Jahra Rager Wasasala is a contemporary dancer, choreographer and spoken word artist. Last month her the 23-year-old made a big impact on the Auckland Fringe Festival with her contemporary dance work Mother/Jaw, which was choreographically collaborated with Grace Woollet.
They won five awards for best performance for dance, best lighting, best production, best sound design and also the Auckland live development award - which means Auckland Live will invest in the theatre piece to be developed and then presented to a larger platform.
The play draws from Jahra’s own life experience growing up in New Zealand half-European and half-Fijian. “To have external affirmation from people who didn’t even know me and were judging the works, for them to say, I see potential and I think this work should be supported is amazing,” she says.
Mother/Jaw was scored live from @Peace’s Christohper El Truento and Addison Chase.