Mariko Tanabe

Mariko Tanabe is a dancer, choreographer, master somatic movement therapist and certified practitioner on Ancestral Healing. Her life’s work  bridges embodiment, ritual arts, dancing, ancestral  healing and a deep reverence for the natural world. She began her career in New York City, studying diverse dance forms and performing in opera and experimental theatre before joining the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, where she worked for twelve years as a principal dancer, teacher, and rehearsal director.

For over three decades she has created and performed original works across Europe, Asia, and North America, collaborating with composers, musicians, and visual artists. Her choreographies often draw on her Japanese Canadian heritage, exploring themes of memory, ancestry, and the transformative power of the dance.

Mariko is a Certified Teacher and Practitioner of Body-Mind Centering®, an Infant Developmental Movement Educator, a Registered Master Somatic Movement Therapist, and a Certified Practitioner of Ancestral Healing. She founded and directed Esprit en Mouvement, a Body-Mind Centering® Licensed Training Program in Montreal, and since 2011 has been an adjunct professor in the graduate program in somatic education at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

She enjoys living by the Laurentian Mountains and lakes, and on Tiohtià:ke, the island of Montreal, unceded ancestral lands of the Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) people. A dancer and creator at heart, Mariko brings decades of leadership in dance and somatics to her private practice and teaching, supporting individuals of all backgrounds in creative growth, embodied presence, and ancestral connection.