Introduce yourself
My name is Panda and my pronouns are they/them/dia. Dia is an Indonesian pronoun - and I like to include it to incorporate my culture into my gender identity.
It’s good for people to learn about pronouns and gender identity in other cultures - as well as decolonise the perception of non-binary identities.
My background is Javanese, and I migrated to Australia when I was 18. I have always sought to incorporate elements of Javanese and Indonesian mythology, shadow puppet theatre, food culture, and dance styles into my own artistic practice.
How long have you been a student at Sky Sirens? What do you do here?
I started Pole at Sky Sirens in 2019. Since then, I’ve done a few different things - Lyra, Vixens & sensual floorwork flow classes.
I had been quite disconnected from my performance practice for a while, and this was an amazing space for me to return to moving my body.
I had catered for Sky Sirens events a few times, and adored the style and ethos of the space. I'm grateful to be a part of the community now. Dance for me is an important way to express myself in sensual and sexual terms.
What do you identify as within the LGBTQ+ community?
I identify as Queer, and am non-binary. My Queer identity encompasses both my gender and my sexuality. To me, ‘Queer’ is a political stance and way of looking at the world. It’s about not taking everything at face value, and questioning everything, from politics, relationship structures, how I interpret the media, communicating with others, and more.
While I exist outside of the gender binary, my body still exists within a society that enforces expectations and ideals on us constantly, so I aim to question, oppose, and transform those relationships in whatever way possible.
In my work life, I need to express a certain kind of femininity that appeals to the majority male gaze. In my personal and artistic dance, I am able to subvert and challenge expectations.