Kaya Tsurumi 

Vancouver born emerging dance artist, Kaya Tsurumi is currently developing her creative passions on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples. Kaya is a recent graduate of the Arts Umbrella Post-Secondary Dance Program, and she is presently training at Modus Operandi. At Arts Umbrella, she worked with international choreographers such as David Raymond, Medhi Walerski, and Victor Quijada. She participated in a choreographic mentorship with Crystal Pite and Peter Smida in her final year at Arts Umbrella. This wonderful opportunity allowed her to share her choreographic voice, explore the possibilities of dance films, and experiment with photographing her peers’ creations. Kaya is keen on incorporating mediums such as film and photography into her practice and finds it deeply rewarding to work with artists of other disciplines. As a second-generation Japanese-Filipino Canadian, Kaya recognizes her privilege of being raised in a middle-class family surrounded by love and support from her family, peers, and community. She is extremely grateful for all the opportunities she has had throughout her life thus far. However, she is beginning to recognize a weighted discomfort that she is disconnected from her culture. Kaya foresees a powerful link between her interest in learning about her culture and her love to move. Her goal is to deepen her understanding of her culture and her relationship to it, as a means to develop her artistry.

photo by Tracy Moromisato