William Okajima ’24 joins exclusive company as Princess Grace Award recipient.

By Jana F. Brown

In one enchanted moment on stage, William Okajima ’24 had an epiphany. Having trained and studied his craft since the age of eight, he’d made it.

At the time, he was performing his first solo with influential choreographer Kyle Abraham’s contemporary dance company, A.I.M. Although the piece, “Wild is the Wind” (set to Nina Simone’s haunting namesake song), was emotionally complex, Okajima’s performance gave him goosebumps for another reason.

“Even though it was a sad piece,” Okajima says, “the feeling of joy from performing and the gratitude that I get to do this every day was one of the greatest moments I’ve had as a performer so far.”

In the year since that on-stage experience, Okajima has expanded his professional IQ and his artistic chops as a touring member of Abraham’s groundbreaking company. In June, Okajima was named one of three recipients in dance performance of the Princess Grace Awards, which “identify and elevate emerging talent in theater, dance, and film through game-changing grants.” The honor rewards excellence in artistic pursuits and recognizes those with “potential for innovation or impact…on their field.” Notably, Okajima is the second USC Glorya Kaufman School alumnus to receive this honor, following Jake Tribus ’20.

It was Abraham, himself a Princess Grace recipient in 2010, who nominated Okajima for the accolade, supporting him through the lengthy application process that included essays, interviews, and a highlight reel spotlighting his dance talent.

“He approaches movement with such heart that you instantly feel the genuine humanity and ownership in whatever he shares,” Abraham says. “That same generosity is felt in the way he speaks about the dance ecosystem, and the brilliant ideas he has toward building and unifying dance communities.”

Okajima first met Abraham as a junior at USC Kaufman, where Abraham was teaching as a Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor of Dance. The two immediately clicked as choreographer and dancer.

Soon thereafter, Abraham cast Okajima in a quartet for a work in progress called “5 Minute Dance” that he’d been exploring at A.I.M. The following spring, Okajima was invited with the other three USC dancers to perform the collaborative piece at the Joyce Theater in New York City. The easy artistic rapport led to an offer for Okajima to join Abraham’s Brooklyn-based company in July 2024. Although stationed in New York, Okajima travels frequently to perform new and repertory works with the company, including stops in Europe and back to his roots in Los Angeles.

“In every aspect of how [Will] moves through space in his personal and professional life,” Abraham says, “he moves with the most beautifully, unadorned intentional sense of care, purpose, and professionalism.”

At USC, Okajima earned a minor in entrepreneurship, believing it would help him understand the business side of dance. With the $15,000 Princess Grace grant, he plans to explore his business acumen by developing the online platform “DanceNav,” which began as a senior project. The app is designed to centralize dance-related information — classes, auditions, performances — into one convenient hub for the global dance community.

“It’s meant to give dancers access to more information,” he explains, “and make our little dance world a little bit smaller.”

Ironically, the Princess Grace Award has expanded Okajima’s personal network, connecting him with past winners and what he calls a “prestigious lineage” of exceptional artists, from dancers and choreographers to filmmakers, playwrights, and actors. “These are teachers, mentors, and dancers I’ve looked up to,” he says.

Raised in Orange County, Okajima discovered dance while tagging along with his mother and sisters to the local ballet studio and became captivated almost immediately. By 13, he was booking commercial dance work, beginning with an appearance in a music video for Sia’s “The Greatest,” which demystified the prospect of a career in the arts.

“I thought, ‘Oh, you can make money dancing like this,’” recalls Okajima, who has also done national ads for Honda, Apple, and others.

More recently, Okajima traveled to Dubai to film a tourism spot. That opportunity allowed him to combine the modern dance skills honed at USC Kaufman and A.I.M. with the fast-paced environment of commercial work — and perform improvisational dance in large outdoor spaces. Okajima credits his experiences at USC, along with mentors like Abraham, Bret Easterling, and others, for broadening his skills and understanding of movement.

“I had so many mentors,” Okajima says. “USC Kaufman advocates for a multifaceted, well-rounded dancer. The program aligned with who I am as an artist.”

An added benefit of his undergraduate experience, he notes, was that choosing to attend USC gave Okajima uninterrupted access to the entertainment industry, so he was able to continue accepting commercial work while earning his degree.

Up next for Okajima is a trio of performances at New York’s Lincoln Center (Sept. 25-27) to celebrate Abraham’s work and A.I.M’s 20th anniversary. Although the eight-hour days of rehearsing and training can be demanding, Okajima’s enthusiasm for his artistic pursuits has not waned since that illuminating moment on the stage.

“It genuinely brings me joy,” he says.