Mayu Nakaya (she/her) is a contemporary dance artist originally from Japan, based in New York. As a dancer, Mayu has worked with Obremski/Works, Drye Marinaro Dance Company, Li Chiao-Ping Dance (Wisconsin), Helen Simoneau Danse, SAXYN Dance Works, rogue wave with Catherine Messina, Six Degrees Dance, One Day Dance, iKADA Contemporary Dance Company, sarAika Movement Collective, Yu.S. Artistry, Yoshito Sakuraba, Faustine Lavie, and Kanon Sugino.

Her expressive foundation includes ballet, piano, swimming, capoeira, and gymnastics from an early age. She developed her dance technique and creative voice by Kaori Kagaya and Kazuyuki Futami and at Tokyo Metropolitan High School of the Arts and the University of Tsukuba, in Japan, and later at The Ailey School in New York (2019–2021).

From 2016 to 2019, she presented her choreographic works at competitions throughout Japan and South Korea, receiving several awards as both a dancer and choreographer.

As a choreographer, Mayu also founded MNiverse, an evolving creative platform for developing collaborative contemporary dance projects, and has presented her works at festivals and performance venues across New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Japan.

Nakaya joined Obremski/Works in 2022.