Education
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA, Honolulu, Hawai‘i; MFA Candidate in Dance 2019-2022 (Expected Graduation with MFA in Performance and Choreography)
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, Tempe, Arizona; BA in Ecosystem Sustainability 2008-2012 School of Sustainability and Arts Minor in Dance Performance and Choreography
UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO AT HAMILTON, Hamilton, New Zealand; Two undergraduate exchange semesters in Contemporary dance: Performance and Choreography, Polynesian Dance Studies, Global Dance Studies, Soil Sciences, Climatology
SCOTTSDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Scottsdale, Arizona : Courses for Credit in ongoing dance, theatre, kinesiology, and performance studies.
Teaching Areas
Contemporary/Modern
Improvisation/Contact Improvisation
Composition/Choreography
Dance Research Methodologies
Professional Development in the Arts
House Dance
Contemporary West African
Hatha Yoga
Teaching Experience
Workshops
2019 Old Way Vogue, Kennedy Theatre at UHM. Led 14 students of THEA 202: Acting through the foundations of Old Way Vogue, 75 min.
2019 Vogue Femme, Kennedy Theatre at UHM. Led 14 students of THEA 202: Acting through the foundations of Vogue Femme, 75 min.
2019 Old Way Vogue, New Way Vogue, and Runway, Coming Out Ball at UHM, Honolulu HI for the Rainbow Alliance Collective and LGBTQ+ Organization, 90 min.
2019 House Dance and Old Way Vogue, UHM Dance Studio, Free to Community, 120min.
2019 Freeform Flora, Contact Improvisation series. Spirit of Yoga, Tempe, AZ. A botanically inspired evening series with gong baths, guided partner work, meditation and kava ceremony.
2018 Urban Contemporary Saturday Series, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ. 4 sessions of 90 min as resident guest artist in Urban Movement Research with Nue/Box
2017 Contemporary Dance and Cacao ceremony. Ongoing guided dance improvisation sessions with live DJs and Cacao medicinal ceremony.
2015 Contemporary Dance and Cacao ceremony. Cacao fest, San Diego, CA.
Masterclasses
2019 Contemporary African, NueBox Dance, Phoenix, AZ. 90 min.
2019 Contemporary dance, An 8-session series of Level 1 to 30 enrolled students as a substitute teacher for Assistant Professor Peiling Kao at UHM, Honolulu HI.
2018 Ayurvedic Wellness through Movement, Soulflower Farm, El Cerrito, CA. 120min of guided meditative movement with regard to the Ayurvedic doshas.
2017 Contact Improvisation, Solar Culture Gallery, Tucson, AZ. 90 min.
2016 Mood Enhancing Movement, Gem and Jam Festival, Tucson, AZ. 90 min.
2015 Contact Improvisation, Cosmic Convergence Festival, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, 90min
2014 Contact Improvisation, La Tortuga Verde, El Cuco, El Salvador while hosting a wellness and dance retreat in collaboration with DJ ReBirth. Blossom AbunDANCE. 4 day retreat with daily teaching in yoga, dance, and CI.
Creative Research: Choreography
2020 Botanarchy, Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM), Spring Footholds: Kaleidoscope. Solo work with staged projection art and silhouette screen. 4:43min.
2020 Carbon, Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, UHM. Zoom panel presentation. Directed choreography with mentorship by Peiling Kao. 9 dancers, Fall Footholds, 6min.
2020 Euphoria: Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, UHM. Research with original spoken word composition surrounding the role of whales in oceanic homeostasis. 8 dancers, 7min.
2020 Oyá: Street performance, dance for camera, Honolulu, HI. Research into African contemporary mythology, solo. 4min.
2020 Reciprocal Relations: Hired music video content creation, professional media for Sister Stone recording artist. Solo + dance for camera original cinematography and editing, 3:04min.
2019 Trick or Treat, Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, UHM. Fall Footholds: Prism. An abstract drama marked by urban sensuality and a reverence to Orixa mythology. 6 dancers, 4:34min.
2019 Grave TransF(her), Lin Yee Chung Mānoa Cemetery, Honolulu, HI. Dance for Camera Solo. A dance for the dead, the dying, and the born. A dance for the crumpled leaves. 4:24min
2018 Ritual Rite, Studio 5 Theatre, Jazzy Dance Complex, Lisbon, Portugal. 6 month conceptual development with mentorship by Lucia Alfonso. Solo. 7:37min
2017 BedRest, Unexpected Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona. A journey of Saguaro cacti to re-awakening the vertebrate through desert sands. 4 dancers, with Rain Locker, 28min
2016 Green Light, Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, AZ. Solo with mentorship by Carley Condor, 4:21min
Creative Research: Performance
2020 Opus; UHM, Sofia Carter, Earle Ernst Lab Theater, UHM, Honolulu, HI. Contemp. Jazz.
2019 Silvestre Technique Intensive showcase with direction by Vera Passos, Terreiro de Jesus, Pelourhino, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Afro-Brazilian.
2018 mu:TanT, Leo Orchidaceae, Orchidaceae Dance Company; Second Love. Theatre 5 Jazzy Dance, Lisbon, Portugal. Contemporary Hip Hop.
2018 Silvestre Technique Intensive showcase with direction by Vera Passos, Safira Sacramento, Teatro Praca de Se, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Afro-Brazilian.
2017 em (BED)ed : Rain Locker, Unexpected Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona. Contemporary.
2017 Kaleidoscope, choreographed by Cookie Orchidaceae and Moony Orchidaceae at Theatre 5 Jazzy Dance, Lisbon, Portugal with Orchidaceae Dance Company. Urban Tribal Fusion.
2017 Silvestre Technique Intensive showcase with direction by Vera Passos, Rosangela Silvestre, Fundação Cultural do Estado da Bahia, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Afro-Brazilian.
2016 Shaman’s Dream, Personal choreography in collaboration with a tribal fusion dance collective based in Santa Cruz, CA. Lucidity Festival, Santa Barbara, CA. 75 min.
2013 JAMovement, Producer & performer of a Graduate evening showcase at the Herberger Theatre's Institute of the Arts, Tempe, AZ, 19min.
2012 Confession(s), Choreographer & Performer for short film series in Contemporary Dance with JAMovement, Herberger Theatre, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ, 4min each
2010-2012 Undergraduate performer and movement research for Masters of Fine Arts Graduate Students at Arizona State University (Contemporary / Modern)
2009-2010 Performer and Company Member of Guerilla Dance Attack (Contemporary / Performance Art / Experimental, Butoh)
Academic Research
Euphoria : 2020, This twenty-three minute piece is an ode to carbon; a key element to the Earth’s geosphere and biosphere. Euphoria: You for All will have twelve dancers. Three carbon (diamond, coal, gas) and nine oxygen. Carbon dioxide is in units of three: one carbon to two oxygen. Twelve is a multiple of three and this will play into the narrative and choreography.
Euphoria: You for All is an excavation of contemporary art as social commentary and subtextual humanistic bridge between Africanist performance components and intentional choreography.
Sequestration : 2021 Sequestration stays true to the glory, the euphoria, the elation of oxygen being produced by means of photosynthesis in jungles, savannahs, forests, and ocean algae. Each rehearsal was a visual and imaginative experience where choreography was selected from improvised movements that the dancers produced while live spoken word is being performed repeatedly.. I variated phrases, paired duets, and constructed group lifts, group undulations, and group ticking and texture, and power dynamics.
Academic Memberships
2019 - Present Theater and Dance Association, (TADA) University of Hawaii
2019 - Present Balinese Gamelan Taksu Gitaning Shanti
Honors, Awards, Grants
2020 Award: $8,000 for Tuition. John Young Scholarship of the Arts at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
2019 Academic Achievement Scholarship at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
2016 1st place Female, My Own Style Jam Hip Hop Experimental Battle/Jam in Lisbon Portugal with Lucia Afonso and Dougie Knight,battled in the style of African Contemporary
2016 Herbalist of the Month at East West School of Planetary Herbology
2012 Summa Cum Laude with Honors graduation status at Arizona State University
2011 Exchange Program Merit Scholarship to University of Waikato, New Zealand
2010 - 2012 Peer mediator and peer counsellor for the ASU student body
2008 - 2012 Merit-based Scholarship for holding a 4.0 GPA at Arizona State University
2006 - 2008 Varsity Dance Company Captain and Choreographer at Fountain Hills High School, Arizona
2004 - 2008 Honor Roll and Advanced Placement at Fountain Hill High School, Arizona
Press: Featured On
2020 Voyage Phoenix : Independent Business / Female Entrepreneur Shoutout
2019 KTUH Episode October: as Female choreographer for Trick or Treat
2017 Voyage Phoenix : Female Entrepreneur in the Arts cover article
Practices, Training, and Professional Development
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA, Honolulu, Hawai‘i; MFA Candidate in Dance Performance and Choreography 2019-2020, Graduate Degree
Adv. Contemporary Peiling Kao
Cunningham technique Marcie Munnerlyn
Legong Balinese Dance Made Widana
Topeng Balinese Paktut Wirtawan
West African - Guinea Iman Tamiko
West African - Congo Tai Hawkins
Ballet Celia Johnson
Adv. Choreography Betsy Fisher
Dance Education Seminar Amy Schiffner
Dance Research Seminar Kara Miller
Dance Theory and Criticism Desiree Quintero
Hula, Int. Hula Noenoelani Lewis
Tahitian dance Jane Moulin
Directed Choreography Betsy Fisher, Peiling Kao
Undergraduate Degree
SCOTTSDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2013-2016
Dance Production, Theatre Mngmt. Angela Rosenkrans
Contemporary Dance Angela Rosekrans
Ballet II Karyn Allen
Hip Hop II Crystal Cruz
Adv. Post-Modern Contemp. Carly Condor
UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO, Hamilton, New Zealand 2009-2011
Dance, Community & Environment Karen Barbour
Dance Perspectives & Society Karen Barbour
Performing Dance Karen Barbour
Dance Making Karen Barbour
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, Tempe AZ 2008-2012
Pre-requisites: Art History, Adv. Jazz, Global Dance Culture, Hip Hop II, Modern Dance II
Urban Dance Movement Melissa Britt
Capoeira Jay Camera, Leon Camera
Adv. Hip Hop Sammy Stephens Jr.
Raqs Sharqi Ava Flemming
Adv. Modern Carley Conder
Adv. Contemporary Aileen Mapes
Media for Dance John Mitchell
Adv. Media Studies John Mitchell
Yoga III Rassoul Sabhani
Complementary Dance Studies
2019: Technica Silvestre and Orixa Movement intensive in Salvador de Bahia, Brasil January-February
2018-2019: Afro-Contemporary Master class series in Salvador, Brazil with Dudé Consesåo, Lino Hamilton, and Tatiana Campélo
2017: GAGA for Dancers Movement Intensive Paris June 6th-12th (Contemporary)
2017: Technica Silvestre Intensive Paris June 2-6th (Afro-Brazilian Modern)
2017-2018: ongoing classes with Jocquese Whitfield at ODC and Dance Mission Theatre in Vogue
2017: Orchidaceae Urban Tribal Belly Dance: June - advanced studies in Contemporary House (Leo Orchidaceae), Waacking & Vogue (Piny Orchidaceae), Hip Hop (Maria Atunes), Popping, Capoeria (Lucia Afonso)
2017: Technica Silvestre and Orixa Movement Intensive in Tucson, Arizona
2017: Technica Silvestre and Orixa Movement month intensive in Salvador de Bahia
2017: Afro-Contemporary Master class series in Salvador, Brazil with Dudé Consesåo, Lino Hamilton, and Tatiana Campélo
2016: Butoh College, Water in the Desert Theatre with Mizu Desierto, Portland OR
2016: Intensive in Guinea Drum & Dance at Camp Merveilles in Hawi, Hawai‘i with Fara Tolno, Soriba Fofana, Naby Bangoura, Marietou Camara, & Alseny Soumah
2016: Orchidaceae Urban Tribal Belly Dance Intensive in Lisbon, Portugal
2015: Ongoing classes in Hip Hop, House, and Vogue at Dance Mission Theatre, SF
2015: House Masterclass series with Caleaf at Dance Mission Theatre, San Francisco
2014: Summer Dance Classes with Umu in Santa Cruz, California : Senegalese
2013: Ecstatic Dance Teacher Facilitation Training in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Languages, Skill and Technology
Proficient in English, Spanish, Portuguese spoken language
Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Quickbooks, iMovie, StopMotion, FinalCut Pro