Valencia Selestina

Performing Art – San Francisco

At this upcoming RAW Showcase, Valencia is excited to present "Metamorphoses", an improvisational dance piece exploring the concepts of personal growth, change, and evolution, inspired by the artist’s own life. Simultaneously personal and universal, it is performed in a unique style that is intensely expressive and evocative, one that comes from a place of honesty, authenticity, and vulnerability. ABOUT THE ARTIST Valencia Selestina is a visual and performing artist from Indonesia who has lived a nomadic lifestyle for the past 5 years, travelling across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Throughout her life, she has dabbled in many different art forms: drawing, dancing, singing, performing, choreography, photography, costume/fashion design, event production, artistic direction, collaborative composing, writing, and more. The multitude of interests and talents is both a source of gratitude and a source of insecurities; she often struggled with being a “generalist” rather than a “specialist”, with being not quite this but not quite that either. In 2019, she underwent a deep, personal metamorphoses that was largely influenced by her time in Berlin, New York, and Burning Man. The experiences and encounters she had in these places made her confront her fears and insecurities head-on, and the healing that resulted from this process brought forth a wealth of inspiration and creation. It enabled her to develop an art form that is uniquely hers, an ever-evolving blend of styles that cannot be pinned down to a single genre. She used to feel isolated by her inability to “fit in”, but now she embraces her uniqueness wholeheartedly, constantly seeking and creating cross-disciplinary collaborations that challenge and break down artistic conventions. When asked to name her preferred dance style or genre, Valencia would often describe herself as someone who simply “translates music into visual form”. She enters a mental space that is fully present and free of thoughts, becomes one with the music, and honors it as best as she can. Whatever the music compels her to do, she does it. The result is a performance experience that has often been described as “mind-blowing”, “liberating”, and “inspiring”, with some audience members even reporting that they were moved to tears. These days, she spends her time doing digital illustrations, improvisational dance performances, and building a platform that helps artists and creators connect, collaborate, and create. Everywhere she goes, she focuses on creating art and connecting with creators, and she trusts the universe to lead her to the people and places who would benefit most from the gifts she has to give. For there is no greater feeling, than to have one’s gifts received, wholeheartedly. ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE PIECE “Metamorphoses” was the first solo, self-initiated, 100% improvised dance performance that Valencia has ever done, and was the first art work she created that was directly inspired by her own life. First performed in Copenhagen, and then Berlin, it has consistently captivated those who witnessed it, with Valencia’s unique style of movement, and the raw, emotive quality of the performance. Something that is inspired by one’s own life is unavoidably personal, yet Valencia has found that the themes explored in “Metamorphoses” are also highly universal. Past audience members have always been able to relate it to their own life in some way, and it has been enlightening to hear their interpretations of the piece. She has also found that the simple act of telling one’s story in an honest, vulnerable way often inspires and empowers others to do the same, as was expressed to her by past audiences. That realization has empowered her to keep sharing this gift whenever she could, knowing that it has a deeply positive impact on those ready to receive it. Despite having performed many times in California, Valencia has yet to perform “Metamorphoses” in the United States. The occasion never felt quite right. However, when RAW Artists invited her to be a participating artist for their upcoming showcase, themed “Metamorphose”, she felt that this performance would be most fitting, and she is excited to finally bring this performance onto an American stage. It will be her last major performance in California this year before moving on to New York, Europe, and beyond.