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AT: And this one's kind of off script, but you mentioned how you did ballet when you were younger. And I know that ballet is very rooted in racism. I was wondering if you ever noticed that while you were growing up? Or like, if you've just come across anything that has -- you've experienced like that?

GG: Oh, yeah, definitely. Yes, I remember people, I remember someone telling me, I think it was like another, it was another student. And it was a white student talking to me about how, like, like my flat Asian feet, and how Asian and Black people don't have the right feet required for ballet. And also, just like, I really remember, I really remember... I'm a person who, in my coming of age, I've definitely at times really struggled with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, and stuff like that. And I think that the racial element really played into that. Because I remember being very young, like only six or seven years old, and being the only Asian person with this different body type as my peers. And being that little chunky Asian baby in a leotard with a little Buddha belly and having these flat feet and these larger calves, and everyone else was white and was very... more of that classic ballet body type. And so it, yeah, I remember being very aware of that. And then I also remember, as I got older, there were certain opportunities that I got. I remember there was this one. No, no, I'm not getting off, Mika. There was this famous Black choreographer, Donald McKayle, who we learned his choreography, and it was kind of rooted in the Alvin Ailey tradition, or the Black American dancing tradition. And I got to do that solo. And I remember, my peer, which was like, I also questioned the choice for us to learn this because there were no Black kids in this class. But I remember people being like, "Oh, you got to do that solo, because you're POC," basically. And I would say to this day -- excuse me -- I would say to this day, sometimes there is this feeling, I think, especially because a lot of my work is all about Asianness or Japaneseness in some form or another. I feel like sometimes with my white dance peers, there's this perception of, well, it's kind of easy for you because you always have something to tell a story about. Or you, that you can play that race card or that culture card, and it's going to be meaningful to people every time. And I've definitely felt, I've definitely experienced some of those types of microaggressions with the work that I'm doing now in the dance scene.

AT: Yeah, that's a lot, oh my gosh.

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