NAKA (Navarrete x Kajiyama Dance Theater), 44 Gough Street, San Francisco, CA (2026)

Organization

08/31/2026

Promesas Serie de Talleres "Señaladores de lo Invisible"
Un espacio de creación, reflexión y diálogo a través del bordado para visibilizar realidades que muchas veces permanecen ocultas (migraciones, violencias, salud mental y otras problemáticas sociales).

Los talleres incluyen la realización de:

Pines�Creamos piezas con mensajes y símbolos que nos importan.

Señaladores�Damos lugar a historias y sentimientos a través del bordado.

Pañuelos�Exploramos su significado como símbolos de lucha, memoria y comunidad.

Como cierre del proceso, realizaremos obras artísticas comunitarias y banderas colectivas que reunirán las producciones creadas durante los talleres. Estas obras serán exhibidas para compartir y visibilizar las historias, reflexiones y expresiones construidas colectivamente.

Este evento se realiza en colaboración con:�Promesas / Instituto Familiar de la Raza

Promesa es un programa en San Francisco dirigido a jóvenes LGBTQ+ de entre 14 y 24 años. Ofrece manejo de casos, referencias a recursos comunitarios y grupos de apoyo en un espacio seguro y afirmativo.

A través de sus programas, Promesa acompaña a jóvenes brindando apoyo, conexión con recursos y un espacio de encuentro para fortalecer la comunidad.

Importante: Este es un evento exclusivo para participantes de Promesa. Si te interesa formar parte del programa y participar en futuras actividades, primero deberás completar el proceso de inscripción en Promesa.

Dirección�1663 Mission St., Suite 400, San Francisco

Fechas�Martes 15, 22 y 29 de septiembre de 2026

Horario�4:00 a 6:00 PM

Facilitadoras�Luciana Rodriguez y Agustina Amiconi�Grupo Voces Feministas – NAKA Dance Theater

Créditos: Supported in part by the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Arts Impact Endowment

08/29/2026

Fugitivity (2025)

Fugitivity is an interdisciplinary performance project exploring the theme of fugitivity: Who has lost the ability to move freely? Who is forced to flee? How can we respond creatively to xenophobia and the threat of mass deportations? What underground networks are keeping people safe?

The project centered the revolutionary capacity of improvisation to challenge and shift structures of power, hierarchy and oppression. The eight-member artistic cohort engaged in an immersive process of experimentation, generating and exploring structures within which movement, sound, visual imagery, video and storytelling interacted to interrogate systems of power and imagine new possibilities for the future.

Woven throughout this work was an exploration of the parallels and connections between the Underground Railroad and contemporary networks of people, places, and information that currently exist to support immigrants and other “fugitives”. With the increased dangers of deportation and xenophobia in our socio-political climate, these networks and systems are simultaneously being strengthened and are under threat.

Created and performed by: Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz, Amelia Uzategui Bonilla, Cristina Lopez Suarez, Krhistina Giles, Music Research Strategies (Marshall Trammell), Oka Ver, José Ome Mazatl and Debby Kajiyama, with video and object design by Ian Winters. Lighting design by Jose Maria Francos. Originally commissioned by Dance Brigade / Dance Mission’s D.I.R.T. Festival. The development of the Dismantling Tactic X: Fugitivity work was made possible, in part, by the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University.

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An artistic book, created as part of the project’s development, will be available at NAKA’s 25th Anniversary Community Gathering & Celebration on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at SPACE 124 in Project Artaud at 499 Alabama Street, San Francisco (details to come).

Photo by Scott Tsuchitani

07/27/2026

Join us for an ASL-interpreted performance of Happy Days Finale New performance work by Leyya Mona Tawil, taking place Saturday, August 15 at East Side Arts Alliance.

Thank you to Urban Jazz Dance Company for creating this ASL vlog to share with the community!

Tickets: https://bit.ly/LAIR-LeyyaTawil
$20 general; $10 students/seniors (NOTAFLOF)

[Video Description:

Video length: 2 minutes 40 seconds

Vlogger: Dr. Rosemary Wanis is an Egyptian female with tan skin, black/white short hair, hazel eyes, wearing glasses, a maroon top under a navy blazer. She sits against a wavy textured black and dark gray background.

Opening slide: A black background with three square images across the center, from left to right: 1. two female dancers crouching and posing on the ground against a gray backdrop 2. A female dancer mid stride to the left and a male holding a professional camera looking away, to the right. They are in a studio with a gray backdrop. 3. Two female dancers moving in sync with head tilted back and arm against the gray wall reaching outward. All individuals are wearing full black and form fitting clothing/shoes. Across the images are white text “Leyya Mona Tawil. LAIR. Happy Days FINALE. August 14 - 16 2026. ASL Vlog with Dr. Rosemary Wanis.” The UJDC, CC and interpreter logos are in the corners.

[Begin transcript:

Rosemary: Hello! I want to invite you to Happy Days Finale by Leyya Mona Tawil in collaboration with Zari Lionudakis and John MacDougall Parker. This performance asks a hard question: What does happiness mean in a time of genocide, grief, and collapse? This work uses dance, music, and live performance to explore that question. It is about joy, grief, and resistance. It is about how people keep going when the world feels painful and uncertain. The ASL-interpreted performance is Saturday, August 15th at 2 PM. [A gray animated text box with a white outline appears below: “EastSide Cultural Center, 2277 International Boulevard in Oakland.”] Tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for students and seniors. No one is turned away for lack of funds. If you feel unsettled by what you’re seeing in the world, or even unsure how to make sense of it, this performance is a place to think together. It invites us to ask questions and imagine new ways to live and care for each other. The artists help us see new ideas and new paths. It is a space to feel, to learn, and to grow together. For tickets and more information, check the link below. https://bit.ly/LAIR-LeyyaTawil. I hope to see you there.

End transcript]

Happy Days Finale Flyer ID: image of two female dancers with dark shoulder length hair wearing all black, form fitting clothing, crouching and posing on the ground; left dancer has head tucked forward towards legs, and the right dancer reaches upward with their arms and looks up. They are against a gray backdrop. To the left in white text “Happy Days Finale. New performance work by Leyya Mona Tawil in collaboration with Zari Lionudakis & John MacDougall Parker.” The left side has LAIR (Live Arts in Resistance), Dance Elixir, Eastside Arts Alliance, and NAKA theater logos.
Closing Slide: A gradient light and dark gray background with the UJDC logo in a yellow circle top center. In yellow and white text below “ASL Vlog created by Urban Jazz Dance Company access services. Vlogger: Dr. Rosemary Wanis. www.realurbanjazzdance.com. .”

End video description]

07/15/2026

Join us for an ASL-interpreted performance of Mi Historia, Mi Telar - Visual Art and Performance Project taking place Saturday, July 25 at East Side Arts Alliance.

Thank you to Urban Jazz Dance Company for creating this ASL vlog to share with the community!

Tickets: bit.ly/MamWeaving2026
$20 general; $10 students/seniors (NOTAFLOF)

[CONTENT DESCRIPTION AND TRANSCRIPT:

2 minute, 32 second ASL Vlog for the ASL Interpreted performance of My Story, My Weaving featuring Karla Ulloa Morales.

Karla is a young Honduran woman with brown skin and curly brown hair pinned in a high ponytail. She is wearing a white shirt. Behind her is a digital background featuring traditional Maya Mam woven fabric.

TITLE SLIDE: Split-screen promotional graphic for an ASL vlog about My Story, My Weaving: Weaving and Healing Among the Threads. The left side has a black background with white and pink text announcing an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, July 25 at 2 PM at EastSide Arts Alliance in Oakland. Below are a photo of Indigenous Maya Mam women in traditional woven clothing gathered in performance and a QR code for tickets. The right side shows vlogger Karla Ulloa Morales signing WEAVE in front of a close-up photograph of brightly colored woven textiles in pink, blue, green, orange, purple, and black.

KARLA: Hello! My name is Karla (shows sign name) and I want to invite you to a performance entitled My Story, My Weaving.

Working together, members of the Indigenous Maya Mam immigrant community now living in East Oakland, NAKA Dance Theater, and EastSide Arts Alliance collaboratively created this visual art and performance project.

The project weaves together personal and community stories plus movement and textile art. It is inspired by women from three municipalities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and their traditional weaving practices.

The ASL interpreted performance is Saturday, July 25th at 2 PM. The East Side Arts Alliance theater space is ADA accessible. I hope you will join this moving event.

TICKET SLIDE: CONTENT DESCRIPTION: Black graphic with colorful woven textile borders on the left and right. White text lists ticket prices for My Story, My Weaving: Weaving and Healing Among the Threads: $20 general admission, $10 students and seniors, and no one turned away for lack of funds. A short ticket link and QR code appear at the bottom. END CONTENT DESCRIPTION.

END SLIDE: End card featuring a close-up photograph of brightly colored woven textiles in pink, blue, green, orange, purple, and black. Centered over the image is the Urban Jazz Dance Company logo. White text reads: ASL Vlog Produced by Urban Jazz Dance Company Access Services.

END CONTENT DESCRIPTION AND TRANSCRIPT]

07/12/2026

Mi Historia, Mi Telar - Visual Art and Performance Project performances start next weekend! Seats are limited, please purchase tickets in advance.

We will be offering subtitles of the performance’s use of the Maya Mam language: English subtitles are available on Saturdays July 18 and 25. Spanish subtitles are available on Sundays July 19 and 26.

(Español abajo)

Mi Historia, Mi Telar: Entre Hilos de Colores Sanan mis Dolores
My Story, My Weaving: Weaving and Healing Among the Threads
Ja weya ob’aj wij, ex weya nchemaj: Txol qa tkyqil tkolor lan nq’anin weya qa b’an ta’ intini

is a visual art and performance project created by members of the Indigenous Maya Mam immigrant community of East Oakland in our ongoing collaboration with NAKA Dance Theater and EastSide Arts Alliance. Our project integrates personal and collective narratives, movement and textile art inspired by the weaving traditions practiced by women from Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb'al and Torasant, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.

July 18-19 & 25-26
Saturdays and Sundays
2pm

EastSide Cultural Center
2277 International Boulevard
Oakland, California

Eastside Arts Alliance is ADA accessible.
*ASL Interpretation on Saturday July 25 only
*Haptic tour and audio description on Sunday July 26 only. Haptic Tour begins at 1pm

The work is primarily in the Maya Mam language.
English subtitles are available on Saturdays July 18 and 25.
Spanish subtitles are available on Sundays July 19 and 26.

Tickets: bit.ly/MamWeaving2026
$20 general; $10 students/seniors (NOTAFLOF)
--
Mi Historia, Mi Telar: Entre Hilos de Colores Sanan mis Dolores
My Story, My Weaving: Weaving and Healing Among the Threads
Ja weya ob’aj wij, ex weya nchemaj: Txol qa tkyqil tkolor lan nq’anin weya qa b’an ta’ intini

Es un proyecto de arte visual y performance creado por miembras de la comunidad inmigrante indígena maya mam del este de Oakland, en nuestra colaboración continua con NAKA Dance Theater y EastSide Arts Alliance. Nuestro proyecto integra narrativas personales y colectivas, movimiento y arte textil inspirado en las tradiciones de tejido practicadas por mujeres de 3 municipios de Huehuetenango, Guatemala.

Julio 18-19 y 25-26
Sabados y Domingos
2pm

EastSide Cultural Center
2277 International Boulevard
Oakland, California

Eastside Arts Alliance es accesible para personas con discapacidad (ADA).
*Interpretación en ASL solo el sábado 25 de julio
*Recorrido háptico y audiodescripción solo el domingo 26 de julio. El recorrido háptico comienza a la 1pm.

La obra está hablada en el idioma Mam.
Tendremos subtítulos en inglés los sábados 18 y 25 de julio.
Tendremos subtítulos en español los domingos 19 y 26 de julio.

Boletos - $20 general; $10 estudiantes/personas mayores (A nadie se le negará la entrada por falta de recursos.)

--
LAIR is sponsored and co-produced by EastSide Arts Alliance and NAKA with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Fleishhacker Foundation, EastSide's individual donors, the California Arts Council & the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.

Mi Historia, Mi Telar / NAKA Dance Theater is supported in part by the California Arts Council, CE Artist & Creative Grant, Akonadi Foundation, The Center for Cultural Power, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Fleishhacker Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and A Blade of Grass Field Funds. NAKA Dance Theater is a fiscally sponsored project of Dancers’ Group.

Photos: Scott Tsuchitani

07/06/2026

Mi Historia, Mi Telar: Entre Hilos de Colores Sanan mis Dolores / My Story, My Weaving: Weaving and Healing Among the Threads / Ja weya ob’aj wij, ex weya nchemaj: Txol qa tkyqil tkolor lan nq’anin weya qa b’an ta’ intini

is a visual art and performance project created by members of the Indigenous Maya Mam immigrant community of East Oakland in our ongoing collaboration with NAKA Dance Theater and EastSide Arts Alliance. Our project integrates personal and collective narratives, movement and textile art inspired by the weaving traditions practiced by women from Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb'al and Torasant, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.

July 18-19 & 25-26
Saturdays and Sundays
2pm

East Side Arts Alliance
2277 International Boulevard
Oakland, California

Eastside Arts Alliance is ADA accessible.
*ASL Interpretation on Saturday July 25 only
*Haptic tour and audio description on Sunday July 26 only. Haptic Tour begins at 1pm

The work is primarily in the Maya Mam language.
English subtitles are available on Saturdays 7/18 and 7/25.
Spanish subtitles are available on Sundays 7/19 and 7/26.

Tickets: bit.ly/MamWeaving2026
$20 general; $10 students/seniors (NOTAFLOF)

[Video Description:
Clip 1: Two women with brown skin and dark hair in traditional woven red tops and black skirts each use a backstop loom. One performer is speaking in Mam.
Clip 2: Seven women with brown skin and dark hair wear traditional woven tops and skirts while they perform movements in unison. There is upbeat instrumental music of whistle and percussion.
Clip 3: A woman with brown skin and dark hair wearing a traditional woven top and skirt stands behind a wall of threads. She separates some threads and places her head through it and rotates before returning to the backside. There is elongated instrumental music with spoken Mam audio.]

LAIR is sponsored and co-produced by EastSide Arts Alliance and NAKA with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Fleishhacker Foundation, EastSide's individual donors, the California Arts Council & the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.

Mi Historia, Mi Telar / NAKA Dance Theater is supported in part by the California Arts Council, CE Artist & Creative Grant, Akonadi Foundation, The Center for Cultural Power, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Fleishhacker Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and A Blade of Grass Field Funds. NAKA Dance Theater is a fiscally sponsored project of Dancers’ Group.

Address

44 Gough Street
San Francisco, CA

Website

http://www.nakadancetheater.com/

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