Elvina Raharja (she/they) is:

• A Sagittarius sun with earth moon & rising.

• A millennial who knows too much of the online zeitgeist.

• A graduate in film and dance studies with “a passion for fashion”.

But most importantly: an interdisciplinary artist who try to make their inner child proud in all of their endeavours on this silly planet.

Elvina Raharja immigrated from Bogor, Indonesia at 17 to Canada and she found dance at 18. Coming from an “unconventional” dance training background, Elvina strives to break barriers on what theatre, dance, and dance theatre can look like. Her artistic practices are informed by her Southeast Asian lived experiences and mindfulness practices.

She has trained with Galen Hooks, Shameka Blake, Andrew “Pyro” Chung and Mariano “Glizzi” Abarca at Footnotes Academy, Raoul Wilke, Ming-Bo Lam, and more to expand their knowledge in street dance styles and contemporary. Elvina graduated with honours from the Creative Industries program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023, with concentration in Film Studies and Performing Arts. She focused her education on BIPOC, queer, and other marginalised identities’ impacts and influences in pop culture.

Their stage performances include KINAJ (Bodies Of Nature, Toronto Dance Theatre), Near Far Projects (Phantasmagoria, Fringe Festival), and Mikaela Demers (the pack, Hamilton). Their dance filmography has been featured at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Creators Grant, CanAsian’s Grit: 2021 Short Dances, Open Vision Film Fest 2021 (finalist), DanceWorks’ 2022 Summer Reels, and 2023 Festival of Recorded Movement. She was a shortlist candidate for So You Think You Can Dance 2021 by Reel Asian. In 2023, she received Jaberi Dance Mentorship program bursary with mentor Karyin Qiu, to explore floor work techniques rooted in breaking as a plus sized dancer. Elvina is currently working as a movement artist, model, and content creator in Toronto, ON.

When she’s not working, catch her napping with her cats or binge-watching a show while crocheting.

photographed by Rachael Reid