maile makaafi is a queer pasifika movement artist currently based in los angeles, ca.

originally a hula dancer, maile began to explore jazz and ballet as a pre-teen. this led them to continue their education at pace university’s BFA commercial dance program (2019). Thanks to a professor at pace, maile was encouraged to audition for the world-renowned radio city rockettes. She was awarded the job onstage at the rockettes’ summer intensive, making her the first and only pacific islander/Tongan rockette in History (since 1925!).

always drawn to the ocean, maile moved from new york to los angeles in 2020. this is where they truly began to individuate and deepen their connection to artistry and community. the pacific island ethnic arts museum (PIEAM) in long beach, CA accelerated so much of this personal discovery. aunty fran, director and curator of PIEAM, introduced maile to a community of talented pasifika artists of all trades, reintroduced her to pacific cultural practices, and reaffirmed the value of maile’s movement skillset from a pacific point of view.

during this time, professionally, maile found great success working across los angeles, las vegas, and new york city. Selected credits: core dancer on [FOX] The Masked Singer S8-12; Dance Captain and original cast of katy perry’s las vegas residency “PlAY”; [NBC] Saturday Night Live.

In February 2023, Aunty Fran invited maile to co-host a dance-based community offering at PIEAM (“weaving wind: carrying ancestral grace between pasifika artists” supported in part by NHMLA and CA Arts Council). This experience inspired maile to host more community-based dance classes on their own. combining their professional experience, their BFA with a concentration in pedagogy, and a blossoming cultural knowledge of breath, mana, and vā, maile’s experimental classes have proven successful so far. this offering is still in development, in hopes of becoming even more sustainable. if you are interested in financially supporting this practice, more information and donations accepted here.

as a teacher, maile values an anatomical approach to technique and movement, in order to protect a dancer’s physical and emotional body. this works in congruence with their pilates certification, which was recently completed via AVENIR-LA. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON guest CLASSES, PRIVATE or semi-private lessons from maile, CONTACT HERE.

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MAILE’S NAME WAS GIVEN IN HONOR OF HER GREAT-GRANDMOTHER, ‘AKANESI Maile Latu, WHO PASSED AWAY AT A YOUNG AGE. THEY hope to bring honor, joy, and justice to her name in every way possible.