Yayoi Kambara believes the movement of dance grounds us to the reality of the human condition.  It can elevate both the dancer and the audience to a state of hopefulness where society’s ills seem surmountable.  Kambara was born in Tokyo, Japan and was raised in the Bay Area and Surrey, England.  She holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Lawrence University and a B.F.A in Dance Performance from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  Kambara has been a performance artist for STEAMROLLER Dance Company, Sara Shelton Mann/Contraband, and Scott Wells.  She also performs aerial dance for Flyaway Productions and Project Bandaloop.  She was a company member of ODC/Dance from 2003 to 2015 and is the Rehearsal Director for Axis Dance Company.  In 2013 and 2014 she premiered work with KT Nelson at Summer Dance Lab in Walla Walla, Washington.  She has also produced her choreography at ODC Theater, Z Space and Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco.  When she is not dancing or creating dances for others, she is spending time with husband Rick, their two beautiful daughters, two dogs, and the world’s oldest rabbit who eats a steady diet of greens.