Michael Moloi

My name is Tumelo Michael Moloi. I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, performing cultural dances including gumboots, pantsula and traditional Zulu dance around the village of my home town. I started performing at the age of eleven and eventually went on to join a group Via Katlehong in which I was not only a dancer but also a lead choreographer and artistic director. Via Katlehong performed locally and internationally around Africa as well as across Europe and the USA. Our performances spread the stories of South African cultures, music, dance, and life during and after apartheid.  In 2005, I was invited to perform in the Beatles' LOVE show of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, Nevada as featured performer Gumboot dancer and one of the leading characters for eleven years. During the summer, I often worked to empower and engage underserved youth through circus and arts outreach programs with non-profits such as Prescott Circus Theatre in Oakland, California, and Rise Art Academy of New York. I also performed in the Circus In the Park program with San Francisco's Circus Bella, aimed at making entertainment accessible to everyone, with yearly performances in The Yerba Buena Garden Festival. In 2016 my wife and I moved to Junction City to raise our two daughters on the family farm. I spend a lot of time in the Eugene/Springfield metro area. I have worked with The University of Oregon Foreign Language and International Studies Department, performing and teaching in their annual event. I also work with Lane Arts artStream program as a dance instructor for public schools. I teach privately at Demfinity Dance and Drum Studio. I also perform regularly at public libraries up and down the west coast, telling stories of African culture, music and dance. In addition, I have regularly performed at city-sponsored events in Eugene and sometimes sold my visual arts and crafts. I am recently doing my own show called the living art, which is a gallery and a show at the same time.