dNaga Dance Company is a unique ensemble made up of multi-generational dancers including young artists, professionals, and elders. Through workshops, classes, choreography and productions, the dance company explores the nature of our human condition and its relationship to our greater community.

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. dNaga’s work was most recently presented at the 2023 World Parkinson’s Congress in Barcelona, Spain at the International Barcelona Convention Center. The company offers an annual performance season in the Bay Area and has also performed and worked extensively in collaboration with artists from Brooklyn. Company members and collaborators are located in both the Bay Area and the New York metropolitan area.

Selma-Louise Asantewa Apara grew up in the African dance community, following after her older sisters who are professional dancers. She has studied different dance styles such as hip hop, jazz, ballet, modern, and many dance styles from the African diaspora such as Samba. She danced with Dimensions Extensions Performance Ensemble in Oakland from 2017-2018 and attended AileyCamp at UC Berkeley during the summer of 2018. She is currently a sophomore at Howard University, studying Computer Science and Theater Arts.

Jennifer Chan is thrilled to join dNaga in creating art and building connections in a new digital space. Performing since she was five years old, Jennifer completed her formal training at the San Francisco Ballet School and Joffrey Ballet School. In addition to classical ballet roles, her most inspirational work has been "Journey to the West," an adaptation of the 16th century Chinese historical adventure, which was composed by the revolutionary Fred Ho and performed by the Monkey Orchestra. Jennifer went on to study history and psychology at U.C. Berkeley and continued her graduate work in Chinese history and overseas Chinese at Harvard University. She currently edits children's books and young adult literature, with a focus of culturally diverse communities. With dNaga, she is inspired by the stories of Asian American leaders, past and present, and is excited to be working with such dynamic dancers as they explore social, cultural, and gender identity through performance art.

Tracey Lindsay Chan began Chinese folk dance at the age of seven, performing in San Francisco’s Chinatown for 20+ years during Lunar New Year. At 16, after joining her school’s dance company, she quickly gravitated to contemporary movement creation and was nominated to choreograph for the Fort Mason Vision Series Festival under her assigned mentor, Deborah Slater. Across the following decade of obtaining her B.S. (Textiles) and M.S. (Human Factored Design), and developing a career in global research, she danced here and there, completing Broadway Dance Center’s ISVP program, the adult program at Academy of Ballet SF, and learned local dance styles (i.e. garba, konto) during her fieldwork in places like Brazil, India and Nigeria. In 2021, Tracey realized that dance is her lifelong love, and it was time to commit to it. She quit her corporate job and dove into training. Since, she’s completed intensives with ArtÉmotionUSA, the Martha Graham School, The Galen Hooks Method, Runqiao Du Ballet Coaching, and Omega Floorwork. She is excited to have joined the dNaga Dance Ensemble and is in the process of creating her first dance film.

Born and raised in the diversely rich community of Oakland, California, Malkia Chionesu found her purpose of helping to illuminate the lives of others. With over 13 years of experience working with community-based organizations, educational institutions and businesses, Malkia discovered that she could deeply and intuitively understand the intricacies of these places. This inherently gave her the opportunities to educate, serve, and work congruently and nationally with a variety of populations. She received her master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and continues as a life-long student. Malkia leads her own consultancy, M.CHIO, supporting non-profits, creatives, and government agencies with strategy, business development and overall transformative alignment. As a multi-faceted connector, Malkia desires to transform the lives of the people she works with, to empower them to shift their corners of the world.

Martha Friedberg is now retired from her 40-year immigration law practice in Oakland. As a child, she took ballet classes and over the years has enjoyed dabbling in other forms of dance including modern, Indian and salsa although, ironically, she never performed until having Parkinson’s. Martha was diagnosed with PD in 2010, and strives to face its challenges with courage, grace and grit. She is honored to be a part of our wonderful, whimsical dNaga dance company and Dance for PD classes.

Martha Friedberg マーサ・フリードバーグは2010年に診断が下りましたが、勇気と感謝と根性で、病気に明るく立ち向かっています。dNagaで踊ることは、今や生活の中心になりました。オークランドの患者を代表して、京都で踊れることを光栄に感じています。

Grace Marie Grafton’s most recent book, LENS, from Unsolicited Press, features poems inspired by California artists, 1853-2010. She is the author of six previous collections of poetry. Her themes range from lyrical sonnets to experimental prose poems, with a concentration on response to fine art. Ms. Grafton taught for many years in the California Poets In The Schools program, for which she was awarded twelve California Arts Council grants.  She was named Teacher of the Year by the River Of Words annual student poetry contest co-sponsored by Robert Hass, United States Poet Laureate. Born and raised in California’s San Joaquin Valley of a Finnish American farming family, she now lives in Oakland with her husband and their extended family.

Mana Hayakawa (she/they) is a lecturer in Asian American studies currently teaching at UC Davis and CSU Fresno. Her Ph. D. is in Culture and Performance with a concentration in Asian American Studies from UCLA. Her research examines Asian American dance and performance of non-normative bodies in the context of empire, as well as shifting terms of race, gender, and citizenship. She began dancing with dNaga in 2006 and is delighted to be back dancing with dNaga in 2022.

Herb Heinz is still trying to figure out what music is, but he understands the joy it brings his life. Before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Herb was an experimental pop composer, and avoided dancing at all costs. In 2007 he stumbled into a dance class for Parkinson’s, and began to practice conscious, creative movement. As a DJ, Herb likes to play music for your head, heart and hips: quirky, inventive, often intricate music with soul that grooves!

Jhia Louise Jackson (she/they) is a movement-based scholar artist who regularly engages in interdisciplinary projects. They earned their BA in Dance, Sociology, and Ethics from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and have gained extensive commercial and theatre dance experience as a teacher, performer, and choreographer. She has worked with artists such as Flyaway Dance Productions, 13th Floor Dance Theater, Alexandra Pirici, Joya Powell/Movement of the People Dance Company, RAWdance, Cally Spooner, Kim Epifano/Epiphany Dance Theater, and Octavia Rose Projects. Her unique approach to movement and art is informed by her extensive experiences in community-based projects, particularly those concerned with the health and wellness of marginalized populations, as well as her development as an interdisciplinary qualitative researcher, including earning her MS in Bioethics from Columbia University in the City of New York and current pursuit of a doctorate in Sociology from the University of California San Francisco. As such, Jhia is a complex, dynamic storyteller who is known for enriching the creative process with curiosity and care, pushing the boundaries of both art and scholarship. As the founder of j.habitus, they create visceral explorations and presentations of topics drawn from their scholastic and community-based work, which have been shown at the African American Art & Culture Complex, Joe Goode Annex, Peridance Capezio Theatre, and more. Visit www.jhiajackson.com to learn more about her and her work

Richard Jackson, Jr. is a New Jersey native and an avid music lover who is guilty of influencing and nurturing his daughter, Jhia Jackson’s, love of music and dance.  His extensive library of over 1,500 of record albums (vinyl) and attending live performances, afforded him an opportunity to connect today’s music with its roots in yesterday’s artists. He is a graduate of Howard University, with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and Pepperdine University, with a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He has performed with dNaga dance company at the World Parkinson Congress in both Japan and Spain, and co-presented a research poster with Jhia at the World Parkinson Congress in Spain. He has also collaborated with Jhia on virtual and in-person works for the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, and for the Joe Goode Performance Group. Richard, who has been living with Parkinson’s for over 20 years, has attended over 20 years of Jhia’s dance and cheer performances.

Lucie Jerome has danced with dNaga's intergenerational dance company since she was seven years old. Born and raised in Oakland, she has studied myriad dance styles including modern, ballet, samba, salsa, afro-brazilian, butoh, swing, and blues. She has performed with dNaga in the Bay Area, New York City, Japan, and most recently Barcelona for the 2023 World Parkinson Congress. She received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Dance at Chapman University in Orange, California, and her Masters of Occupational Therapy at New York University. She currently lives in Brooklyn where she is an Occupational Therapist at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital.

Michelle Johnston: My first memory of dance class is being asked to leave at age 5 for chasing the boys. It was a ballet class . In elementary school, we started learning Scottish country dance, which was compulsory for everyone. That was much more fun and turned into a lifetime love affair. When I got to America I was 24, I signed up for Scottish country dancing in Berkeley, but found the people to be far too serious about it.
When I was 63, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and friends encouraged me to participate in Claudine’s dance for PD class. At first I said “no” finally I went. Dancing has taken on a new meaning in my life, playing a major role in my acceptance of Parkinson's. Working with Claudine , those with PD, those without , young and “old“ has  been inspirational, I am blessed to be part of this community.

Janey Madamba began dancing at the age of three. Her early training was in Ballet, Tap, and Jazz, then progressed into Hula, and Tahitian dance. In 2002, she started dancing professionally as a hip hop dancer and shortly after began developing herself as a choreographer. From 2002-2008 she danced with Freeplay Dance Crew, ultimately directing the non-profit dance company from 2007-2008. From 2007-2012, she was the artistic director of Funk4soul a hip hop fusion company. Janey has danced with Joe Landini, Allan Frias, dNaga Dance, the Academy of Hawaiian Arts, and has acted and danced in music videos for Joshua Klipp (featured on MTV Logo), Kenneth Ronquillo and Katastrophe. Janey has performed at the West Wave dance festival, San Francisco Hip Hop Dancefest, Women on the Way Festival, SF Pride, and the Palace of Fine Arts. She has taught dance classes in the bay area since 2005: she is currently teaching Adult Hip hop at Danspace in Oakland (Mondays at 7:30 p.m.). She is a resident choreographer with COterie DAnce under the artistic direction of Kimberly Valmore and is an active board member with both the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center and Dimensions Dance Theater.

Kathleen Meagher retired from law practice in 2010, and happily turned to several new interests and challenges, including sewing her own clothes and studying to be a docent at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Life presented her with another challenge when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015. Fortunately, she had met Claudine Naganuma in her sewing class and was able to turn to Dance for PD® for support, inspiration and fun. With the encouragement of Claudine and the young dNaga dancers, she overcame her fears and travelled to Barcelona in 2023 to dance at the World Parkinson Congress. Kathleen is grateful every day for the blessings dance brings her.

Rose Nisker is a performer, teacher, director and arts administrator. At the age of eight, she made her debut with Gamelan Sekar Jaya at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar, and has performed across the globe including tours to Indonesia, Europe, China and throughout the US and Canada. She received her BA from UCLA in World Arts and has served as the Artistic Director of Les Aerielles, a youth aerial arts company in Oakland. She is the Program Manager of the renowned Balinese music and dance troupe Gamelan Sekar Jaya, and a principal actor in the internationally-touring Iranian theater production, “Feathers of Fire.”

Cathy Wake Quides always wanted to study dance growing up, and since joining Dance for PD® and dNaga she feels she is finally fulfilling her childhood dancing dream. She is inspired by those in her Dance for PD® class and by the members of dNaga, guided by the wonderfully talented and enthusiastic teacher, director and choreographer Claudine Naganuma. She is lifted up both physically and spiritually when dancing with the younger dNaga dancers. Cathy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2014 and retired 1-1/2 years later after a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner for patients with developmental disabilities. The courage and dignity with which her patients and their families and caregivers faced the challenges they encountered inspire her as she makes her journey as a person with Parkinson’s.
Cathy Wake Quides キャシー・ワケ・キーデスは2014年にパーキンソンと診断され、投薬によって症状をコントロールする努力をした後、2018年にDBS手術を受け、生活の質が改善されました。dNagaのダンサー達と踊っていると、身体的にも精神的にも元気が出ます。

Manny Torrijos is married to husband JS Tan.  They live in a typical New York condominium in the Clinton Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn.  Manny has 7 other siblings.  All but an elder sister reside in LA, California.  The elder sister lives in Hawaii.  Born in the Philippines, Manny moved to the United States in his 20’s with his family.  First living in Hawaii, then moving out on his own to San Francisco and finally to New York.  Born in Singapore and where most of JS’s family resides with the exception of a sister who now calls Vancouver home, JS move to New York in 2007.

Parkinson’s has affected his mobility and gait, and he notices an increase in rigidity and stooped posture as the disease progresses. Through his neurologist, Manny discovered the Dance for PD program a year after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2008.  And dancing helps Manny manage these changes.  Retired 6 years ago as a National Bank Examiner, Manny spent his post retirement life traveling, pursuing a masters degree in disability studies (which he has put on hiatus after his cancer surgery), enjoying film, music and theater performances at BAM and dancing at the Mark Morris Dance Center.  He also participates actively in several Parkinson’s conferences as both a participant as well as a panelist.
 
4 years ago, a malignant tumor was discovered lodged between Manny’s nasal and brain cavity.  Through radiation, chemotherapy and an operation, the tumor was removed.  Due to complications post surgery, he suffered a stroke and spent the next month in the hospital and another month in a rehab facility. A month after his discharge from rehab facility, he was back at the Mark Morris Dance Center.  He has been dancing since. 

It has been a little harder for him to get around these days due to the more pronounced symptoms but that doesn’t stop Manny from keeping weekly dance and fitness commitments with the help of his husband, JS.  Manny’s take “Dance and fitness positively impacts one’s movement, emotions and cognitive functions and is the next best thing to a cure.  It is not what is the matter with us but WHAT MATTERS to us”.

Gary Turchin is the author/illustrator of the cult classic picture book, If I Were You (Simon DeWitt 2011), and the award-winning (San Francisco Book Festival, 2013) illustrated verse collection, Ditty-Ditty Doggerel; A Life From Bad To Verse (Simon DeWitt 2012). In 2013, Sugartown Publications released his poetry collection, Falling Home. His most recent poetry book, PRE-MEDICATED Poems was published in 2021 by Naked Bulb. Gary used the early months of the pandemic to finish and publish a novel, Through a Broken Window, which subsequently won first place in the 2020 Best Indie Book Award—BIBA, mainstream fiction category— and the 2021 NYC BIG BOOK AWARD (first place, Sports Fiction).