Mission

dNaga Dance Co. started in 2001 and is rooted in creativity and community building. Through dance, our mission is to explore that which challenges us and to uplift our commonalities in order to inspire compassion and hope. dNaga is licensed to offer the Dance for PD® program in Oakland and founded the GIRL Project at EastSide Cultural Center

dNaga’s community programs are driven by the cultivation of creativity and connection. By cultivating creative thinking, we are directly affecting our ability to build new pathways to problem-solving. We can help to heal trauma, interrupt systemic oppression, and use art as a tool to liberate ourselves and our communities.

 dNaga is in residence at Danspace, where we have been offering a Dance for Parkinson’s program since 2007 have trained and rehearsed. dNaga’s company members live in Oakland and Brooklyn, and are currently rehearsing in Oakland. Intergenerational community members are always included in our performances. dNaga’s GIRL Project is in residence at EastSide Cultural Center, where we have been offering a multi-disciplinary art and empowerment program for POC girls 11 and up since 2014.

History

dNaga began in 2001 by artistic executive director, Claudine Naganuma. The intention was to have an inter-generational company that would create work through a use of ballet and butoh dance styles. Naganuma had just completed 12 years serving at Asian American Dance Performances’ artistic director. dNaga (then danceNaganuma) was created to provide an opportunity for her to create works outside of the Asian American perspective. She wanted to explore what it would mean to be an American choreographer, not just an Asian American choreographer. Over the past 20 years, dNaga’s approach to ballet, butoh, modern, and Chinese folk dance styles have created a uni.que body of work. The interview process is at the forefront of dNaga’s search for meaning and is preserved in the dance scores and in their 2019 book, PEACE About Life; Dancing with Parkinson’s. Read more about Claudine Naganuma’s trajectory in this article highlighting four Mills College dance department alumni.

Our Work

dNaga’s performing company creates work rooted in the interview process, tackling themes such as the incarceration of Japanese Americans, racial profiling, mental health, systemic issues facing our youth, medication, surgery and palliative care. The company is based in Oakland, and has company members living on both the west and east coasts. The company recently performed in Barcelona, Spain at the World Parkinson Congress (2023) and published a book entitled PEACE About Life: Dancing with Parkinson’s.

Much of our work is about developing a better understanding of our world and our place within it. By collecting the wisdom and personal stories of our elders, we can learn how to better care for ourselves and our communities, like SHIFT: Political Prisoners.