Lay the Mystic is a lyrical poet, musician and performance installation artist based in Narrm (Melbourne). Lay blends music, poetry and varying other artistic mediums to create a performance space that is both magnetic and utterly unique. Reaffirming the opinion that we are defining the cultures we are born into by simply existing, Lay interrogates his position within that through performance. His current works explore what it means to be a queer, trans, femme-boy of Tongan and Lebanese descent, who is learning his ancestors through his own body.

Prolific in the Australian poetry scene, Lay has been moving in the worlds of Emerging Writers Festival, Contemporary Pacific Arts Festivals, produced, wrote and directed a sold out show for the Melbourne Fringe Festival and recent Aria nominated collaboration with Mojo Juju.

Efren Pamilacan is a Melbourne based dance maker, community arts worker and creative producer with Filipino heritage. His movement style has been interpret by Mambabatok artist Whang-Od as “water and strength”.

Having recently received a Masters in Art (Art in Public Space) from RMIT, Efren’s arts practice is informed by pedagogical methodologies that are rooted in Hip-Hop culture - hailing from internationally renowned freestyle street dance crew Jigsaw Sneakers.

As a producer and dance maker Efren’s work is diverse in content and form, working collaboratively in creating productions for site specific, new-media and stage. Recent works have been presented at Playhouse Theatre, Big West Festival, bOing! Festival (UK), Victoria’s Multicultural Art Festival and Dance Massive.

As a result of his longstanding subcultural participation as dancer and dance maker, he is a strong advocate for cultural development through the Hip-hop dance community in Australia.