VYETTE TIYA

Artist Statement

I am drawn to the rhythm and groove, breaking and releasing, riding through impulses, indulging somewhere between journey and destination. My work can be described as visceral, playful, intimate, and abstract. Interdisciplinary collaboration, improvisation, and blending dance forms excites me. I hope to center movement as a way to tap into our authentic selves.

About

Originally from Kenya, Vyette grew up and came to be in many places including Seattle, Washington, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Washington, DC.

In Philadelphia, Vyette is a professional performer and creator working across different mediums. She is a performer with the People’s Music Supply, where she accompanies live musicians with improvised dance performances. Vyette is also a member of the UMAMI Collective under the direction of Rylee Locker, specializing in vogue, heels, and waacking dance styles. Vyette is currently an artist-in-residence at Mascher Space in Philadelphia, and she will be an artist-in-residence at the Earth Dance Collective in Western Massachusetts in Spring 2025. Vyette organizes and teaches with Philly Dance Share: a community-driven dance class series in South Philly. She is also a teacher with Dance Church in Philadelphia.

Among many artists, Vyette has danced for and collaborated with Keila Cordova (dance theatre), Britta Joy Peterson (jazz and contemporary), Charles O. Anderson (Afro-contemporary dance), CultureShock DC (hip hop and freestyle), Omari Wiles (African and vogue/ballroom), Heart Stuck Bernie (contemporary), and Ben Levine/Extreme Lengths (site-specific and multimedia). Vyette has performed at the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art, Dance Place, Icebox Project Space, the John F. Kennedy Center, and the McCarter Theatre.

Vyette holds a Bachelor’s degree (international studies and dance) magna cum laude from American University, and a Master’s degree from Princeton University.