Faculty Profile for Jonathan Hansen Pattiwael

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Jonathan "JayWAN" Pattiwael is an Indonesian immigrant dancer, teacher, and choreographer from the global Hip-Hop civilization who creates cross disciplinary performances by remixing their artistic practice in breaking, hip-hop, house, indigenous dances, experimental theatre and contemporary forms to reinforce our place in the world and subvert the social order. Born and raised in Indonesia, JayWAN lives in multiple artistic worlds that reflect the negotiation of their authentic identity as a 21st century US immigrant. Since their professional career began in 2008, they’ve had a unique experience on a large spectrum of the performing arts including: street performance, site-specific-dance, ensemble concert dance, experimental theatre, immersive-interactive format, digital video content, and public art interventions.

Holding an MFA in Dance from Texas Woman’s University, JayWAN’s work imagines a hybrid approach between choreographic practice as a source of performative social interactions and the theatrical arts as a medium for social change. As a bicultural Indonesian American artist who lives in two different aesthetic worlds (Hip-Hop culture and Contemporary Dance), JayWAN is a master in turning potential creative trainwrecks into dynamic ecosystems that engage abstract and narrative encounters between the physical body and the emergent themes of marginalized peoples. As an assistant professor of dance and creative director at Organi City, JayWAN is interested in investigating the human condition by playfully instigating dances, gestures, authenticity, absurdity, characters, relationships, emotions, menial tasks, and original voices to create interdisciplinary performances that help us better understand the human condition.

Recently returning from a Summer 2024 European tour, JayWAN performed a 22-minute solo at the Festival Entrelaçados Portugal as one of the top 8 young emerging choreographers in the world. JayWAN is proud to be a street dancer in higher education who actively performs and competes in International Street Dance events.

Jonathan Pattiwael’s choreographies and performances have been commissioned and produced by Festival Dança Contemporânea, 254Fest, Fayetteville Movement Festival, REST Fest by the Theorists, the Ohio Dance Festival, Texas Woman’s University, FRESH Festival San Francisco (Now KH Fresh Festival), Kieler Woche, Texas Christian’s University, Heroes Rise Street Dance Academy, Tesla’s SpaceX Station, Urban Creative Arts and Healing Symposium, Xavier University, American College Dance Association, Texas Dance Improvisation Festival, Regional Dance America, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), SXSW, Alamo Drafthouse, Opening Door Dance Theatre and TicTac Art Centre.

Master of Fine Arts in Dance - Texas Woman's University
Bachelor of Science in Geographic Information Science - Texas State University
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography - Texas State University

Teaching Interests

JayWAN is a teacher-healer in multiple levels of dance disciplines: breaking, rocking, hip-hop, house, contemporary dance, contact improvisation choreography, conditioning, freestyle/improvisation, floorwork, performance, pencak silat, Tahiti Ori, Hula, and traditional Indonesian dance. They are well-versed to teach theory courses like experiential anatomy, contemporary issues, dance history, dance pedagogy, world dance, dance and globalization, American popular dance, producing dance in the professional realm and writing for dance.

Research Interests

JayWAN’s work imagines a hybrid approach between choreographic practice as a source of performative social interactions and the theatrical arts as a medium for social change. As a bicultural Indonesian American artist who lives in two different dance aesthetic worlds (Hip-Hop culture and Contemporary Dance). JayWAN is interested in investigating the human condition by playfully instigating dances, gestures, authenticity, absurdity, characters, relationships, emotions, menial tasks and original voices to create interdisciplinary performances that help us better understand the human condition.