0:00

you know sometimes we focus so much on

0:01

the product does an artist that what I

0:03

think was really valuable at least for

0:05

me was the process of creating this

0:08

collaboration so the fact that you know

0:10

we were given the opportunity and the

0:13

funds to sit and collaborate and think

0:16

and create and dance and perform that

0:20

was really empowering especially you

0:22

know when we have established ourselves

0:24

in our fields to be able to kind of

0:26

shake that up and say okay how can we

0:28

actually do things that are a little bit

0:30

less comfortable and rise to the

0:33

occasion and I feel like that’s really

0:34

the value of Bollywood wants to mash up

0:38

and also you know the may program

0:40

because when we go into schools that’s

0:42

also something we want to express to

0:43

students that you know there’s so much

0:45

emphasis on product and what about the

0:49

process the process is also you know an

0:52

incredibly vital to an artist’s life so

0:56

how do we balance both of those aspects

0:58

I think the only thing that we found was

1:03

the process of creation so for example

1:06

me and Rhea we know how we can create on

1:08

a theme based off of dance and for

1:11

spoken word we weren’t sure if we should

1:13

start with giving her the piece first

1:15

like giving her the choreography first

1:17

or if she needed to build off of us or

1:19

if we needed to build off of her so that

1:21

was probably the only blank space where

1:22

we were kind of like we need to just

1:24

kind of jump in and start but other than

1:26

that it we kind of just fed off of each

1:28

other the piece itself is because it’s

1:30

spoken word and dance is very expressive

1:33

so like being a dancer in and when I was

1:36

hearing her spoken word for the first

1:37

time I was like whoa you know I was like

1:39

that’s amazing it’s powerful so that was

1:42

a really awesome experience to kind of

1:44

have this empty area that we had to just

1:46

kind of fill on our own and figure out

1:49

where to do but that would probably be

1:51

you know one of the no I wouldn’t say it

1:53

was a challenge it was definitely new

1:55

for us yeah what we did is I actually

1:57

wrote some pieces and sent some pieces

2:01

to my lovely Co collaborators here and

2:04

that really became the foundation of the

2:07

pieces we created so the music was built

2:09

in on the foundation of those pieces the

2:11

themes

2:12

then that’s how it kind of developed

2:14

into this organic piece where instead of

2:17

us again doing these separate pieces we

2:20

acknowledge that we have all those

2:21

aspects within us so that raffle

2:24

Nastasha n– that nurturing energy and

2:28

how do we bring that all together in our

2:30

performance the benefit I have as a

2:34

spoken word artist is I am also

2:35

performer so I understand cues

2:37

understand spaces between words I

2:40

understand the need to work with other

2:43

artists and collaborate and also what

2:46

the stage requires and so because of

2:48

that I’m I’m flexible and I was I was

2:52

just I just wanted to make sure the

2:53

dancers were comfortable so you know if

2:56

their process was to first have the

2:58

music that supported the theme and then

3:00

I would come in with the spoken word

3:01

that’s something I could do but what we

3:04

decided is that the spoken word actually

3:06

gave more meaning to the pieces so it

3:10

would be good to start with the pieces

3:12

first the spoken word first and then

3:13

build up the music and the the

3:16

repertoire of dance around that I think

3:19

it was just really cool and eye-opening

3:20

to see how different artists kind of

3:23

work backwards for their creation

3:25

process we really want to celebrate each

3:27

other and I think the pieces that she

3:29

created just did such a wonderful job of

3:32

showing these aspects are on all of us

3:35

and it just empowered us to embody all

3:38

of that in our dance and you know just

3:40

in house Shanice stands when she is

3:43

speaking

3:44

she’s so captivating and it was you know

3:46

you are you are and it was just

3:49

inspiring to take that and put that in

3:51

all of us when we’re dancing as well for

3:53

most dancers at least when you’re

3:54

choreographing you work with the music

3:56

first and the music kind of inspires you

3:58

so it was interesting kind of to see how

4:00

SHINee’s works for her pieces and how we

4:02

can kind of tie all of our processes

4:03

together and it somehow was really

4:06

seamless and worked really well I think

4:08

because we came with no one no

4:11

expectations and to no ego like it’s not

4:14

like we all had separate ideas and we

4:17

really wanted to interject those ideas

4:20

it was more like let’s see where this

4:22

goes organically and give each other

4:25

this

4:26

space and also the freedom to share what

4:29

we feel needs to be shared and as a

4:31

writer so much of the work is isolated

4:33

and you can feel isolated from community

4:36

and you can also have misconceptions

4:39

about other you know South Asian artists

4:43

and specifically women like there’s

4:44

always a sense of like oh you know

4:47

competition or maybe them not wanting to

4:50

work with you or all these ideas that

4:52

have just kind of been projected onto us

4:54

and so to be able to not only create and

4:58

collaborate but build a relationship I

5:02

find that that’s really empowering

5:04

because so much of collaboration to is

5:06

you know well we’re gonna do this

5:09

project and then after that like see you

5:12

bye you know like I don’t know when I’m

5:14

gonna see these people again and that’s

5:16

kind of it right and so it was fun while

5:18

it lasted but now it’s done and so the

5:21

challenge is really how do we you know

5:23

foster relationship creative

5:25

relationships and build community

5:28

through all these collaborations as

5:29

opposed to just doing kind of this

5:31

one-off thing and then that’s it so I

5:34

think like even just being able to film

5:37

this was again another way for us to

5:39

build that relationship to say oh we get

5:41

to see each other again this is great

5:43

because we miss each other right we’ve

5:44

had like this journey together and then

5:46

all of a sudden we’re not together so I

5:49

think that’s really valuable for me to

5:52

know that I have a relationship that’s

5:55

not purely creative with these lovely

5:59

women speaking more to the technical

6:02

aspect of it it’s really good that not

6:04

only did we get a chance to perform at

6:06

the festival but also film it because I

6:10

think the depth in which we went to we

6:12

went when we were creating it I think

6:15

having both of those platforms really

6:17

allowed us to express ourselves within

6:19

the piece and then being able to kind of

6:21

be an intimate setting where you can

6:22

kind of be within yourself and express

6:25

that piece is also wonderful so to have

6:28

those two experiences really kind of

6:30

allowed you to feel full about the work

6:31

that you made and that it goes to where

6:34

it’s supposed to go so that I think

6:35

that’s been really nice to have both of

6:37

those film is a little bit more scary to

6:40

like dancing in front of thousands of

6:41

people on a stage is way easier and I

6:45

don’t know if it’s just like because

6:47

there’s not that they’re not right in

6:48

your face there’s I’m kind of like in my

6:50

own world and when I don’t know if you

6:53

guys feel like this too but whenever I’m

6:54

on stage adrenaline just kicks in and

6:57

you’re not even thinking about who’s out

6:59

there you’re thinking about yourself and

7:01

what you’ve done and your body just kind

7:03

of takes over and for me that feeling is

7:05

super amazing and powerful but yeah

7:08

the Bollywood Monster Mash is like an

7:11

interesting place right because it’s not

7:12

a theater where people have chosen your

7:15

show and are sitting down to watch you

7:17

and can’t get up and leave you know they

7:19

can kind of choose to watch it or not

7:21

watch it and I think as an artist that’s

7:23

great it’s such a great challenge to be

7:25

like alright I’m gonna reel you in with

7:27

this performance you are gonna sit there

7:29

and eat your popcorn while you watch it

7:30

you know so I think that that’s great

7:32

like I love what we’re saying the two

7:34

contrasts of both with the same piece

7:37

it’s such a different feeling for both I

7:38

don’t know if there’s ever a time where

7:42

artists feel 100% secure in their

7:45

expression it’s not necessarily a

7:47

decision but a requirement I feel like

7:50

it’s something that you don’t even think

7:52

about it’s just you have to do it and

7:54

when you commit to doing it that means

7:58

you’re being vulnerable and it doesn’t

7:59

necessarily mean you’re confident but

8:03

that vulnerability can give you

8:04

confidence and so really for me it was

8:07

just you know I think the only the only

8:10

thing with words is that I really do

8:12

believe that there are responsibilities

8:14

and so even in editing some of these

8:17

pieces for performance I’d written some

8:19

of them like a little while ago and I

8:21

wanted to make sure they were inclusive

8:25

and some of the language was a blissed

8:27

and so I removed some of that and I just

8:30

wanted to make sure that everyone could

8:32

experience this piece without kind of

8:35

feeling triggered so that’s a fine

8:38

balance too because how do you balance

8:39

expression and being you know genuine

8:43

and honest with your expression but at

8:45

the same time knowing that you’re

8:46

responsible for people’s triggers as

8:49

well especially with something like

8:50

words the best advice

8:53

so when it comes to the arts is just

8:55

kind of normalizing it don’t isolate the

8:58

arts as something that’s not achievable

9:00

any career you want to do any path you

9:03

want to take requires hard work so if

9:07

you normalize the arts is another path

9:09

that is achievable and you know that you

9:11

have to do consistent work you have to

9:14

continuously do continuing education and

9:17

seek out opportunities as you would in a

9:18

normal job it is absolutely achievable

9:22

and you are able to build a career out

9:24

of it so if I was to tell myself my

9:26

younger self something I’d say stop

9:28

worrying so much but put your head down

9:30

and keep working kind of similar to rush

9:32

me like I think if this is something

9:36

that you really want and you want to be

9:38

in the arts and it’s kind of pulling at

9:40

you like it was for me you have to make

9:43

that jump you have to just kind of

9:45

decide because if you’re doing a few

9:46

things or you’re doing a bunch of things

9:48

you can’t commit to each of those things

9:51

fully it’s just not humanly possible you

9:53

know so you kind of have to pick one

9:54

lane and then go at that a hundred

9:56

percent but it’s gonna take work you

9:59

know I feel like every time we meet up

10:00

the three of us still have like three or

10:04

four things that are gonna happen after

10:05

you know we’ll be like so how’s your day

10:07

I have this sliver of hour that I can

10:09

get lunch but then I have to be back in

10:11

Markham to teach this and I have to be

10:12

here and like we’re all doing a bunch of

10:14

things every day but that’s the life of

10:17

an artist you know you know you make it

10:18

work but you’re gonna have to work hard

10:21

at it just know that you have something

10:24

to offer and everybody has something

10:26

different to offer you know it’s easy I

10:27

think especially now in this world of

10:29

social media and Instagram to go

10:31

scrolling through people’s profiles I

10:33

mean like wow I suck at dancing you know

10:36

because you’re looking at what everyone

10:38

else has to offer but know that you have

10:39

something to contribute and it’s just

10:42

different it’s not better or worse it’s

10:43

just different now is the time to make

10:46

mistakes and experiment and I think

10:48

that’s something that you know

10:50

especially when there’s a lot of

10:51

pressure on us to be successful because

10:54

we have all these pressures of well

10:56

you’re choosing you know an

10:57

unconventional path so the pressure to

11:00

be successful in that unconventional

11:03

path is almost crushing so I think I

11:05

would tell my younger self or

11:07

younger writers just experiment you have

11:11

time you know sink into your process and

11:14

also seek out community you don’t have

11:17

to do it alone you don’t have to be

11:20

everything to yourself you can find

11:22

allies and you can find mentors that can

11:26

help you through this process know that

11:28

there’s so many lanes to choose within

11:30

each art for me when I was a kid people

11:33

would be like so are you gonna be a

11:34

dancer are you gonna open a studio and

11:35

you’re Aldrin I was like I can’t do that

11:37

I don’t have the skills to be in a music

11:39

video and be like with Janet Jackson

11:41

that and also that’s just not me I don’t

11:45

want to do that and that’s okay because

11:47

there’s so many other venues in dance

11:49

and you just have to find what yours is

11:52

and yeah I think that was the biggest

11:54

thing that I learned being in this

11:56

career now that you can kind of pick

11:58

what Lane you want in that and it

12:00

doesn’t just mean you’re just dancing

12:02

you could be choreographing you could be

12:03

teaching you could open a studio you

12:06

could do all that admin side of dance

12:07

you know there’s so many different

12:09

things that you can do and I think it’s

12:10

really important that people who are

12:13

established artists pass it forward so

12:17

you know I always come back to this

12:18

quote by Mark Gonzales which is we our

12:21

ancestors in training so what does it

12:23

actually mean what does it mean to be an

12:25

ancestor in training it means that you

12:27

are who you needed when you were younger

12:30

right so that’s another quote I just

12:32

like put them together but I feel like

12:34

those are two really important aspects

12:36

of artistic practice that are overlooked

12:40

it’s like I’m focused on myself I’m

12:42

focused on getting to a place where I

12:44

need to get to but who are you bringing

12:46

up who are you bringing up with you so I

12:48

really encouraged

12:49

established artists artists that have

12:51

been given you know opportunities and

12:53

who have privilege to think about who

12:55

they’re bringing up with them thanks for

12:58

watching triple goddess if you’re trying

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