Mayu Shirai

Date of birth: November 24, 1992

 Nationality: Japan

Originally from Osaka, Japan, she is a dancer, educator, and founder of Ikiiki Dance Company. She began her artistic journey in street dance, developing a vision of dance as a space for shared vitality and authentic expression. While studying International Law at Ritsumeikan University, she explored dance and embodied practices as non-verbal tools for social dialogue and conflict transformation.

Her perspective further expanded through training in New York at the Martha Graham School and with the house dance crew Crazy Natives, bridging concert and street dance cultures. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Physical Theatre at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri, where she deepens her choreographic practice and creates lively spaces for people of all ages to connect and share joy through movement.