Laura Kunimura
Dance Island Director
Laura Kunimura has 33 years of ballet performance and teaching experience that extends from Washington D.C. to Champaign, Illinois, from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Honolulu, Hawaii. Her most recent productions of Peter Pan, Peter and the Wolf, At the Ballet, Wizard of Oz, Coppelia, and Cinderella have brought performing opportunities and exciting theatre experiences for island children.
Krystle Imamura
Dance Instructor
Ballet, Hip-Hop, Contemporary
Krystle has been dancing ballet with Laura Kunimura since she was 5 years old and has since expanded to other genres such as hip hop and jazz. She was a member of the Hawaii Swish Dancers for 2 seasons and was a former gymnast and cheerleader. Her most recent production was Peter Pan, but she also contributed choreography to many past shows. She is currently a student in the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii in Hilo, but would also like to obtain a dance degree in the future. Krystle officially became a Dance Island instructor in August of 2016 and she really enjoys teaching the kids about her passion.
Additional Information About Laura Kunimura
DANCE EDUCATION and TRAINING
Hawaii State Ballet, Honoluluu, HI, 2009-Present
Ballet Hawaii , Dole Cannery, Honolulu, HI, 2004-Present
Huntington Academy of Dance, Huntington Beach, CA, 1993
Examination Certified Grades 1-5, Highly Commended.
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 1991-1992
Dance Major with Alaine Haubert, Eve Walstrom, Peggy Gaither, and Greg Lizenberry, and continued training in Hawaii with Paul Maley and John Landovsky.
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 1976-1978
Enhanced knowledge of classical ballet under John Landovsky.
Performance solos included Carmina Burana, Wing Prints, and Wagoso.
Talented Student Award, Full Scholarship to University of Illinois.
National Academy of the Arts, Champaign, IL 1974-1976
Increased technical and performance skills with Lupe Serano and Athony Valdor.
Washington School of Ballet, Washington, D.C. 1973-1974
Classical Ballet and performance student of Mary Day and Stuart Sebastian.
PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE
Minnesota Dance Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1978-1985
Soloist in Loyce Houlton’s productions of Ancient Air, Peter and the Wolf, Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast,
Movements of Four Seasons, and Knoxville: Summer of 1915.
Soloist in Glen Tetley’s Mythical Hunter and Bournonville’s Flower Festival at Genzano.
Corps dancer in Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Concerto Barocco.
Corps dancer in Billy the Kid, Tristan and Isolde, and Fredrick Ashton’s Les Patineurs.
Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1978
Company apprentice under Artistic Director, John-Paul Comelin.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Ballet Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 2010-Present
Teacher of Creative Dance, Teens Ballet, Advanced Ballet
Dance Island, Mililani, HI 1987-Present
Artistic Director and teacher for dance school of 110 students.
Hawaii Baptist Academy, Honolulu, HI 1989-Present
Taught Creative Movement, Beginning and Intermediate Level Ballet classes that were both innovative and structured.
Presented students for Cecchetti level Exams with official Cecchetti Council Examiners.
Holy Nativity School, Honolulu, HI 1987-2007
Taught imaginative developmental Creative Movement classes and Beginning and Intermediate Level Ballet classes.
Presented students for Cecchetti level Exams with official Cecchetti Council Examiners.
Hawaii State Ballet, Honolulu, HI 1988
Choreographed “Entrees Legeres” and taught advanced ballet.
Minneapolis Dance Conservatory, Minneapolis, MN 1984-1985
Extended breadth, depth, and professional skill level in teaching the artistry of dance.
Minnesota Dance Theatre, Minneapolis, MN 1984-1985
Initiated children, teen, and adult ballet classes.
Choreographer, “Studio Sketches.”
RECENT PRODUCTIONS 2003-2009
Hansel and Gretel
Cinderella
Coppélia
Wizard of Oz
At the Ballet
Peter and the Wolf
REFERENCES
John Landovsky, Hawaii State Ballet
Dr. Rebecca Ovitt, Hawaii Baptist Academy
Marcia Chapman Executive Director MN Dance Theatre