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Mission & History

Alyssandra Katherine Dance (AKD) is a contemporary dance company that was established in London in 2015 and is now based in San Francisco, California. The mission of AKD is to create innovative and culturally relevant works of art that promote awareness around topics of mental illness, East Asian identity, and female empowerment. The company's repertoire draws from European style floor work, release technique, contact improvisation, and t'ai chi as a basis. AKD then adds physically and mentally challenging layers, during the choreographic process, to increase the theatricality of their movement scores.

Their debut dance piece, “Obstruct & Connect,” was presented at Resolution!, London’s largest festival for emerging artists in dance, and was met with rave reviews. Critics claimed the work was “...a tribute to the breadth of expressivity of the body—this was pure dance at its best” (Miriam Garnett) and “From an integrated sextet to dynamic solos, each exquisitely formed—A thoroughly absorbing potpourri of dance” (Graham Watts).

The company has toured throughout the UK, presenting work at platforms such as FRESH-Northeast, Foot Print, and EMERGE, hosted by UK’s Dance Company C-12. Since then, company choreographer Alyssandra Katherine Wu has been listed on londondance.com as one of the most promising emerging choreographers of 2015.

After its relocation to San Francisco, AKD has presented work around the Bay Area (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Tempe (AZ), Rochester (NY), and New York City (NY). They are the official winners of the audience choice award for PUSHfest 2016 and one of the six companies/choreographers to be selected for ODC's Pilot 68 program. In 2018, AKD was invited to be a part of the San Francisco Movement Arts Festival, RAWDances' Concept Series, and Joe Goode's Feedback series. Thereafter, the company has been selected to take part in Doug Varone & Dancers DEVICES, teach and present at the Nazareth College MAD Festival, perform at APAP through the Peridance Capezio Center, and show work at CONDER|Dance Breaking Ground Festival. Since SIP, the company has shown work virtually through Joe Goode Annex's GUSH and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival. AKD is a proud two-time recipient of the Fleishhacker Opportunity Fund and Dancers' Group CA$H Grant.

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