Indigenous Artist

ᏄᏫᏓᏱ Maura García (non-enrolled Cherokee/Mattamuskeet) is an award-winning Dancer specializing in Performance, Dance-making and Facilitation. Recognized as a 2025 Finalist for the Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists program, Maura inspires people to liberate themselves through vibrant performances that channel the sensual rhythms of the natural world. She has toured throughout the United States, Canada and Australia, sharing her dance in theaters, nightclubs, museums, Urban Indian Organizations, universities, private events, and site-specific outdoor performances. Maura's artistic vision is to heal by making more space for joy in the world.

As a performer, Maura has danced at renowned theaters such as The Dance Centre in Vancouver, BC, the Edlis Neeson at MCA Chicago, the Jenny Belzberg at Banff, AB and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York. She specializes in contemporary Indigenous performance, sensual dance forms, and multiple rhythm-based cultural dances from around the world. Among the list of artists she has danced for are:

- “Wampum” show with Elisa Harkins (Muscogee/Cherokee Nation), Chicago, IL; Norman, OK
- Thomas E.S. Kelly (Minjungbal-Yugambeh/Wiradjuri/Nivanuatu), Banff, AB, CANADA
- “Spirit Coalescent” production by The Delbert Anderson Trio, Farmington, NM
Raven Spirit Dance Company, Vancouver, BC, CANADA
- Ashe Moyuba Dance company directed by Oscar Rousseaux Pons, Washington, DC

As a dance-maker, Maura collaborates with Indigenous and POC artists to create multi-media dance performances, featuring storytelling through movement, original music scores, and new and ancient technologies. Creations take the form of site-responsive commissions, touring theater work, and longer-term community arts projects. Their narrative driven work has been presented throughout North America, notably at:

- The Dance Centre, Vancouver, BC, CANADA
- Denison University, Granville, OH
- La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, NY, NY
- Movement Research at Judson Church, NY, NY
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
- Woodland Cultural Centre, Hamilton, ON, CANADA

As a facilitator, Maura offers dance and movement-based workshops, master classes, residencies, and personalized movement sessions helping people connect more deeply with themselves, other humans and the earth around them. Through dance, story and original choreography participants explore movement as a vehicle for understanding the world. She has taught master classes and residencies in innumerable settings, including:

- Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC
- Duke University, Durham, NC
- Multicultural Arts Victoria in Naarm, Melbourne, VIC, AUSTRALIA
- Ikidowin Peer Educators and Acting Ensemble, Minneapolis, MN
- Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, KS
- Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC.

Maura is dedicated to collaborating with communities to celebrate group narratives through dance and other art forms. Through being awarded national grants such as the MAP Fund grant, DEMIL Art Fund, Lighton International Artist Exchange Program, and the Smithsonian Artist Leadership Program, she has been able to partner with numerous organizations to carry out long-term projects, including:

- Kansas City Indian Center
- Charleston Library Society
- Metropolitan Organization Countering Sexual Assault (MOCSA)

In 2026, Maura founded Another World Is Possible - a collective of stellar Indigenous and POC artists, culture-bearers, and performers dedicated to inspiring, uplifting, and energizing people through the healing power of extraordinary performance and impactful storytelling. What started as a dream to have a supportive ᏔᎷᏣ talutsa, or basket, for Maura’s creative output has expanded to embrace collaboratively produced work including choreography, community art and performance projects, dance films, live dance performances, multimedia productions, tours, workshops, residencies, masterclasses, and other artistic ventures.

Originally from the forests of Occaneechi Saponi territory in the North Carolina foothills, Maura believes that every interaction with a living being is an opportunity to positively affect the world. As she travels throughout the world, she continues to seek out opportunities that will allow her to dance, connect and create with others.

INDIGENOUS ANCESTRY

First Nations

SELF-IDENTIFICATION

Cherokee (non-enrolled)/Mattamusket