Keanu Uchida
NEAMA Co-Founder,
Director, Board of Directors,
Educator

Keanu Uchida is a professional dancer, advocate and student. As a dancer and movement artist, Keanu has toured internationally with Muse and Lorde, performed in the Academy Awards, danced in the MTV Video Music Awards with P!nk, and acted as movement director for Netflix' superhero series The Umbrella Academy. Keanu has also performed his own work at the Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland and at the Guggenheim Works and Process in New York City as a collaborator in Emma Portner’s short film Femme Debout. He is currently studying the intersection of Physics and Philosophy at the University of Toronto for his Bachelors of Science.
Since 2020, Keanu has been active in the fight against sexual abuse in the dance industry. In 2021, he brought his and others’ stories of abuse to the Toronto Star, which resulted in a seismic investigation into sexual misconduct at the American dance convention giant Break the Floor. The Star’s reporting lead to a subsequent partnership with the Associated Press which in April 2022 published "Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say". The AP/Star report would lead to unprecedented visibility on sexual abuse in dance, widely-shared in mainstream media - Washington Post, Globe and Mail, LA Times, New York Post, Fox News.
Keanu continues to use his voice in raising standards on safety and wellness of dancers in the industry, working with key players in the industry for change. Keanu has recently become an Authorized Darkness to Light (D2L) Facilitator on child sexual abuse awareness and prevention. He is also Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD) and Dance Equity Education (DEEA) certified. In September 2022, Keanu co-founded NEAMA (Nonprofit Education and Advocacy for the Movement Arts) alongside NEAMA Founder and President, Leslie Scott, forming a cross-generational team of advocates and educators.