Director

Wild dolphins inspire Chisa Hidaka, MD to make ever more meaningful connections. From her earliest encounters with wild dolphins in 2004, Chisa noticed a profound similarity between the way some dolphins engaged with her and the way trained dancers interact when making improvised dances. In collaboration with the Dolphin Dance Project team, she is investigating ways to combine the techniques of dance improvisation with the skills of technical free diving to explore the limits of communication between dolphin and human dancers through shared movement.

Described by the NY Times as moving ‘excitingly, as if she is consumed by the dance,’ Chisa Hidaka, MD began dancing for a number of independent choreographers, while attending Barnard College, where she received her BA in Dance (1986). She has been active in the Contact Improvisation community in NYC for nearly 30 years as dancer, teacher and facilitator. With an MD from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University (1994), Dr. Hidaka teaches Anatomy in the Barnard College Dance Department and oversees educational programs at the Hospital for Special Surgery.