Career
He is internationally famous for physically integrated dance, which is a contemporary modern dance style that combines people with and without physical disabilities. He is of Maori descent, from the Ngāti Maniapoto tribe. He acquired a disability as a result of a motorcycle accident as a young adult that left him paralyzed from below the chest and he depends upon a wheelchair for mobility.
His artistic expression demonstrates elements of traditional Maori culture, yet at the same time he"s continually seeking new ways to enhance his creative process.
He has been dancing professionally since 1994. In 2007, he relocated to California, United States., to join AXIS Dance Company, based in Oakland, where he remained principal dancer until 2012.
He has been nominated for numerous awards. In 2011, he appeared with Sonsherée Giles on So You Think You Can Dance where he performed the duet "To Color Maine Different." He has increasingly worked across all forms of media, including film, commercials, modeling, and fashion catwalks.
He teaches dance to disabled and non-disabled dancers through workshops and dance intensives.
In 2008, he was in the documentary The Art of Movement which was directed by David Levitt Waxman. In 2009, he modeled for Vale (a mining company in Brazil). And in 2010, he did a commercial for Liberty Mutual, San Francisco, California.
In March 2013, he was nominated for an Isadora for an ensemble performance with Sonsherée Giles titled "Full of Words", performed under AXIS Dance Company, choreographed by Marc Brew.