Heidi S. Durning dances between cultures. Her choreography fuses Japanese Classical Dance and Contemporary Dance. She is also an accomplished Classical Japanese dancer under the name Fujima Kanso o. She received her training from the Fujima School of Dance, and her Grand Master is Fujima Kanjuro 8th. Her unique fusion of impulses, along with her passion for working with artists from diverse backgrounds and countries, has resulted in a performance style that is technically accomplished and rich in texture, spirit, and vibrancy. Based in Kyoto, Heidi continues to teach, create, and perform globally. Heidi received her BA in Child Development Education from California State University, Chico, and her MFA in Dance from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Nonaka, Kumiko (Noh-flute player), graduated from International Christian University, Tokyo with BA (Liberal Arts) in 1986. Studying piano and violin for enjoyment sparked her interest in Japanese traditional music. She began studying noh-flute (a bamboo flute in Noh theatre) with Hiroyuki Matsuda. Performing publicly since 1994, Nonaka has played traditional Noh solo pieces, and collaborated with players of western, eastern, and folklore musical instruments, and traditional and contemporary dancers. She has been invited to many memorial events at shrines and temples, and also performed abroad.
Daya Tomiko has performed as a soloist all over Japan, becoming one of Japan’s most famous and representative performers of Bharata Natyam. She not only dances on stage in theatres, but also at temples and shrines, at schools, and occasionally for charitable causes. She is Principal of “Thanmaye-Nathyalaya” the Institute of Indian Classical Dance and a Lecturer in Indian Dance at the Osaka University, Faculty of Foreign Languages.
Kyoko Fujimoto, a versatile choreographer, embarked on her dance journey in Japan before gracing stages in Boston and New York City with ballet and musical theater performances. Her ability to infuse joy into movement reflects her creative vision. In her comedy food ballet Flavorland, “Fujimoto expertly captures the joyful experience of devouring a chocolate truffle” (CriticalDance 2018). Beyond dance, Kyoko holds a B.A. in Physics from Boston University and M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her fusion of artistic expression and academic/scientific prowess enables her to tackle concepts from opposite ends of the spectrum. For example, her “into the fields,” a contemporary ballet quartet, explores MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging (2023). Her work not only captivates, but also seamlessly integrates science, offering audiences a compelling intersection. Fujimoto was awarded a FY2025 Arts and Humanities Fellowship Grant in Ballet Dance by the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Sylvana Christopher (she/her) BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography founded Glade Dance Collective (2009), SylviDances (2016) and Vigorous Roots (2023). Christopher teaches youth across Washington, DC in schools, studios and arts centers. SylviDances, founded in 2016, is a DC dance company that engages the community with accessible dance theater work. We choreograph and collaborate surrounding issues that speak to the human condition. Current company members include Grace Cannon, Sylvana Christopher, Aaron Jackson, Rachel Lawal, Keith Macadangdang, and Deanna Woodman.
Claytor Company a multigenerational dance company, was founded in 2021 by choreographer, arts educator and arts advocate, Stacey Yvonne Claytor. Claytor is passionate about the transformative capacity of the arts to bridge gaps and connect us with our humanity. Claytor’s work gives a voice to raw experiences and emotions, guiding audience members and even herself towards healing and enlightenment. Themes that emerged in her earlier work include; love, loss, community, isolation, fear, grief and healing. Future projects will explore racism and equality, passion and lust, as well as ways in which human nature imitates the various movements of water.
Nick M. Daniels is a celebrated Pittsburgh-based choreographer, multimedia artist, and the founding Artistic Director of The D.A.N.A. Movement Ensemble (Dancers Against Normal Actions), a company they launched in 1991 to confront and challenge societal norms through movement. A graduate of Slippery Rock University with a BFA in Dance, Daniels has been celebrated as a Pittsburgh Cultural Treasure and recognized as a pioneer in exploring themes of race, sexuality, and identity in performance. His work is a powerful fusion of dance, electronic soundscapes, video projection, and theater, creating immersive experiences that spark dialogue and reflection. Their creative practice has been supported by numerous awards and residencies, including a Pittsburgh Cultural Treasures grant, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s FRESHWORKS Residency, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ Preserving Diverse Cultures grant, and the Young-Howse Theater Award for Movement Artist of the Year. Daniels’ work has been commissioned and performed across the United States and internationally, and 2026 brings new opportunities to share their vision throughout Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Karen Fox, Artistic Director of Bella Deluxe Entertainment Company is a multi-disciplinary performing artist. A classically trained actor, she strives to tell stories that are well-designed, socially relevant, and that touch our hearts. A dancer, improviser and embodiment specialist, Karen devises from a premise that our bodies are our expressive containers for memories, injuries, and dreams as well as our shared human experiences. Her entry into the world of the circus and ritual clown deepened her sense of empathy, physical prowess and humor as the river that flows through all things. Once called “she who sings from the soul of mother earth,” Karen has matured into that role; representative of nature and curious of what lies in our true natures. Looking to share with other cultures, Karen’s works have been featured at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian African Art Museum, Edinboro, San Francisco and Philadelphia fringe festivals, off-Broadway stages, and venues in US, Mexico, South Africa and India.
Goose Money Productions is made up of Emily “Money” Crews and Carrie “Goose” Monger, who have been performing professionally in the DMV for a combined 58 years! Each of us has choreographed as independent artists and this is our first long-awaited collaboration. We bring our decades of experience and shared sense of humor about what it means to stay in the field for so long. It comes together in this exploration about aging and continuing to make a place for ourselves in the dance world.
Human Landscape Dance was founded in 2006, and has since brought contact choreography around the world. Specializing in artist partnerships, Human Landscape Dance has given performances, held workshops, and shot video footage in Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as cities across the US and Canada. Noted for “…ingenious choreography and staging…” by the Washington Post, the dances of Artistic Director Malcolm Shute are characterized by intimate portraits of people as they undergo change. Using touch to communicate, bodies mold with their environment to create a collage of images.
Shinpukuji Temple is a temple of the Soto sect (Zen sect). Shinpukuji Temple stands on a raised stratum of rocks (chert layer) formed from the dead cells of plankton that lived in the lake a long time ago.