DAVID HERRERA PERFORMANCE COMPANY
Celebrating 16 years of innovative, thought-provoking dance;
Promoting Latinx Voices via modern American Movement
2007 -2023
Voted Best Dance Company-Runner Up 2022 by "Best of the Bay"
OUR TEAM
Photo: Randy Basso
David Herrera
Artistic Director/Choreographer

David Herrera is a choreographer, producer, and community leader in San Francisco, California. He grew up in Hollywood, CA influenced by his culturally diverse neighborhood and his Mexican and American heritages. He advocates to provide Latinx/e/a/o and BIPOC artists performance opportunities while challenging non-equitable practices in the modern dance field. David holds B.A.s in American Studies and Theater Arts, and a graduate certificate in Theater Arts from U.C. Santa Cruz. In 2007, he launched David Herrera Performance Company in San Francisco as a response to the lack of Latinx visibility and representation in the U.S. dance field. He has created over 30 new works including evening-length productions such as The Tip of My Tongue, Resurrection of Everyday People, The Least of Them, TOUCH, and Slumber. Davd's work has been presented at the Austin Dance Festival, Mix&Match Festival, ODC's Walking-Distance Festival, Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers, SJ Dance Company's "Choreoproject", and more.
David is a recipient of the National Latino Arts & Culture Leadership Fellowship and Hope Mohr Dance’s Community Engagement Residency (2019/20) amongst various grants and residencies. In 2023 David was announced as a Co-curator for the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival's "Choreofest". He has served as advisor to the Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers, is a current Isadora Duncan Awards committee member, and is a main contributing member of Dancing Around Race, a community program dedicated to the discussion and implementation of cultural equity in the dance sector in San Francisco led by Gerald Casel. David has also mentored homeless individuals through the Community Housing Partnership in San Francisco.
David been a panelist for the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, City of Berkeley, CA$H Grant, ODC Theater's Queer & BIPOC Studio Residency, Deborah Slater's Studio 210 Residency, amongst others.
David has been commissioned by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, ODC Theater, Asian Art Museum (S.F.), U.C. Santa Cruz, FWD.US, Novato School for the Arts, Williams Sonoma, and Push Dance Company.
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Niara Hardister
Programs Director

Niara Hardister is a dancer, arts administrator, and event producer from Riverside, California. In 2018, she graduated from Cornell University with a major in Hotel Administration and a minor in Dance. During college, she trained with Jumay Chu, Byron Suber, Nic Ceynowa, and Tucker Davis. She also founded the Cornell Dancers' Alliance, worked as a teaching assistant at Ithaca College, and interned with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and Battery Dance Company.
Currently, Niara is based in San Francisco. She is an Operations Manager and Event Producer at Foxtail Catering and Events. Niara is also a company member of PUSH Dance Company, the LV Dance Collective, and Printz Dance Project, and a founding member of The Collective SF.
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Andréa Spearman
Administrative Assistant

Bay Area native, Andréa Spearman is an administrator, choreographer, performer, teacher, and student of a variety of modern-based movement with over 20 years of experience. Her company, A. Spearman & Co. is a contemporary fusion dance company where all artists are trained in various fields of art including ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, cultural dance, photography, live vocals, poetry, acting, directing, production, and more.
Currently she produces and hosts, The Black Landscape podcast, a series of conversations with SF Bay Area Black leaders discussing their personal histories and community building in various industries.
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