Jahra (Arieta) Wasasala is an award-winning Fijian/Pakeha world-builder, dancer, facilitator and writer, raised on and informed by the whenua of Tamaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. Within Viti (Fiji), Jahra hails from the provinces of Macuata and Ba. Jahra’s practice centres embodied and disembodied phenomena, bridging the phenomena’s breadth of physicality into shared performances. Jahra’s growing body of work builds into visions of liberation, calling in memories of creature-led language located in-between one world ending and another world beginning. Drawing from multiple dance teachings and their own genealogy, Jahra embraces these forms with emotional rigour and innovative theatrical practices that contribute to the canon of Tagata Moana future-mythos.
An internationally touring performer, facilitator, and published writer, Jahra’s solo and company performance work has toured across Aotearoa (NZ), so-called Australia, Hawai’i, New York, Germany, Fiji, Guahån and Canada. Highly collaborative, Jahra’s practice expands into sound, adornment, poetry, sculpture, costume and digital realms through their collaborations, offering a studied and immersive world-building experience that continues through different works and periods of time.
Jahra’s work becomes a consistent partnership with their partner Ooshcon through ‘CONJAH’. CONJAH is a performance and facilitation focused entity, creating solo and ensemble works, facilitating workshops for a wide spectrum of communities and producing dance festivals. Recently Jahra and Ooshcon represented Aotearoa in their Pacific delegation for the International Festival of the Pacific Arts 2024, held in Honolulu, Hawai’i.