grace masaoka
“Honoring my family, their story and resilience as well as my own. Staying connected to my culture and feeling strong in my identity despite being mixed. It also means being accountable in acknowledging my racial privileges, and striving to be a better ally to other communities of color.”
Photo by: Penny Ly
about grace
@guresu_
Grace Masaoka (She/Her) is a 4th generation Japanese-American/Nikkeijin (日系人) born and raised on Duwamish Land/Seattle, and has been dancing for over 10 years. She has trained in several dance forms, including Hip Hop, Locking, Waacking, and Voguing. In addition to being a co-director of Malicious Vixens, she teaches choreography at Westlake Dance Center, is a member of Rhythmetic Progressions; a group focused on training/education in street styles, and is an active participant in the greater Seattle dance community. She is passionate about social justice, community care, and reclaiming her culture/heritage, and strives to incorporate these into all areas of her life. Outside of dance, she works full-time for UW Medicine, and is also working towards getting her Master’s degree in Biology at Miami University in hopes of getting more involved in environmentalism and conservation work in the future.
