Davinara Marcario is a Kazakh-American artist from Albany, New York, and the director of DDC (Davinara Dance Collective). Davinara Dance Collective explores the complexities of adoption, family, and race using a Kazakh-Contemporary fusion for movement generation. The group started from a project at Mason Gross School of the Arts, where Davi later received her BFA in Dance and was the recipient of the 2024 Margery J. Turner Choreographer Prize. They’ve been honored to present work at Arts on Site, New York City Center,  Ailey Citigroup Theatre, and Dixon Place. DDC is thrilled to continue its artistic journey and share its vision with more communities.  

Most recently, she has joined KAŌS Dance Collective under Nikaio Bulan Sahar, performing for the 2025 AAPI Festival under APAP, and the 2025 Bryant Park Contemporary Dance Series. In January 2024, Davinara joined the Company of Collaborative Artists (CoCA) under Camille Rennie, performing across New Jersey. In addition to dance, Davinara teaches ballet, contemporary, and hip-hop in Jersey City and Hoboken. She is also a Pilates Instructor for KenPilates and runs the CoCA social media. 

I find liberation in movement that highlights my Kazakh-American self, by fusing Central Asian Aesthetics with the American dance lineages I’ve encountered. The patterns of movement I’ve grown familiar with in my work include reaching, breaking, quick hand gestures, and bodily framing. I perform these strung-together patterns for the people who don’t quite fit in with the Asian-American narrative or experience. For example, how do adopted people of color like myself fit into the equation of art for Asians? Subconsciously society has moved past the appreciation of purity, or ritual in cultural dances. Instead, we can look to fusion dance, which makes room for relatability and allows artists to explore the complexities of their own identity in a solidified diverse American space.