Art In This Present Moment
Future Moves: Kealoha Ferreira Explores Lineage through Dance
Ananya Dance Theatre opened Kealoha to a world of dance and movement beyond Western techniques, which has helped her connect deeply to her own traditional practices.
Kealoha Ferreira is thinking about this present moment — a time particularly marked by violence, division and turmoil. For a dancer, being present is essential to both practicing movement and being in community.
Kealoha is a dancer and educator, as well as Artistic Associate for Ananya Dance Theatre. There she teaches and practices their trademarked technique called Yorchhā, a transnational feminist contemporary dance method rooted in the classical Indian dance form Odissi, Vinyasa Yoga, and the martial art form Chhau.
It’s through these practices and Indigenous wisdom that she is finding refuge — a guide to help her navigate through the difficult nature of the current times.
Kealoha is working on a solo project, which delves into the idea of continuum and lineage. She explores what’s next, not just for herself but for the world around her. In the not-so-distant future, she hopes to bring this work back to her native Hawai’i, especially to work with aging communities on movement and navigating the question of what can continue.
“Ananya Dance Theatre is my artistic home. It’s an important part of my chosen lineage. Every day I’m still discovering things, I’m learning things. I feel so inspired and challenged.”
Kealoha Ferreira
About the Artist
Kealoha Ferreira is Artistic Associate, Dancer and Instructor for Ananya Dance Theatre.
She was nominated for Art In This Present Moment by Ananya Dance Theatre (ADT), an ensemble company of transnational feminist professional dance artists who create and perform social justice choreography.
Art In This Present Moment
This project is part of Art in This Present Moment, an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. We provided grants to three Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations to fund work by BIPOC artists who are changing and challenging dominant narratives through their craft.
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