Photo by Antti Rintala
Nicole Oga (she/her) is a Chinese/Japanese radical thinking dance artist, educator, and pedagogue who approaches her work through an intersectional lens that is founded upon abolition, collective liberation, anti-racist, black feminist praxis. She received a Master’s in Dance Pedagogy from the University of the Arts Helsinki and a BA in Dance from UC San Diego. Nicole works and resides on unceded Kumeyaay land, where she currently works as the Education & Outreach Lead at DISCO RIOT to develop education and professional development opportunities for the dance community to build social consciousness and connection. She is a constant student who believes life is a continuous journey of learning, growing, and evolving. In her work she regularly questions and evaluates her practices and methodologies to ensure she is inclusive and in true solidarity with her community – listening to, collaborating with, and following the lead of those who are most impacted. Nicole cultivates genuine empathy, compassion, and kindness, which she knows will transform the world into an equitable society where all are truly free.
As dancers and movers we can be change-makers. Through tuning into our bodies sensations and practicing presence, we enter deep embodiment where we foster self and community awareness, which can enliven us to our positions and privileges in society and may lead to cultivating social consciousness. We deeply understand the reciprocity between us and the universe – our moving touches and shifts the universe, and the universe touches and shifts us. By practicing different ways of being and interacting in the dance studio, we can bring a small portion of our collective liberation dreams to life. To truly realize the full dream, it will take much more than this, but these practices and spaces matter and make an impact.
Notable Work
MA in Dance Pedagogy Thesis: Dreaming to life Collective Liberation: cultivating caring communities through dance and movement
Top Left Photo by Sam Zauscher
Bottom Left Photo by Edrian Pangilinan
Right Photo by Kerry Constantino
Nicole Oga 