Hama Dance Center

LA’s home for jazz technique and artistry

12117 Moorpark St., Studio city CA 91604

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Master Teacher Hama

Meet Hama!

Hama was born in Tokyo and moved to NY in the early 1960’s. In NY, he found his lifelong mentor, the great.. Luigi. Hama taught for him for years and in the early 70’s moved to L.A. to begin his career. In the 1990’s he founded the Jazz Dance L.A. Foundation, that provided a performing forum for L.A. jazz choreographers and dancers. He is an icon in L.A and is beloved by all.  For over 30 years Hama has provided a space for dancers to create, teach, and live a life of dance,  discipline, and excellence.

Welcome to Hama Dance Center!

New Classes

CHECK OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING @HDC!!!

Turns Class

Saturdays at 2:45pm


$22.00

Pre Pay Here

Guest Teacher

 Sunday October 18th
12:00pm


$22.00

Pre Pay Here

HDC Legacy Class

Mondays at 1:30pm


$22.00

Pre Pay Here

Hama Dance Center October Workshops & HDC Legacy Masterclasses

Save Your Spot TODAY!

Dunham Technique

Breath…Articulation… and Groove

October 25th
12:00 - 2:00pm
$35

Fast-paced and educational, this Dunham Technique class will challenge participants to engage body, mind and spirit, learn movement phrases, push beyond technique and to explore their own individual performance choices throughout while focusing on breath, alignment and articulation. The Dunham Technique is a vibrant Africanist dance form that engages the body, mind and spirit! Created by dance pioneer Katherine Dunham, the technique is informed by the dances of the African Diaspora, as well as by modern and ballet. All experience levels welcome.

Bernard Brown is a Los Angeles-based award-winning performer, choreographer, and educator who situates their work at the intersection of Blackness, Queerness, belonging, and memory. With an extensive performing career, credits include Lula Washington Dance Theatre, David Rousseve/REALITY, “Letter to a Man” with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Los Angeles Opera, Penumbra Theater, Donald Byrd’s “Harlem Nutcracker,” Nike, and the Kennedy Center’s Masters of African American Choreography,
 Bernard now serves as Director of Bernard Brown/bbmoves – a social justice dance company – choreographing for stage, specific sites, film, and opera presented globally. He has received invitations, residencies and commissions from institutions such as 
The Getty, On The Boards, REDCAT, Dance Camera West, American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers, Oscar-qualifying African Diaspora Cinema Festival, Seoul International Dance Festival, The Music Center, Dance Italia, Royce Hall and US Embassy sponsored tour to Burkina Faso, West Africa. 
Brown has conducted workshops, lectures, presentations, and master classes internationally, namely in Korea, Panama, Malta, Canada, Brazil, and in communities across the US such as Northwestern University, Homeboy Industries, Johns Hopkins University, Los Angeles Unified School District, National Immigration Law Center, CalArts, protesting outside of Los Angeles City Hall, and inside prisons in California and Puerto Rico. 
 
Brown is an Associate Professor of Dance at UC San Diego, Certified Katherine Dunham Technique Instructor, interim Co-Director and Curator for homeLA, and was named a Cultural Trailblazer for the City of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times has called him “…the incomparable Bernard Brown…”

CLASS SCHEDULE

Monday

Kana Miyamoto

BALLET
BEG/INT
10:00-11:30am
Pre Pay Here

Hama

JAZZ
INT/ADV

11:45-1:15pm
Pre Pay Here

Nichelle Bane

HDC LEGACY CLASS
-Doug Caldwell
INT/ADV

1:30-3:00pm
Pre Pay Here

Tuesday

Stephanie Kim

BALLET
BEG/INT

10:00-11:30am
Pre Pay Here

POINTE
11:30-12:pm
$10.00

Risa Arisue

LYRICAL JAZZ
INT LEVEL

12:00pm-1:30pm
Pre Pay Here

Wednesday

Kana Miyamoto

BALLET
BEG/INT
10:00-11:30am
Pre Pay Here

Amy Schadt

HAMA TECHNIQUE
INT/ADV
11:45-1:15pm
Pre Pay Here

Nichelle Bane

STARTING 10/28!

HDC LEGACY CLASS
-Doug Caldwell
INT/ADV

1:30-3:00pm
STARTING 10/28

THURSDAY

Stephanie Kim

BALLET
BEG/INT
10:00-11:30am
Pre Pay Here

FRIDAY

Kana Miyamoto

BALLET
BEG/INT
10:00-11:30am
Pre Pay Here

Amy Schadt

RYTHMIC SOULFUL JAZZ
INT/ADV

11:45-1:15pm
Pre Pay Here

SATURDAY

Eric Ellis

 JAZZ
INT

10:00-11am
Pre Pay Here

Risa Arisue

LYRICAL JAZZ
INT

11:15am-12:45pm
Pre Pay Here

Amy Schadt

HAMA TECHNIQUE
INT/ADV

1:00-2:30pm
Pre Pay Here

Amy Schadt

TURNS CLASS
ALL LEVELS
2:45-3:45pm
Pre Pay Here

Sunday

Jeni Jones

JAZZ
Open Level 

8:30-9:45am
Pay Jeni Directly

Kana Miyamoto

BALLET
BEG/INT
10:00-11:30am
Pre Pay Here

Denise Leitner

GUEST TEACHER!

October 18th, 2026
12:00-1:30pm
Pre Pay Here

Bernard Brown

 DUNHAM TECHNIQUE
Breath…Articulation… and Groove
All Levels

12:00-2:00pm
Pre Pay Here

BALLET

Julia Bourlina

INT/ADV BALLET with JULIA BOURLINA – Daily

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5:30p – 7:30p

Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 6:30p – 8:30p

Sunday 5:00p-7:00p

2hrs $35 Check in w Julia

**Payment methods**
Cash, Checks
Credit Cards
Venmo

MEET OUR TEACHERS

HDC Legacy Class ~ Doug Caldwell

Terri Best

GUEST TEACHER

Jeni Jones

JAZZ

Memories

Bernard Brown

The Roots and Foundations of Jazz Dance

Pat Taylor

Stacey Strickland

Follow Our Insta Journey

Amy Schadt, Artistic Director

Amy trained in the Luigi lineage of jazz dance under founder Takeshi “Hama” Hamagaki, beginning her relationship with the studio in 1993 as a work-study student. She has since trained as an instructor, led the children’s program, and performed with the Jazz Dance LA company before stepping into her role as Artistic Director.

In this role, Amy oversees the studio’s artistic vision, faculty, and programming, working to preserve Hama’s technique and legacy while expanding the studio’s reach across LA’s dance community.

Interested in collaborating? Amy welcomes inquiries from studios, schools, and organizations looking to bring in workshops, teaching opportunities, classes, or intensives. Reach out at amy@hamadancecenter.com to start the conversation.

Master Hama Technique Teachers

Amy Schadt and Kristen Wilkinson are the Master Teachers of the Hama Technique, carrying forward the legacy of founder Takeshi “Hama” Hamagaki’s Luigi-lineage jazz training for a new generation of dancers.

Together, they offer Master Classes, Workshops, and Choreographic Residencies, bringing original works to students through an immersive, hands-on creative process. They are also available to stage original repertory on professional and pre-professional dance companies.

Hama Dance Center — Filming Policy

Filming & Media Policy

At Hama Dance Center, we occasionally capture photo and video content to share the studio, our classes, and our dancers through our promotional materials and social media.

When Filming Happens

  • Filming generally occurs after class concludes, outside of regular instruction time.
  • In some instances, an instructor will film during class. When this happens, the instructor will let students know in advance. Students may choose to step out of frame or opt out of being filmed at any time, even after initially agreeing to participate.

Consent

  • All dancers must have a signed Release Form and a signed Filming Consent Form on file.
  • Filming is optional — it is up to each dancer whether they choose to participate in after-class filming. No one is required to stay or take part.
  • Release forms cover the use of photo/video content for promotional materials, including social media, the website, and studio marketing.
  • Parents/guardians must sign on behalf of any dancer under 18.

Our Commitment
At Hama Dance Center, our priority is always training and creating a safe space for our dancers. Filming is a small part of what we do — it will never take precedence over that focus.

Questions
Dancers or parents with questions about this policy, or who wish to opt out of filming, should speak with the front desk or studio director directly.

OUR staff

Hama
Owner

Amy Schadt
Artistic Director

Risa Arisue
Studio Manager

Judy Lam
Outreach and Special Projects Coordinator

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