Hey. Ok so check it. I’ve been around for a minute. And, well, some of my earlier work didn’t get documented all that well. But I didn’t want to omit them maybe because I have a challenging time letting go of stuff, so this page is here to honor the work and all the people who worked on them although I’m not going to list all those people so WHY EVEN BOTHER I do wonder. Well, as is my life and work, this website too is a work-in-progress so I’ll see about chipping away at making this stuff more comprehensive. Until then…

figures of doubt (2017) — A performance poetry piece in 3 parts. Premiered at a PAPA showcase event, at the Asian Arts Initiative. Assistance by Jamil Gaines (RIP brother), and gobs of inspiration from the wifey.

Spies Like Us (2011) — This was my second-ever commission. The National Constitution Center wanted an immersive dance-theatre piece to coincide with the opening of their new exhibit, Spies, Traitors & Saboteurs. I hired brilliant dancers Heather Cole, Jenn Cook, Bethany Formica, Cati Hellerer, Jolene Hernandez, John Luna, and Kevin Santana and we ran around that museum dancing to Hall & Oates. We had fun, the people were top-notch, and we were paid so-so. What more could anyone ask for? (Shout out to Nora Berger-Green for advocating for me.)

Boom Bap Tourism: The Lost Tapes (2010) — Between 2008 and 2010, I was working on my big solo project Boom Bap Tourism. Eventually, there was 75+ min of material that didn’t make it into the final version. So Sarah Sanford (my director) and I reworked those omitted sections into its own stand-alone piece, which we called The Lost Tapes (inspired by Nas’ Lost Tapes album). It premiered at Asian Arts Initiative, on a shared bill with my West Coast homie, Kristina Wong (Guggenheim Fellow and Doris Duke Artist Award recipient! Go K-Wong!). Shout outs to James Sugg for sound mixing and Dan Hodge for voice overs.

Phoenixes (2010) — This was my first-ever, full-on commission. And by that, I mean I was hired to conceive of and execute something of my own vision, top-to-bottom, without having to oversee the producing of it. And it was by Rowan University’s Dept of Dance and Theater, which employed my colleagues and mentors Melanie Stewart, Paule Turner, and Leslie Elkins. And I was to audition and cast performers from the department! Woh. WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR? Dream gig. Not only all of that, but along for the ride were other commissioned artists Eun Jung Choi-Gonzalez and Beau Hancock, both who are friends. Couldn’t get any better. But it did. Because these performers were incredible. Committed, here to learn, and ready to have a fun time. We made a thing unlike anything I’ve made before. Forever grateful, most especially to Leslie Elkins, the doula.

Selling Water (2008) — This performance poetry piece was created through an invitation by my friend Mike Kiley. His music project at the time (Cordalene) was putting on a concert in South Philly, and asked if I had anything new I wanted to share. So with some advising from my dear friend and often-collaborator Jamil Gaines (RIP), I wrote and performed a full piece. Video design by Jorge Cousineau.

Strawberry Farm (2007-2008) — This piece was being imagined as the third piece in a (never-announced) trilogy of works about Japanese-American identity and experience post WWII (see below for the other two). I invited my dear collaborators and friends (Megan Mazarick, Shavon Norris, and Dave O’Donnell) into this process, focused on Japanese-American strawberry farmers in the 1940’s on the west coast. My dear friend (and co-worker and partner-in-crime at the restaurant we worked at) Eric Courtwright was my Co-Director. The creation of this piece was unique, because we developed it as we toured it — first stop was at an Off-Broadway venue (part of the first-ever National Asian American Theatre Festival in NYC), then to Goose Route Dance Festival (RIP), and then finally back to Philly for the 2008 Live Arts Festival (aka curated Fringe Festival).

B R A N D I N G (2005-06) — I was awarded the Asian Arts Initiative’s first-ever dance/live performance residency. This is back in the day on Gilbert Street, before the Convention Center expanded and displaced them (a second time). B R A N D I N G was sort of a sequel to The Order and The Stranger, continuing the line of creative inquiry about post WWII Japanese-American identity. It was my first full-length solo piece, and also the project that started my now 20+ year history with AAI. Shout out to Dave O’donnell for scenic design assistance, and Les Rivera for video editing assistance. This piece premiered at AAI in Nov 2005, and then toured to Yale University in 2006 (shout out to Jason Hayase and JASU for putting me on).

The Order and the Stranger (2005) — The curated Philly Fringe Festival (at the time was called The Live Arts Festival) reached out and wanted to present my work. So I pitched them an idea, they were like “is it gonna be as funny as your previous work?” and I was like mm sure. I hadn’t made it yet, so I was talking out my ass. But I definitely wanted to be presented by the festival, so I said yes to whatever they asked. I pitched them a dance-theatre piece about Japanese American incarceration during WWII, and more specifically the effects that it’s had on people of Japanese descent since then (in the US). Not really the source material that is comedic. but it worked. They said yes. The “Order” part of the title was in reference to the Executive Order (9066) which was created to forcibly remove people of Japanese descent from areas within the US and put them into camps; the “Stranger” part of the title was in reference to us being strangers to one another (and ourselves in some ways). I thought it was clever and apt. Still kinda do. The piece featured co-creators Meg Foley, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones, Megan Mazarick, and Dave O’donnell, with costuming by Erin Foreman-Murray. Premiered at the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival in Sept 2005, at the Painted Bride Arts Center (when it was on Vine Street), and then toured to Yale University in 2006 (shout out to Jason Hayase and JASU for putting me on).

The Format (2005) — This was my “breakout”. The piece that put me on the map. And to be fair and accurate, what I actually mean is it’s the piece that a lot of people saw and got excited about and made them want to meet me. In the lobby post-show, Nick and Deb from the Fringe introduced themselves to me, and my friend Aryani saw it and was so stoked about it she mentioned me to Quinn at Pig Iron and that’s how I got on their radar (which led to PAY UP, which led to Team Sunshine). Also, my advisor was Andrew Simonet and the technician was Jorge Cousineau, both of whom I met thru working on this piece and are my friends and colleagues to this day. The piece itself was a funeral — I had put everything I learned in undergrad (at Temple U), styles, techniques, choreographic processes, etc and put them all into this piece and said farewell. It was naval gazey, but in an “industry” specific way. At least that was my attempt. And it was funny and self-referential, and I paid my friends $50 each to be in it. Meg Foley, Erin Foreman-Murray, Helen Hale, Molly Kampf, Dave O'donnell, and Megan Mazarick. Lucas Rivera did some sound mixing pro bono. Presented by Melanie Stewart Dance Theatre/nEW Festival, at the Drake Theater (now the InterAct space).