Candis Yamamoto

Candis danced as a child in drill team at school, but the dancing she did was more street/hip-hop. It wasn’t until a move from Los Angeles to Anaheim during her senior year did her passion for dance happen. Her mother suggested trying out for the dance team to make friends. Katella High dancers did traditional, technical jazz and contemporary routines and competed statewide,compared to the “cabbage patch” and “whoop” style of dancing she was used to. Candis made the team and discovered that she had a niche for jazz dance. This new exposure led to dancing with the University of California: Santa Barbara Skyline Dance Team for 4 years. The dance team performed for various cultural events on and off campus (including volunteering talents as a dance coach for a local elementary school and performing at youth correctional facilities). Candis continues to hone on her talents by taking various types of dance to have a variety in her back pocket.

Candis has gained several opportunities to be a dance coach and/or choreographer for youth including 32^nd St School (Winter recital), Forshay Drill team (MLKingdom Parade) and Nora Sterry School (Black History Month recital). She has been a dance coach for a community choir called Preachin’ Soul and a Grease production at KI.  She teaches a dance fitness program, Dance It Out (DIO), to connect with youth and adults in ways to have fun and stay fit through dance.  Additionally, she's a professional dancer for the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks Ole Skool Crew!