Biographie
Thirza Defoe (Giizhiigoquay), an Ojibwe and Oneida performer from Wisconsin, is renowned for her sacred hoop dancing, which she began at age 8. Her dance has taken her to countries including Spain, Japan, Egypt, and Italy. Her passion for acting has led her to Los Angeles.
Her performance history includes appearances at the 2002 Grammy Awards at the Kodak Theatre and the 2002 Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS), where she danced alongside contemporary Native American artists Brulé. As an accomplished hoop and eagle dancer for many years, she has gained recognition within Native communities and internationally. In 1992, she performed at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Barcelona and celebrated the Millennium in Egypt in December 1999 with the Call for Peace Drum and Dance Company. She was featured in National Geographic World Magazine (August 1998) and was recognized as Wisconsin's Best Kept Secret by News from Indian Country: The Independent Native Journal.
Thirza inherited traditional storytelling and Ojibwe language knowledge from her Ojibwe grandmother. She shares her culture and history through performances and presentations in elementary schools, high schools, and colleges across the United States. Engaging closely with her audiences, she introduces Iroquois social songs, traditional flute music, storytelling, solo hoop dancing, and group hoop dancing, fostering unity within the circle.
Skilled in music, theater, and dance, Thirza’s acting credits include the lead role and narrator in the PBS educational documentary People of the Forest, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sacajawea in Stone Heart at the Autry Native Voices, and a principal role in the independent film Road Reps. She portrayed a young girl in Susan Lori-Parks' In the Blood, also composing and performing its soundtrack. She is featured in the children's book One Tribe Many Nations. When not performing, she pursues photography, guitar playing, writing, snowboarding, and mentors young Native playwrights through the Mentor Artists Performers Project (MAPP) and the Autry National Center.
In May 2004, Thirza graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Theatre. Later that year, she received the First Americans in the Arts Scholarship for acting students and the Indigenous Heritage Festival award in Performing Arts, honoring artists who have made significant positive impacts on Indigenous peoples and global Indigenous issues. She serves as an artist-in-residence with the Los Angeles-based theatre company Theatre Fo Fo and travels nationwide delivering educational presentations and performances to diverse communities.
