Andrew To

    Andrew To is a quietly passionate artist who researches, choreographs, dances, and imagines from an Queer-identifying Asian American perspective.  Andrew grew up dancing hip hop, B-boy, musical theatre, jazz, tap, and is now focused on training his Ballet and Modern Dance technique at UCSB as a Dance BFA student. He hopes that, after graduation, he finds success in his work and that he also finds joy every day.  His first dance film, Sea Breeze Green, is the product of an imagined personification of nature’s oceans and plants.

            Sea Breeze Green was inspired by nature and the connection we have to it. I was on a jog with my roommate and stumbled upon a cliff by our campus. The wind blew through my clothes and hair. My sweat was cooled and I felt amazing. The view was wondrous and the plants added a deep texture contrasting the backdrop of orange, pink, and yellow sunset that draped behind the horizon. Back at home, San Bernardino, something is always either on fire, or at risk to catch a flame. Contrasting the sweltering heat at home, Santa Barbara was like a cold glass of lemonade. That moment, viewing nature’s beauty, was something I needed to capture. I hope that through this viewing, you are able to see the joy of what life can bring, the little moments we often forget to relish in, and the rich and inviting views this Earth has to offer.