Tabata Vara, founder of Totema Dance Company, is a choreographer and performer whose work is a visceral exploration of identity, memory, and transformation. She began her dance journey at 18, training in various dance forms, and in 2022 earned a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Towson University, where she received the Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Award. This foundation, combined with her deep connection to cultural traditions, has shaped her into a choreographer unafraid to delve into the darker, more enigmatic aspects of human experience.
Since its founding in 2022, Totema Dance Company has garnered recognition for its bold, evocative works, both locally and internationally. In 2023, the company performed at the DC Summer Dance Showcase and the Attune Dance Festival in Kyoto, Japan, where Tabata’s piece Immolatio captivated audiences with its haunting exploration of sacrifice and rebirth. During her time in Kyoto, Tabata also led a creative movement workshop for children, furthering her commitment to fostering artistic expression across cultures and generations.
The company’s momentum continued into 2024 with performances at S.H.E/MOVES and Nachmo DC, showcasing the breadth of Tabata’s choreographic range. Her piece When Tongues Collide explored the emergence of consciousness in non-living entities, while Obruo, a collaborative dance film, reflected on the pressures of creativity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
That same year, Tabata was commissioned as a choreographer and performer for The Latinx Movement Festival in DC, where she explored themes of cultural heritage and identity, infusing her work with the rich textures of Mexican culture. Additionally, she presented an excerpt from Los Pecados De Nuestros Padres as part of Threads, a free public production celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. This poignant work explores generational trauma, silent sacrifices, and the emergence of love amidst pain.
Totema Dance Company, is an abstract tapestry of movement that invites audiences to confront the shadows of human existence—where beauty and unease coexist.
Tabata’s choreography is not merely performance; it is an invocation, a call to witness the raw, unvarnished truths of the human condition. Her works are immersive experiences that blur the line between spectator and participant, weaving together symbolism, sound, and movement to create worlds that resonate long after the performance ends.
At its core, Totema Dance Company is a space where the forbidden is embraced, the ancestral reimagined, and the human spirit is laid bare. Tabata’s vision is to create art that challenges, provokes, and ultimately transforms. Her work is not about entertainment; it is about awakening thought, sparking dialogue, and inviting audiences to see the world through unfamiliar lenses. With each performance, Totema fractures the familiar, leaving audiences to grapple with the pulse of something ancient and uncharted—a reminder that art’s greatest power lies in its ability to make us think, feel, and question.