Asian American dancer, storyteller, community activist.
Recently named a PSBJ 2026 40 under 40 honoree, Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor is a Japanese Filipina American dancer and choreographer making work for healing, for being together in community—and for reclaiming what it means to be Asian American.
Classically trained in ballet, Gabrielle studied dance and journalism before becoming involved in racial justice work and community organizing in Seattle. Their performances draw from history, ancestry, activism, and lived experience, with previous works exploring Asian representation in Hollywood, the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans, intergenerational trauma, Sadako Sasaki’s wish for peace, queer Shinto mythology, and the strength of Asian mothers, grandmothers, and aunties.
Gabrielle’s artistic and cultural work has been featured in The Seattle Times, KUOW, and The New York Times; the work they led for Seattle Opera’s Madame Butterfly was praised as a “helpful model” for approaching historic works of art. Gabrielle grew up and currently resides on Duwamish land.
Led by choreographer Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor, Tsuru Ko is a project-based, intergenerational Asian American dance-theater company bringing together performers across generations and artistic backgrounds. The company creates visually and emotionally rich works exploring history, ancestry, identity, and intergenerational healing.
Tsuru Ko’s repertoire is shaped by Gabrielle’s Japanese Filipina American identity and deep engagement with the Japanese American community. Through movement, theater, historical memory, and imagined encounters with ancestors, the company explores how histories carried across generations might be witnessed, transformed, and healed.
Tsuru Ko reflects a broad vision of what an Asian American dance ensemble can look like, with performers across generations, identities, bodies, and artistic backgrounds. The company has performed at Seattle Asian Art Museum, Wing Luke Museum, Densho’s 25th Anniversary Gala, Hiroshima to Hope, Pride ASIA, Hai! Japantown, Boost Contemporary Dance Festival, and more.
Choreography
Select works in rehearsal and performance
“Gabrielle Nomura Gainor’s work in the performing arts is a source of refuge from this historically white space .”
— International Examiner
Press
International Examiner
Gabrielle Nomura Gainor is a fifth-generation Japanese American dancer, choreographer, and activist. She recently created “Sadako and the Cranes,” a dance film performance, in collaboration with Trial & Error Productions and Hiroshima to Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims, as well as all victims of war and violence.
The Camouflage Net Project: Art meets dance, family, and history
International Examiner
Gabrielle Nomura Gainor is a fifth-generation Japanese American dancer, choreographer, and activist. She recently created “Sadako and the Cranes,” a dance film performance, in collaboration with Trial & Error Productions and Hiroshima to Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims, as well as all victims of war and violence.
A Japanese American dancer/choreographer remembers Hiroshima in a most personal way
WWU Alumni Association
In her dancing and choreography, Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor draws on more than just physical strength and technique from her background in classical ballet. She is inspired by history, Asian cultures, storytelling, and community organizing. She draws on her Japanese-Filipina heritage and Buddhist faith, incorporating Asian-American theater and classical Japanese dance in her pieces. Her deep and wide mixture of influences echoes the multidisciplinary undergraduate experience she had at Western.
Distinguished Alumna - College of Fine and Performing Arts
SeattleDances
"...The second half of the program pulls our hearts in different ways. Gabrielle Nomura Gainor’ moving work Kintsugi responds to the Hiroshima bombing. Hiroshima is always worth remembering, and feels more relevant than ever, given this week’s escalation of US bombs used on the civilian populations in Gaza. 'If we forget that history, that history will repeat again,' says one of the interviewees. When the dancers look out to the audience, I know why."