Artist Statement

I’ve had a complex relationship with my body. Early on, I was told repeatedly that I didn’t have the “right” body to become a dancer, and I began to believe there was something inherently wrong with it. During my college years, I suffered a spinal stroke that initially left me paralyzed from the neck down. These experiences led me to continuously ask one question:
Who decides which bodies are worthy of beauty and belonging?

That question, shaped by my lived experiences as a fourth-generation Japanese American, late-diagnosed Autistic, and someone who has never quite fit neatly into a box, set me on a path as an artist committed to bringing beauty, creativity, and emotional truth to disability inclusion and underrepresented stories. Dance is where my practice began, but it has since expanded into filmmaking, visual arts, and immersive work, allowing me to explore narrative, perspective, and embodiment across forms and audiences.

I move fluidly between the commercial industry and the performing arts, contemporary and ballroom/street dance styles, East and West, and work created for children as well as mature audiences. No matter the medium or context, my intention remains the same: to meet audiences where they are and invite them into new ways of seeing, feeling, and imagining what’s possible. Beyond the stage, screen, and immersive spaces, my work cultivates communities as living ecosystems for collective authorship, visibility, and cultural change.