KANAMI KUSAJIMA
Kanami Kusajima is a dancer, choreographer, and performing artist based in New York City. She started her dance training at the age of 6 in a small local dance studio in Japan. In 2020, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase College.
She has performed in dance works by various choreographers, including Martha Graham, Francesca Harper, Yoshiko Chuma, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Erin Landers, and Meagan Ahern. She was also a soloist in the US premiere of "Saveur" by the Chinese-born France-based composer Xu Yi, which was composed for one percussionist and one dance performer.
She has also been performing at Washington Square Park since November 2020, known as "Let Hair Down," a performer combining live painting and improvisational dance. Her unique style of performing art has drawn the attention of different media, such as New York Magazine, AM New York, SHOWTIME, PIX11 News, The Guardian, Voyage LA, The Villager, and The Village Sun, among many others.
Also, she was featured in a bus-stop Ad promotional project, "No Stopping New York," led by the NYC Mayor's Office in the 2021 summer season, which highlighted the resilience of NYC after the highest peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her works have been presented in numerous different locations/events in NYC, such as La Mama Galleria, Alvin Ailey Studio, Meta Betties Gallery at Oculus World Trade Center, Arts On Site, Lavan 541 (Chelsea), ChaShaMa Performance Space at Port Authority Bus Terminal (Midtown), Triad Theater (Upper West Side), Brooklyn Art Cave, Brooklyn Moon, Art Bath (Midtown), ChaShaMa Gala 2023 (Midtown), Brooklyn Art Haus, Dorothy Strelsin Memorial Garden, among many others. She has also performed in Tokyo (Japan), Osaka(Japan), London (UK), Colorado (US), Oaxaca (Mexico), Paris (France), and Strasbourg (France).
As her work gains recognition in the New York art scene, Kusajima has been invited to perform at major art events such as Every Woman Biennial, Tribeca Art Show, and the ChaShaMa Gala. She also started collaborating with the acclaimed visual artist Mary Frank as her art model in March 2024.
Artist Statement
Whenever I dance, I aim to express raw human emotions that cannot be captured in words. Through movement, I connect with people on a deeper level—and that emotional connection is all we need. When I see people’s tears and smiles, or hear many thank-yous during my street performances,
I truly believe that dance has the power to heal people.
Viewers don’t need to “understand” my dance. My practice is about responding to the environment I’m in and expressing human feelings in an unfiltered, honest way. I only hope people experience it and feel something from it. Just as anyone can enjoy music without formal knowledge, my dance is open to all—no qualifications required to “understand.”
In this accelerating world of technologies and digital content, my mission today is to preserve the beauty of organic human connections through my live performances.