Through the spectacle of apparatus-based dance, South Asian American choreographer Nina Sawant explores the concepts of personal identity and humanity’s place in the natural world. Drawing on her background in circus, dance, and costume design, Nina’s work bridges the gap between art and entertainment to weave stories that are heartfelt and visually captivating. Nina began dancing as a child in Tennessee, where her family were the only mixed South Asian Americans in her community. She went on to receive a B.A. in Dance Choreography from the University of South Florida, where she was part of two inaugural dance abroad programs in Paris, France and Mazatlan, Mexico. Concurrently, Nina began her commercial performance career in Busch Gardens KaTonga, which led her to join the Krymskiy circus family, touring in traditional tent shows in Ukraine. Drawn to collaborative, multidisciplinary work, Nina has performed with ensemble driven companies such as Zaccho Dance Theatre, Shoestring Circus, Sweet Can Productions, and Vespertine Circus. She has written and directed theatrical circus shows including Popo’s Orchids, Cirque Menagerie, and Hypothetical Circus’s Hotel California, and she has designed costumes for individual commissions and shows at Stanford Live and the SF Aerial Arts Festival. Nina has presented work locally and internationally at festivals including the SF Aerial Arts Festival, Moisture Festival, and the Festival D’Avignon. Nina also produces specialty entertainment through her company, Dahlias Entertainment, which focuses on creating living wage work for diverse performers and mentoring artists in self advocacy and business.