About the Team
Jonah Belsky’s bio is here.
Photo credit: Denise Newman
Sarah Rosenthal’s bio is here.
Ames Tierney’s bio is here.
Photo credit: jGuerzonPictorials
Born and raised in Sapporo, Japan, Ayana Yonesaka-Ruiz moved to San Francisco in 2009 to pursue her career in dance. Since graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Dance from San Francisco State University in 2013, she has worked in the Bay Area as a dance instructor, performer, and choreographer. In addition to teaching at San Francisco Youth Ballet Academy, RoCo Dance & Fitness, and ODC, she also directs ayanadancearts, a company she founded in 2017. Ayana aims to create highly innovative choreography that is rooted in contemporary dance aesthetics with a strong Japanese cultural narrative. Her work seamlessly navigates her Japanese and American identities, choreographing through a unique cross-Pacific framework.
