“I kept on pushing through and auditioned for scholarships at different schools, trying to pursue this ballerina career. I didn’t know that constantly being told that my body wasn’t right for dance was going to be emotionally damaging for my life. At the same time, a part of me was like, ‘Am I really not made for this, or is there a facade of ballet that’s been created?’”
“Being a person of color, queer, and disabled — not only means that I subvert the norm, but it can also mean being othered by communities that were meant for one aspect of my identity because of an intersecting aspect. So I’m very much interested in unconventional themes, philosophical controversies, and contemporary challenges against conservative perspectives.”
“I come into a theater, okay, great. I know exactly what it is I’m supposed to do as an audience member, and I’m kind of like, how can we push against those scripts? And if we can start transgressing the scripts given to us in the theater, then how can we get comfortable enough with the discomfort of that to do that outside of the theater, too?”
“… Being Māori, I did not, when I was younger, even connect that with my practice. It’s become more and more important, but it was something that I grew up feeling not positive about. So, to feel like I can embrace that now has been a really beautiful process for me.”
“I’m working with whatever is in the room. I’m working with the day. I’m working with what I’m moving through personally. And what it feels like is going on in the world at the time.”
In partnership with the California Arts Council (CAC), Los Angeles Performance Practice is proud to serve as the Administering Organization for the Individual Artist Fellowships in Los Angeles County for the 2025–2027 cycle.