Disabled Pasifika Artist. Storyteller. Advocate. Rebel.

Lusi Faiva's journey from Wellington, New Zealand, to being a disability-led artist in Auckland, NZ, is a profound testament to her resilience and commitment to challenging societal norms.

Her artistic expression is deeply rooted in her personal experiences and Samoan heritage, shaping a unique and authentic voice.

Early Life & Beginnings in Theatre

Faiva was born in Lower Hutt, Wellington, and her parents descend from Patamea, Savai’i, Samoa. At 8 years old, Faiva boarded the train from Te Whānganui-a-Tara to Tāmaki Makaurau with her mother, Timu’ia, to make a new start.

In the late 1980s, at 15 years old, she was part of a theatre group with Unlimited Theatre in Tāmaki Makaurau. At 28, she became a founding member of Touch Compass.

“ What drives me is the ability to keep going and determine what I want in my life and career ”

Performance, Collaboration & Legacy Building

Faiva has performed and toured Aotearoa and Australia in the company’s major shows from 1997 to 2008. Her first solo performance was Lusiwoman in 1997, an improvised hand dance with classical and dramatic instrument.

In 2001, she starred in the highly acclaimed autobiographical performance Lusi’s Eden. In 2014, her DanceBox short film Mr and Mrs Jones paid tribute to two key people in her life — her foster parents.

Faiva has been a regular supporter and dancer of Touch Compass’s creative community classes and represented Touch Compass at the Pacific CNZ Strategic Conference at Te Papa, Te Whānganui-a-Tara in 2018.

Collaborators

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Recent Work
& Recognition

In 2021, Faiva performed Taupou,
a new Samoan traditional dance performance, in collaboration with Everybody Cool Lives Here and Le Moana at CubaDupa Festival, Te Whānganui-a-Tara.

She also presented Taupou on stage at Kia Mau Festival in early 2021 and later as part of He Kura Toi Ora during The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care. In 2023, with the support of Touch Compass, Faiva premiered her three-year-long development work, AIGA, at Auckland Arts Festival.