Artistic Purpose:
Trixi Anne Agiao is a socially conscious visual story teller using the digital guise of The Thoughtful Beast. Trixi creates work centered on fighting the stigma against mental illness and mental health. Utilizing visual storytelling, Trixi sets out to make choreography and videos that kinesthetically connect with her audience.
DANCER
Through whatever struggle I was going through, I always put dance first. I always chose my art. Why? Choosing dance was my way of choosing happiness. Art saved me, and I earnestly believe it can save others.Â
Though dance saved me, choosing it and my happiness has not been easy. Not at all. It’s mostly been hard if I am to be honest. I have not been dancing since I was a little girl, I started training seriously in college, I do not have a “dancer body”, and I have been rejected from so many things. Also, it is really hard to live on an artist’s pay.
So why do I do it? Because I love it, and it feels so much like me. My love of dance is bigger than the rejections I have and will continue to face. My love and want for it is greater than the financial stress(which I do not intend to always be in btw). It is not an easy path, but I am resolved to make dance and art my life. Part of that resolve has meant that I have had to adapt and continue to make opportunities for myself. The latest way that I’ve done that is with film.
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FILMMAKER
I literally went into film because I was tired of waiting for other people to cast me. I took my first film class in August 2019, I have already been selected to present in two film festivals, and I co-founded “The FilAm Film Collective”.
The FilAm Film Collective are about 3 things:
1. The representation of Filipinos in American media.
2. Cultivating our crafts and skills as artists.
3. Building and participating in communities that bring together artists and the Filipino American community.
I’m very proud to be a Filipino filmmaker and I am excited to continue to create art from a different point of view. Want to see what we’ve been working on? Want to see me act and watch a scene I have directed? Visit our YouTube Channel!
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CHOREOGRAPHER
In my undergrad, I choreographed about so many things from video games to skunks to the oppression of women. It was fun. I won two awards in college: The Stewart Prize in Choreography and the Kendal Laurel Liu Dance Spirit Award. Once finished school at UCSD in 2012, I started creating my own opportunities to dance by creating work myself.Â
I co-choreographed with my dance soulmate, Arthur, in multiple events and competitions in San Diego. We did everything we could get into so we could keep dancing and keep making our own work.
Eventually, we both became company dancers for Visionary Dance Theatre. We danced and had opportunities to create work there. After several years, I became the Assistant Artistic Director and enjoyed creating and being paid to create constantly.
The most meaningful piece I have yet to make, I made at Visionary. It was called, “Secret Songs of the Secretly Stigmatized”, and it was about a group of people sharing their stories in a support group for mental illness.
The moment that I saw it on stage, I knew this was the kind of work I wanted to make for the rest of my life. In this piece, I turned the pain I’ve felt for years into art that people could relate to and understand. I felt seen, and I made others feel seen. That’s what I want to do with my art. Again, art saved me and it can save others.
WORK WITH ME
You can hire me as a dancer, actor or choreographer. You can email me at trixi@thethoughtfulbeast.com.
I choreograph for the following:
- Benefits, Fundraisers and Company events
- Debuts, Cotillions and Quinceaneras
- Films
- Music Videos
- Musical Theater
- Dance Companies
- Dance Competition Teams
