Episode 012 - Thomas Fonua - Haus Of Kong & Chosen Family - Things People Are Passionate About Things People Are Passionate About

Episode 12 – Thomas Fonua – Haus Of Kong & Chosen FamilyThomas Fonua is a formidable teddy bear. A professional dancer from the age of 16 with an Economics Degree & a Masters in Leadership and proud Mumma at The Haus of Kong.
 
Thomas Fonua an artist of Pacific decent with an established career as a dancer, choreographer and emerging leader. Thomas has worked for companies such as Black Grace (NZ) , Australian Dance Theatre, Red Sky Performance(Canada) and has been touring internationally from the age of 16.
Thomas’ alterego Kween Kong, is the Reigning Dragnation Australia Winner. With a strong focus to inspire, challenge and nurture our community with his loved based leadership style.
Thomas is the recipient of The (NZ) Prime Minster’s Award for Arts and Creativity(2015), Out For Australia’s Emerging Leader(2019) and has recently been nominated for the Dora Award For Outstanding Choreography in Canada.
Kween konghttps://www.instagram.com/kweenkongofficial/
Haus of Konghttps://www.facebook.com/hausofkong
The House with Peta-Anne Louthhttps://www.facebook.com/dasafehouse
The House Podcast with Peta-Anne Louthhttps://www.buzzsprout.com/904999
    SHOW NOTES
Australain Dance Theatrehttps://adt.org.au/
Fa’afafinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa%27afafine
Black Lives Matterhttps://blacklivesmatter.com/
Microaggressionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microaggression
Ball Room Culturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_culture
Voguinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(dance)
Talking Chief ( ‘orator’ Chief known as Tulafale )https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa%CA%BBamatai
Chosen Familyhttps://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/chosen-family
Jehovah’s Witnesseshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses
Stonewall Riotshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots
Karangahape Road (commonly known as K’ Road)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karangahape_Road
Black Grace Dance Companyhttps://blackgrace.co.nz/
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Deserthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Priscilla,_Queen_of_the_Desert
Gender transitioninghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_transitioning#:~:text=Gender%20transitioning%20is%20the%20process,be%20non%2Dbinary%20or%20genderqueer.
Thomas Fonua – Full BiographyBorn and raised in New Zealand, Thomas is of Indigenous Samoan/Tongan descent. He started dancing at the age of seven and at 16 was offered a two-year apprenticeship with Black Grace Dance Company. This led to a full-time position, completing his formal training and later performing as a leading part of the ensemble touring numerous works through Europe, Asia, North America and Canada.
In 2010, he was invited to The Banff Centre to take part as a dancer in the Indigenous Dance Residency. He was then invited back and given the opportunity to be a part of a pilot program designed for dancers with high leadership and choreographic ability called the ‘Merit Dancer Program’. Following the success of the program Thomas became a faculty member, assisting in mentoring, choreographing and dancing with professional dancers of Indigenous heritage from all over the world.
Thomas has choreographed work for The Indigenous Dance Residencies productions Backbone and TRACE, The Banff Centre’s Midsummer Gala and Red Sky Performance’s inSIGNia.
Thomas has worked for Red Sky Performance in Canada on productions Migration (2011) and inSIGNia (2013) and has been touring internationally since the age of 16.
In 2014, Thomas joined Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) as a guest artist for the Indonesian tour of Be Your Self. Soon after, he joined the professional ensemble where he made his Adelaide debut in the return season of Proximity.
In 2015, he performed in the Australian national tour of Be Your Self. He also founded the ‘Ia Manuia’ initiative, focussing on the slogan – ‘Pay. It. Forward.’ with the vision to give back to his Pacific community and create opportunities for young members. His work, MAL