Jennifer Aoki is a Japanese Canadian dance artist and director who is grateful to be living and working on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples.

She completed her formative dance studies through Simon Fraser University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2010. Jennifer trained on scholarship in Contact Improvisation at EDAM in 2011 and has trained internationally in contemporary dance with Merce Cunningham Studio, ImPulsTanz, Henny Jurriëns Studio, Balettakademien, Danscentrum, Cocoon Dance Company, Sasha Waltz & Guests, among others.

In her choreographic practice, Jennifer’s work has been presented across Canada, as well as in Seattle, Amsterdam, and Berlin, including Dancing on the Edge, Nah Drahn, 12 Minutes Max, Vines Arts Festival,and Fringe Festivals. Jennifer has worked with choreographers and dance companies such as: Tomoyo Yamada (Clala Dance Projects), Jenn Edwards, Meredith Kalaman, Machinoisey, and Body Narratives Collective. She also performed in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and was lead dancer in Seasons: A Magical Musical.

Jennifer has been part of Small Stages 2021 season: including #LoveBubble Project, Creative Residency - Spring 2021, and Drone Dances. She has created two experimental dance films, We Can Still Go Viral and Shifting Spaces, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and New Westminster Neighbourhood Grants.

Currently, Jennifer is conducting research on the Japanese Canadian internment and reflecting on the intergenerational impact of her relationship with Japanese culture through movement, which will culminate in a new solo work. She will embark soon on the research and creation of a new dance film entitled Echoes of Silence set to premiere in Fall 2022 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the BC Arts Council.

Jennifer is Artistic co-Director of two dance companies, The Body Orchestra and Voirelia.

jenniferaoki.com

photo: Yvonne Chew