“BALANCE AND REFRAME” for COLBURN DANCE SCHOOL — An Artist in Residence Project

When Colburn Dance School reached out to invite me to photograph their students, my vision for it wasn't too clear at first. I was amidst healing. Dance is very much my first and most complicated love. I first started dancing at 3 years old at a prestigious Ballet studio in Jakarta. I was a part of that studio for a tumultuous yet beautiful 12 years, before moving on to a different studio to pursue Modern Dance. I continued to dance all through college, with every type of dance shoes you can find; however, after childbirth and physical trauma, I took a brutal 15 years off - hopefully my longest stretch. This past couple of months I've come to make amends with the residual pain and relationship to dance, hoping that I can rebuild the foundation. My childlike yearning has become too loud, and the universe has coincidentally awarded me different opportunities to come back to it, often from different angles. This project is one of them. Being introduced to the kids revived me in a way. My doubts quickly changed the moment I immersed myself back in it, through this project and back in the studio. Reflected in the images is my way of communicating my hope and my awe towards the art form - a work in progress, a balance and reframe.