Magnolia Yang Sao Yia (she/her) is a daughter of Hmong refugees and a former undocumented immigrant living on Tongva and Chumash lands (Inglewood, CA). She is a dance artist, scholar and educator.

As a contemporary dance theater choreographer, she works to activate performers’ bodily histories and knowledges, including her own, on stage (the stage as an expansive term). Her work ranges from self-performed solo works and ensemble works and often centers the Hmong American woman subject as the site of feminist inquiry and critique. She has presented her dance work in L.A. (CA), Albuquerque (NM), Chicago (IL), and more widely in Minnesota such as the Walker Art Center, Cowles Center, Pillsbury House + Theater, Carleton College, and TU Dance School, to name a few. Although trained in many dance forms and techniques, Magnolia primarily moves in Yorchha™ (Ananya Dance Theatre’s contemporary dance technique), House dance, and modern dance techniques and aesthetics.

Featured Image: Mai, 2017. Photo by Bill Cameron. Courtesy of the artist.