AMAINARY CONTRERAS

(she/her)

Company APPRENTICE & Teaching Artivist

Amainary is a dancer, actress, choreographer, and educator born and raised in the area formerly known as South Central Los Angeles. Her training began at the age of four through Everybody Dance LA! She attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a dance major and earned two BA degrees from the University of California, Berkeley in Dance & Theater Performance Studies. While at UCB Amainary was the recipient of The Mask and Dagger Memorial Prize for Extraordinary Contributions to Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies for two consecutive years (2017, 2018) 

Amainary's career in the performing arts began at the age of 15, and she has since gained international experience, performing and teaching in countries such as China, Brazil, and Mexico, as well as across the United States. She has danced for Vox Dance Theatre, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company, the WNBA, and The Voice. She has competed with various dance crews throughout California including Chapkis Dance Family.

Her diverse training background includes ballet, various modern techniques, including Horton under the guidance of Don Martin at LACHSA, jazz, contemporary, Dunham technique (Anindo Marshall), Tap (Sarah Reich, Steve Zee) and various Latin dance styles. This extensive training deepened while at UCB and led her to discover her passion for African Diasporic work.

Amainary is dedicated to breaking barriers and believes in the power of knowledge. She strives to remain a lifelong learner, exploring new pathways and possibilities in spaces where bodies like hers may not typically exist. She is committed to bringing back her findings to share with her communities.

Currently, Amainary is a company member with Viver Brasil, a contemporary Afro-Brazilian company, in their latest work “Rezas e Folhas.” Her most recent choreography can be seen in the Twin Palms music videos “Me Pasé” featuring Jenn Morel and “Tranquilo” featuring Kat Dahlia.

IG: @amainary