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 is currently working as a movement artist, model, and content creator in Toronto, ON.

Elvina Raharja immigrated from Bogor, Indonesia at 17 to Canada and found dance at 18. Their artistic ethos is informed by her Southeast Asian lived experiences and mindfulness practices. Coming from a non linear dance background, Elvina find solace in collaborative play, grooves, raw emotions, and shared experiences on the dance floor. Elvina strives to break barriers on what theatre, dance, and dance theatre can look like.

Driven by curiosity and playfulness, Elvina continuously seek training with top teachers and mentors in the industries globally. She has trained with Galen Hooks (Galen Hooks Method), Shameka Blake (Artist in Motion), Andrew “Pyro” Chung and Mariano “Glizzi” Abarca (Footnotes Academy), Natasha Powell (Hollajazz), 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 a current member of Kiki House of FUBU Canada, the first international chapter of House of FUBU, founded by Overall Mother Packrat and Overall Father Carlos Irizarry. Elvina walks Female Figure European Runway, led by Icon Snoopy FUBU and Legendary Marvel FUBU.

When she’s not working, catch her binge-watching a show while crocheting or watching funny cat videos online.

photographed by Rachael Reid