DANCERS was founded by Yayoi Kambara in 2015 after her retirement from ODC Dance as a vehicle to produce her choreography, focusing on producing dance performance experiences that cultivate a sense of belonging. KAMBARA+ DANCERS defines equity as belonging. As a creative partner in the studio, performer, or in the audience, belonging is the bridge built to narrate and perform new dynamic works. In her choreographic work, Kambara is interested in the authentic voice of the body and its inherent identity in performance. She focuses her choreography on diverse cultural, economic, and ethnic differences by creating space for empathy and dialogue. In a world becoming alarmingly more conservative and segregated, taking time to create with a diverse cast is her way of preserving optimism as dance can represent the ineffable resiliency of the human spirit to continue in the face of uncertainty.

KAMBARA + DANCERS has been funded by the CA$H grant, Zellerbach Family Foundation Community Arts Grant, Rainin Foundation Opportunity Work Fund for self-producing artists. Yayoi Kambara’s choreography has been commissioned by Dance Mission Theater, the Jonathan Logan Foundation, Genevieve Quick (Planet Celadon) and Choreofest at Yerba Buena Gardens

Photo by Kyle Addler