Donate to Motions & Emotions: Asian Women Speak Out 2025
A performance & workshop series centering the mental health stories of Asian women and femmes. Support the 2025 Production – All donations are tax-deductible
Why We’re Raising Funds
Motions & Emotions: Asian Women Speak Out is a multidisciplinary performance piece created by Trixi Anne Agyao that shares the real
mental health stories of Asian women through movement, monologue, and storytelling. The production is bold, healing, and unapologetically honest—because our stories matter, and they deserve to be witnessed.
This year, we’re expanding our impact by offering a series of free, public workshops alongside the show. These workshops focus on emotional wellness, identity, and creative expression—particularly for Asian women and femmes who are often left out of mainstream conversations around mental health.
As support for women, BIPOC, and queer communities continues to be dismantled, creating spaces for healing, visibility, and collective care is more urgent than ever.
What Your Donation Supports
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Artist stipends for an all-AAPI creative team
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Rehearsal and performance venue rental
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Technical and production costs
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A full series of free mental health and creativity workshops for our community
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Accessibility resources for our events
Thanks to our fiscal sponsor Golden Guide, all donations are tax-deductible.
Whether you give $10 or $1,000, your contribution directly supports this work and the people behind it.
Give Now: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/motions-and-emotions-a-thoughtful-beast-and-golden-guide-project
Spread the Word
Can’t give right now? You can still help us grow! Share this page with your network and uplift the stories of Asian women and femmes.
Thank you for being part of this movement. 💛
Free Community Workshops M & E 2025
Empowerment Through Art by Edna Nerona
Monday, May 5, 2025 from 7:00-9:00p | For BIPOC 18+ | Diversionary Theatre Cabaret: 4545 Park Blvd #101, San Diego, CA 92116
Description: The purpose of our event is to illustrate how creativity and art can be powerful tools for empowerment, mental health, and community. It starts with a showcase of talented artists from different disciplines. Afterwards, there will be a panel where you will get to know the performer as they share how their particular art form has inspired their growth.
Register:https://forms.gle/XRWAh6pUksMcrDxx5
The Speaking Body: Discover Bharatanatyam Through Storytelling by Radhika Karandikar
Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 2-4pm| Open to All | Rap A Tap Center for the Arts 5939 Balboa Ave San Diego, Ca 92111
Reconnecting with Yourself and Sense of Play Through Clowning by Kayli Dela Vega
Monday, June 9, 2025 from 7:00-9:00p | For BIPOC Community | No Experience Necessary | Diversionary Theatre Cabaret: 4545 Park Blvd #101, San Diego, CA 92116
Description: Through several basic clowning exercises, we will help discover your clown persona! Clowning requires an extensive amount of focus and a willingness to play. Along the way, we hope to instill fundamental principles that can aid you as a performer.
Register: https://forms.gle/bSY7oqaqKPM24TUU8
From Trash to Treasure by Wen Song & Willa Marj
Sunday, July 13, 2025 from 11-1pm | Open to All | The Actor’s Place: 2525 Camino del Rio S Suite 160, San Diego, CA 92108
Description: A candy wrapper that has lost its original value or a piece of thread that has fallen from your clothes. Who says these things must be thrown away? Not us. Come attend a workshop in mixed media collage and poetry making and discover the beauty in the mundane. Learn to grow your appreciation for the world around you through turning your trash into treasure and your words into imagery.
Register: https://forms.gle/2yaMkgpq3fboLHUz6
Navigating Creative Uncertainty to Embody Artistic Potential by Willa Marj & Trixi Agyao
Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 1-3pm | Open to All | The Actor’s Place: 2525 Camino del Rio S Suite 160, San Diego, CA 92108
Description: What’s holding you back from taking the next step toward our creative goals? How can we alchemize our desires into momentum? In this affirming journaling and movement workshop, we will explore the roots of our creative blocks and release them to make room for expansion.
Register: https://forms.gle/Kn4C47yryhR4pJ1FA
Feeling Safe in Your Body by Nhu Nguyen and Lillian Lin
August/September 2025 | Open to All | Location TBD
Description: In this 90-minute workshop, we will explore several different healing modalities to move to a place of safety within the body. Local movers and healers, Nhu and Lillian, will be sharing techniques from yoga, polyvagal theory, and trauma-informed somatic practices to give you techniques you can use to get yourself out of fight, flight, or freeze. This workshop culminates in exercises for co-regulation in community that includes partnerwork.
November 8, 2025 1-3pm | Open to Artists of All Disciplines | Rap A Tap Center for the Arts 5939 Balboa Ave San Diego, Ca 92111
Description: This workshop will encourage participants to share as their “raw material” a scene, vision, or dream with an outcome they wish to architect. The writing, vocal, and movement exercises will encourage a visioning of ways that circumstances might be informed by inclusionary solutions conveyed as performative art. Various forms of performance and media will be discussed as part of the creative process, and the group discussion will be centered around ways to bring about the Visions of a Better World.
2024: Asian Women Speak Out
19 Asian American artists will be presented by The Thoughtful Beast in “Motions & Emotions: Asian Women Speak Out”. The event is three performances addressing the mental health journeys of Asian fem identified people and women. Attendees of the event will experience an array of artistic mediums including dance, singing, clowning and piano. There will also be an interactive aspect that the audience will be able to participate in if they feel willing and ready.
Performances May 17th at 7pm |May 18th at 7pm |May 19th at 2pm | General Tickets $25
$5 off for Students/ Industry Artists or enter promo code ARTSTU
Free Community Workshop with Dr. Maddie Ofina
Saturday, May 18th at 11am-1:30pm
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This event is sponsored by Professor Swoosh, MOfina Wellness + Education and Project Conclusion Company.
Produced by The Thoughtful Beast
For questions, please email motions@thethoughtfulbeast.com.
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Trixi Anne Agiao is one of about 60 individual artists and cultural practitioners working to create campaigns that raise awareness of crucial issues affecting our San Diego and Imperial counties communities as part of Far South/Border North. Learn more: farsouthbordernorth.com
Mental Health Resource Booklet by Mofina WellnessMental Health Resource Booklet by Mofina Wellness + Education
Excerpt from “Eldest Daughter Energy”
Choreographed by Trixi Agiao
NBC Interview: Motions & Emotions
TESTIMONIALS
” Being an Asian woman and having such a want/need for sisterhood, the level of camaraderie and creativity I witnessed in Motions and Emotions truly brought some healing for me. We are so much more powerful when we work in solidarity together rather than hurt each other. Art can truly bring people together into healing and safer spaces. Having more programs such as this one, is the CULTURE that San Diego is lacking.” -Thao
“This show was insightful, educational, and impactful. I don’t cry easily, but this show moved me to tears multiple times. This type of art and connection with history is so valuable to share with the community. Please keep doing this. I would love to attend next year.” -Grace
“Community shows like Motions and Emotions give me an opportunity to see how, although created by Asian women, the themes are universal. I connected with the art in so many ways, from being the youngest child, to feeling the pressure and silence of womanhood.” -Margaret
25 Filipino American artists will be presented by The Thoughtful Beast and New Americans Museum in “Motions & Emotions: Filipino American Stories of Healing”. The event includes an art exhibit and three performances addressing Filipino American intergenerational trauma.
