Sofiya Cheyenne
PERFORMER
TEACHING ARTIST
DISABILITY ADVOCATE
CONSULTANT
All About Me
Hi,
I AM a mixed raced indigenous woman with a constant streak of optimism, two kids, and a big heart. I was raised in Brooklyn, New York in a mixed family of Dominican, Taino, Italian and Syrian decent which influences much of what I create, perform, and how I live.
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I AM a multi-disciplinary performance artist, teaching artist and disability advocate/consultant. I believe strongly in using the arts as a way to challenge societal norms and combat ableism . In my work, I hope to plant seeds for brave space that is centered around Disability Justice and Community building.
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I AM a believer in "Be The Change You Want To See In The World" so I am always trying to live by my values and foster community engagement and creation within the work that I do. We are stronger together and none of us are alone
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MY WORK :
- I have been featured in films, documentaries, and campaigns such as "Dwarfdom" created by Maija Tammi, Lamont Baldwin's "Nothing Short of a Journey," "Get Real" episode with Refinery29 and "Now This" episode about advocacy and artistry.
- I have produced, written, acted and directed in short films for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge “Inspiring Women” and “You’re Up.” I am currently working on building a youtube channel where I hope to share "My Take" on my lived experience, I hope to create community here; empower folks to talk about ableism in the medical field, the entertainment field and many other places
- I have appeared the newly popular "Loudermilk" series on Netflix, as well as “At Home With Amy Sedaris” on True TV and "StartUP" on Netflix.
- I have done regional and local NY theater at 59E59, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Bucks County Playhouse, Theater Under The Stars. And my favorite credit, is when I originated the role of Perla Ovitz in the Off-Broadway production of The Lilliput Troupe and reprised the role of this historical icon in many other productions in New York.
- I have consulted for many schools, theaters, producing teams and arts & culture organizations in New York City around disability inclusion, including A.R.T. NY, Soho Repertory Theatre, The PUBLIC, MAC, NYFA and CO/LAB Theatre Company.
- I received my BFA in Fine Arts & my BA in Psychology from CUNY Brooklyn College I am the Co-Chair of the Dwarf Artist Coalition and a lifetime member of Little People of America (LPA).
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Oh! Did I mention I have dwarfism? I have a rare type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenital (SEDc). I consider myself a mutant of the world, because my short stature is my special sauce and is one of the best parts of me, but it is not everything, I love myself and you should too! After all, LOVE SAVES THE DAY.
