soft spot

September 13 - 23 at Icebox Project Space

Presented by the 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival & Cannonball

CAST AND CREW

Vyette Tiya

Director, choreographer, performer

Vyette Tiya is a Kenyan-American dancer, interdisciplinary performer, choreographer, teacher, and community organizer based in Philadelphia. Vyette’s artistry is rooted in her cultural identity and diverse dance training.  She has performed at the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art, Kennedy Center, Wilma Theatre, Dance Place, McCarter Theatre, Esperanza Arts Center, and Icebox Project Space. Her performance credits include Britta Joy Peterson, Davalois Fearon, Omari Wiles, Keila Cordova/3 Pony Show, Sarah Beth Oppenheim, Carne Viva Dance Theatre, and Vince Johnson. In spring 2026, Vyette was invited to be a part of the Residency for Emerging Artists Program (REAP) through Leah Stein Dance Company. She has also been an artist-in-residence with Earthdance (western Massachusetts) and at Mascher Space (Philadelphia). Vyette holds a Bachelors from American University, and a Masters degree from Princeton University. More: vyettetiya@gmail.com

desire amaiya suarez

Performer

desire amaiya suarez (they/she) is a staff writer with thINKing dance and 1/2 @foxkisshoneybee. strangeness/generosity/love/justice.

Caitlin Wong

Performer

Caitlin Wong (they) likes to wiggle and move and be free on the dancefloor. Multi-hyphenate so they say, come into the crab shell to find out.

Cierra Woods

Performer

Cierra Woods is a Philadelphia-based dancer, choreographer, teacher, and DJ born on the unceded land of the Susquehannock people, now Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Temple University, where she received the Rose Vernick Choreography Award in 2020. Her artistic journey has led her to stages including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, Grounds For Sculpture, The Kennedy Center, Judson Memorial Church, and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Along the way, she has collaborated with luminaries such as Merian Soto, MICHIYAYA Dance, YaTunde Whitney Hunter, Shavon Norris, and Renegade Performance Group. Recently, Cierra served as a 2024-25 Mascher Space BIPOC Artist in Residence in Philadelphia. Continuing her mission to develop sustainable systems that foster nurturing environments for artistic and diasporic communities to thrive. Discover more of her work at cwoodswork.xyz

Astha

Performer

Born in Bangladesh and now residing in Philadelphia, Astha is a dancer specializing in street and queer dance styles. Performing on stage since the age of 12, they enjoy incorporating movement from the southern and western worlds into their practice.

Catherine Noa Ashley

Projection Designer

Catherine Noa Ashley is a Black, Afro-Indigenous multimedia designer, performance artist and musician working across sound, installation, and moving image. Ashley’s work has been shown at the Flynn Center, Edinburgh Fringe, the Santa Fe Opera, Struer Tracks, the RISD Museum, Jacob’s Pillow, Performa, The Brick Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop,  Wilbury Theatre Group among others. MFA in Digital + Media, Rhode Island School of Design. Part time faculty at Parsons School of Design. catherinenoa.com

Daniel Sohn

Poster Designer and Audio Mixer

Music Credits

Open the Door by Betty Carter, Life Has Its Trials by Dorothy Ashby, Caramel by Connan Mockasin, Beauty by Einstürzende Neubauten, Bolide (Lone Remix) by Kllo, Tongues by Acidslop, Elmyra by L’Rain and Gonna Be by Rosie Lowe & Duval Timothy

ABOUT THE SHOW

soft spot is a dance work for the child within us, uninhibited and open to the potential of everything. Vyette Tiya and her collaborators use the language of movement to explore tenderness, vulnerability, and intimacy — a glance that turns into a grasp, a tease that turns into a collision, a game that tumbles into freefall. Framed through a series of vignettes, soft spot asks: how do we wish to be seen? Who can see us? How do we remain tender in a world that hardens us?