KIZUNA DANCE

Connecting Cultures through Contemporary Dance

Each work the company presents is rooted in an aspect of the Japanese language and culture. 

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Kizuna Dance is an international repertory ensemble that blends streetdance with contemporary floorwork to create dances that connect the American and Japanese cultures. The company has performed nationally and internationally at prestigious institutions and festivals such as The Japan Society, Performatica, the Let’s Dance International Frontiers Festival, Middlebury Institute for International Studies, Gibney Dance, and Movement Research, among many others. In July 2019, the company had its French premier at the International Choreographic Festival of Blois on the National Stage, "La Halle aux Grains" in Blois, France. In 2020, Artistic Director Cameron McKinney performed his original choreography alongside Sayo Homma (Dance Barbizon) in Tokyo, Japan in the U.S. Ambassador's Residence. In 2024, his company Kizuna Dance celebrated its 10th anniversary season with the world premiere of the evening-length work FATHER ABSENCE | MOTHER MA, presented by CUNY Dance Initiative at John Jay College. The company engages with every tour location it enters, connecting with community members through post-show discussions, lecture demonstrations, open rehearsals, and masterclasses. Kizuna Dance has led workshops and residencies in twenty states and internationally in Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and the UK. Kizuna Dance was founded by Artistic Director Cameron McKinney, whose work has been recognized through fellowships from The School at Jacob’s Pillow, the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission, the Alvin Ailey Foundation, the Asian Cultural Council, and through commissions from numerous institutions across the country and abroad.