Kalikopuanoheaokalani Aiu

Kalikopuanoheaokalani (Kaliko) Aiu, a mixed Kānaka Maoli dancer, choreographer, researcher, and writer exploring art-making and community-building outside of academic institutions after recently graduating from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) in 2021. Aiu has been recognized for their choreographic work as well as research in dance about queerness and embodiment, receiving the Award for Undergraduate Research at UHM in 2020, and graduating with Honors. Aiu spends their time freelancing and dreaming up creative projects with indigenous and queer kin to build community that centers ancestral senses, the revival of cultural rituals, and queer/gender-expansive experiences in Hawaiʻi.