Receiving the Springboard Award for Dance gifted by Marko and Jennifer Bogoievski – Mentored by 2011 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Lemi Ponifasio

Villa Junior Lemanu is a multidisciplinary artist, actor, movement practitioner, and storyteller based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Working across dance, theatre, film, and sound, Villa’s practice is driven by a commitment to exploring themes of identity, memory, and belonging through deeply physical, narrative-led works. With a foundation in street dance and freestyle movement, Villa’s artistic language spans contemporary performance, dance theatre, experimental film, and sound design. 

His work is often informed by his Samoan heritage and lived experiences, shaping a practice that is collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and grounded in community. Villa has developed and performed in a range of acclaimed projects across multiple art forms. Notable works include the solo dance-theatre piece Tides of Memory (Etena Fest, 2024), directed by Aloali’i Tapu, and Shel We?, choreographed by Tupua Tigafua (APAX & Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne). 

His theatre credits include O Le Pepelo, Le Gaoi, Ma Le Pala’ai | The Liar, The Thief & The Coward (Auckland Theatre Company & I Ken So Productions), Pring It On (Auckland Theatre Company & Strictly Brown), and The Wholehearted (Massive Theatre Company). 

In film, Villa has appeared in and contributed to award-winning projects such as Atali’i O Le Crezent, directed by Brendan Canty, and My Friend Michael Jones, directed by Samson Rambo and Ian Leaupepe, earning him the Toi Whakaari Best Actor Award at the Show Me Shorts Film Festival. 

As a sound designer, Villa’s work includes The 53rd Victim, directed by Miriama McDowell, and excerpts from Ko Au: Le’o with Projekt Team at Basement Theatre—further extending his multidisciplinary practice into sonic storytelling. An active member of Aotearoa’s street dance and freestyle community, Villa has contributed as both a competitor and facilitator. He is part of Projekt Team and SEA-SONZ, with notable achievements including winning the 2v2 Experimental category at Destructive Steps 16 (Sydney, 2024), representing New Zealand at the international dance competition Fusion Concept (France, 2023), as well as winning various street dance battles. 

Villa’s practice is driven by a continual pursuit of growth—reaching wider into new disciplines while delving deeper into his own artistic foundations. Committed to refining his craft and expanding his creative vocabulary, he seeks to create work that challenges form, connects across cultural spaces, and resonates with honesty and impact. Through this evolving journey, Villa remains dedicated to amplifying Pasifika voices. He is committed to inspiring future generations of artists.

Panel statement: “Villa is a uniquely talented dance and multidisciplinary artist: curious, dedicated, generous and self-driven. Highly disciplined and rigorous in his practice, Villa is a potent collaborator in dance and theatre, plus an accomplished writer and filmmaker. His vision for developing new projects and fostering artistic growth signals his enormous potential to shape the future of dance in a remarkable way.”