MEET THE DANCE MAKERS (alphabetical order)

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Trixi Anne Agyao’s first experience dancing was with traditional Igorot dance she learned from the Northern California chapter of BIBAK. Her first ties to dance were about heritage, community and joy. She is a socially conscious performer, choreographer and filmmaker using the digital guise of The Thoughtful Beast. She creates work centered on fighting the stigma against mental illness. Utilizing her visual storytelling experience, she sets out to make work that kinesthetically connects with her audience. She is currently a company dancer for Mounarath Powell Dance.

Agyao is also an active volunteer. She is a lead volunteer for the San Diego, Filipino Cinema, United AAPI Artists and Mental Wellness for Artists. Agyao co-founded The Filam Film Collective which focuses on Filipino American representation in the media. TFFC also provides affinity spaces for the AAPI community.

Website: thethoughtfulbeast.com

Instagram: @thethoughtfulbeast

holly johnston is a movement artist, somatic ecologist, healer, educator, and community builder. As the Envisioning Director of RESPONSIVE BODY- a social movement and body liberation practice- she focuses on cultivating skills of loving and being loved. With a deep commitment to social justice, holly believes in the transformative power of movement, a modality for learning, healing, and creating. As Artistic Director of LEDGES AND BONES, holly received awards for choreography, performance, and costume design. As an educator she fosters critical thinking and teaches through a pedagogy of love and liberation She works with CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater as a somatic ecologist centering operational systems around embodied health, social wellness, and sustainable vitality. holly’s choreography has been described by the LA Times as ‘awe inspiring dance that leaves you breathless and wanting more.” Her new work “Roots of Loving Us” is an artistic partnership with Ana Maria Alvarez and CONTRA-TIEMPO and premieres Fall 2026. This work is supported by NEFA/NDP grant, National Performance Network, Department of Cultural Affairs-Los Angeles, Culver City Performing Arts Grant, ArtPower/UCSD, University of Tampa/dance, and Shenandoah University. holly lives in Long Beach, CA with her son who is her most profound teacher and the best dance she’s ever made.

Website: www.responsivebody.com

Instagram: @responsivebody

grace shinhae jun(she/her) is a mother, wife, artist, scholar, educator, and mover. She has performed nationally and internationally with bkSOUL performance collective which she founded in 2001. Her research and artistic practices are grounded in Hip Hop culture and cross cultural collaborations that challenge the systems of violence and oppression steeped in anti-Blackness. She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at San Diego City College, teaches with transcenDANCE Youth Arts, and at UCSD where she was the recipient of the 2022/2023 Barbara and Paul Saltman Distinguished Teaching Award. Ph.D. Drama & Theatre UCSD/UCI, MFA Dance Sarah Lawrence College. 

Read more about Dr. grace shinhae jun.

Website: www.bksoul.org

Instagram: @dr.mamagrace

TILTshift Dance Founder/Director, Joyce Lien Kushner (she/her) is a Taiwanese American dance artist, teacher, and maker. Throughout her years, Joyce has trained dancers of all ages, nourishing a philosophy that all bodies dance. She has performed and collaborated with artists all over California from San Francisco, to Los Angeles, to San Diego.

In San Francisco, Kushner founded TILTshift Dance. Now in her hometown of San Diego, she continues to teach, make work, and hold space for other dance artists to create and work. In 2024, she was awarded an 18-month artist residency by NTC Foundation in ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station to help further these endeavors. 

Kushner currently teaches at Lynch Dance Institute and Malashock Dance, as well as guest teaches throughout San Diego County. She also proudly serves on the board of Disco Riot.

AADF2025 is a project born of Kushner's deep desire to carve out space for AAPI dance artists to share their stories, in their own voices, on their own bodies. Having found a partner in Dr. grace shinhae jun, this desire has come to fruition.

Read more about Joyce

Instagram: @cocozenmama @tiltshiftdance @aadf.sd

Christopher Kaui Morgan is a choreographer, performer, educator, and arts administrator celebrated for advocating for cultural integrity, inclusivity, and diverse representation in dance. His Native Hawaiian heritage and extensive international career inform his work, which blends dance, storytelling, original music, and multimedia design to explore identity and social issues. His choreography has been presented in 22 countries and supported by organizations including Creative Capital, NEFA’s National Dance Project, and the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation.

In 2011, Morgan founded Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, gaining recognition that same year in Dance Magazine as a breakout choreographer. Since 2006, he has directed Art Omi: Dance, fostering international collaboration and mentorship. In January 2024, he became Artistic Director of Malashock Dance, revitalizing the organization with a community-focused mission.

Morgan previously led the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's programming (2022–23) and served as Executive Artistic Director of Dance Place in Washington, D.C. (2017–21), guiding the organization through the challenges of 2020 without layoffs.

He has taught at American University, the University of Maryland, and numerous residencies. Morgan serves the field on the board of the National Performance Network, co-chaired the 2023–24 Association of Performing Arts Professionals Conference, and is a President Biden appointed member of the National Council on the Arts.

Website: www.christopherkmorgan.com 

Instagram: @christopherkaui