Mawu Ama Ma’at G. Oyesii (we/they/them) is a spectral non-binary, black, queer femme and multihyphenate artist, educator & choreographer.
Early Career
Mawu Oyesii is an ambitious and creative force in the world of dance. They are a teacher of intermediate modern dance, an artistic director/choreographer, movement artist, multi-disciplinary creative, and gender-fluid visionary. Often described as an octopus, they demonstrate the ability to balance tedious work in educational dance spaces, and bring healing to a diverse community through movement workshops and performance art.
Mawu has an extensive background in dance, attending several different companies over the span of 11 years before the age of 18. One of their most pivotal moments was during their time with the Special Dance Company, studying under the instruction of Kandice Point-Du-Jour. It was through this experience they were offered a professional opportunity as a dance artist in Zaman Dance Theater, a dance theater company based in New Jersey led by Zakiya Atkinson. Through these connections they found a deeper passion for storytelling and activism through the rich history of dance and dance performance, and were ultimately inspired to continue their professional training.
Mawu’s decision to practice professionally sent them on a journey of world travel, self exploration, and endless opportunities to be mentored by many renowned instructors and choreographers such as Dr. Kariamu Welsh, Lela Aisha Jones, and Silvana Cardell to name a few. They graduated with a BFA in Dance from Georgian University (2017) and shortly after acquired an MFA in Dance Performance (2019) from Temple University. Following their collegiate career, they have been fortunate to become a professor at Drexel University as the community-based learning coordinator, hosting Community Based Learning training for Drexel students. Currently, they’re teaching at Bryn Mawr College under the direction of Lela Aisha Jones where they provide facilitation, artistic direction and leadership development to many eager students.
They are the founder of Ma’at Works Dance Collective (2017), a project based dance collective that serves as a space of creativity and innovation for the Black community. Ma’at Works seeks to inspire people to imagine a future where Black folk are tended to and cared for. Moving away from narratives of suffering and transmuting our collective stories into a vision of thriving. Centering stories of joy, self expression, and liberation.
This platform was created to share on a larger scale the scope of our work with the Black, queer, trans and non-binary communities, as well as people who are looking to understand these spaces. We believe our purpose is to bring focus to community, collaboration, sharing, histories, accessibility, and radical change through the art of movement.
Copywritten by Helena Jones 2023
Accolades & Achievements
Mawu is excited to share and honor moments of achievement that are guiding their unknown future. In 2020 they became a proud recipient of the Transformation Award given from the Leeway Foundation. These funds supported them in resting and transitioning out of the university. In that time Mawu moved to Costa Rica for roughly eight months to live, learn and explore. Upon returning an iteration of something soft was built as apart of the New Dance Alliance Black Artist's Space to Create Residency (2022) and the New Dance Alliance Satellite Residency (2023).
They premiered their work in progress at the NDA Performance Mix Festival #36 in June 2022. They continued their teaching at Bryn Mawr college for the Fall of 2022. In 2023 they taught in Ontario, Canada at the annual International Association of Black in Dance conference. They traveled to Ecole Des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal to learn traditional Senegalese dances and various West African contemporary techniques receiving a certification of completion. As an artist they were awarded a Velocity Fund grant and became a commissioned artist with The Painted Bride.
There are challenges to the ways we live. The Corona Virus and the global awakening happening because of the genocide in Palestine unveil our full humanity. Mawu grounds themselves in integrity. With intent to grow, serve and share in community they believe that art, in its many forms, is a gateway to deeper human understanding and empathy. Through art we can heal and return to ourselves.