About me

Lani Yamanaka is a fourth-generation Japanese American multi-hyphenate artist based in California, whose versatile career spans across contemporary dance, martial arts, television, film and more. She began her training in Judo and Dance and graduated from UC Irvine with Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Dance Performance and Choreography. At UCI, Lani was part of Donald McKayle's Etude Ensemble, performing featured roles in his works, I've Known Rivers, Captain, and Even As The River And The Sea Are One.

As a dance artist and collaborator, Lani has worked professionally with renowned companies such as Akram Khan Company, SF Danceworks, Daniel Ezralow, ODC Dance, Entity Contemporary Dance, Kambara+, Paris By Night, and The Shed NYC. She has performed works by esteemed choreographers including Edward Clug, Yin Yue, Bryan Arias, Alba Castillo, Kate Weare, Kat Burns, Marissa Osato-Moreno, Will Johnston, Saleemah E. Knight, Shaun Boyle, Laura O'Malley, and Mia J. Chong.

Lani was in the original ensemble of PEARL, a multimedia production by Daniel Ezralow which premiered at the David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center. She was a company member with Entity Contemporary Dance for three years before moving to San Francisco to join ODC Dance for two seasons. In 2018 she was Dance Captain for the Off-Broadway show DRAGON SPRING PHOENIX RISE, the inaugural production of The Shed NYC at Hudson Yards. As Dance Captain, she worked alongside choreographer Akram Khan and associate choreographer Joy Alpuerto Ritter to through-line movement motifs, martial arts, and dance choreography.

You can watch Lani on film and select televised series including MOVE, a Netflix documentary series following her time dancing in Bangladesh during the Covid-19 lockdown, and as a featured dancer in THE SYMPATHIZER (HBO), and INTERIOR CHINATOWN (Hulu).

Beyond performing, Lani is passionate about sharing her accumulated knowledge with artists as a teacher and a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. She has taught both nationally and internationally at institutions such as USC Kaufman School of Dance, University of Chicago Dance, The Human Expression Dance Company (Singapore), Shift Dance (Hong Kong), Millennium Dance OC, and she created the AKC Dhaka Training Program. She has also worked with DancePrehab as a Workshop Coordinator and Facilitator to educate artists on injury prevention and wellness.

Currently, Lani is touring as Mowgli in Akram Khan's JUNGLE BOOK REIMAGINED. In her limited free time, she is working towards her next black belt degree in Judo.