The Rebirth of Apsara
Celebrating the Creative Resilience of Dance and Khmer Culture
by Claudine Naganuma │ April 16, 2026
Claudine Naganuma is a Bay Area choreographer and founder of dNaga Dance Co., now celebrating its 25th anniversary. She is a certified instructor and Program Director for Dance for PD® in Oakland, where she uses a creative approach to inspire movement and connection for people living with Parkinson’s disease. She is the author of PEACE About Life: Dancing with Parkinson’s, chronicling ten years of interviews and photography documenting her work with individuals with Parkinson’s. Claudine is also the founder and director of GIRL Project, which provides free arts and empowerment programs for middle school youth in Oakland’s San Antonio District. She previously served for over a decade as Director of Danspace studio and as Artistic Director of Asian American Dance Performances, the first Asian American dance organization in the United States.