Charlie Mia Snow

August 21, 2016

“ I was born in Wollongong and lived there till I was 12. I then moved to New Zealand till I was about 16 and they were my formative years. I absolutely loved it and it was my first introduction to Polynesian culture. We moved back and and I kind of did a circuit between Sydney, Wollongong and Byron. Before I moved here I lived in Melbourne for 5 years and that’s where my practice really took off.

I started in 2003 and I basically was in a place in my life where I felt I didn’t have a life purpose and I needed it. I felt lost so I asked the universe what I was meant to be doing. Within a couple of days I got a really strong message that I was meant to be doing massage. I had never thought about it before, it was out of the blue but it was really strong and clear. I had promised that I would listen so I started researching different types of massage and I knew that I didn’t want to do standard remedial type massage. I booked in for a life reading with someone that had been recommended and the first thing she said was ‘What do you want to get out of this session?’ I said ‘I need to find out my life purpose’ and she said ‘Ok, well you’re meant to be doing massage’. I knew that but I still wasn’t sure what type of massage. I was thinking Thai massage and she said ‘You could do that but you will end up doing Hawaiian massage because it’s the only massage that works on the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual’. That was pretty confirming for me so I called the Kahuna Centre in Sydney, booked in to receive one and spent the whole massage in tears. I felt I’d come home. I booked in to do the next course, Heart-works Lomilomi. I then wanted to go further so went to QLD and did 5 out of the 6 levels within the year which nobody had done before. I was so determined and I knew this was my path. I was just a student and couldn’t imagine teaching but the message was strong that I would teach. I was doing Kahuna massage and moved to Melbourne where I did an advanced course in Lomilomi which is quite different. It’s more traditional and I found it more effective. Shortly after I got a call from a massage school in Melbourne and they wanted me to teach at their college. To teach I needed permission from an Hawaiian elder. I hadn’t even been to Hawaii but I did have tickets booked. I needed to go over and connect with the land and the people and I needed to see if I could get permission to teach. I did training with different elders over there, was given permission to teach and came back and taught.

I moved to Mullumbimby first and had a baby girl who’s 5 now. We moved to Lismore when she was 2 and we settled here because I love the Northern Rivers area. It’s the only place that’s ever felt like home to me and in Lismore I could afford to buy a place which was really important. Also the queer community is really important to me and it’s strong here.

I have a room set up at home where I give Lomilomi. I also do erotic embodiment massage. I did a course last year and I learnt how to do erotic awakening massage. It’s a separate session to Lomilomi but I draw on those skills. It’s about holding a space for people to connect with their erotic energy in a safe way so they can have new expanded experiences in their body in the session that they can take out into their lives. I also teach Lomilomi. Im doing my first course in September which is exciting. I’ve taught in Melbourne but not here. I’ve also developed Essence dance. I used to facilitate Kundalini dance and I wanted to take people deeper. I’ve booked a venue in Lismore next month. You wear a blindfold so you are not being watched. My job is to make sure you don’t bump into others. I play really good music so it inspires you to go deep into your body and let go. It’s exciting stuff.”

www.alohamia.com

https://www.facebook.com/events/196961557372806/?

My girlfriend is 20 so my Dad says I’m a cradle snatcher. We’ve been going together for 18 months but before that I was in a long relationship with Tara but we’re still best friends. Her Mum was the person who started ’Sprung’

{Mum – “We noticed from a very young age that Max really had rhythm. He used to put on dance movies, pause and rewind until he picked up the whole thing. I found a notice in The Echo looking for people who have a disability and love to dance to join a dance theatre company. That was Sprung. Max was the first person to join after Tara and that was 11 years ago. He’s doing a lot of his own stuff but still dances with Sprung.”}

I also do Drag, Mum can show you a photo, so I’m a Drag Queen too. Mum can do my makeup. I did a performance in Newcastle with 2 songs…one Bollywood and one Disco and I got everyone up dancing. I’ve been working on a one man show for the last year and we want to tour at the end of the year. I’m also doing a performance of the French Cafe at Byron Bay Stone and Wood Brewery next month.

I like cooking. I make curries like Butter Chicken and Dhal and I love eggs. Right now I’m only going to cook on the weekends because I’m doing Lite and Easy so I can fit in my special drag dress. My brothers like cooking too. My dance teacher was Michael Hennessy at Sprung. Share House and Encounters both got to the finals in the Australian Dance Awards and Michael accepted the award.

I also do acting, theatrical comedy, contemporary dance, hip hop and the drag. I do photography and my ceramics. I can’t wait till I can perform my one man show which has been in production for 12 months. I have my own website now so you can watch all my performances.

I forgot to tell you I play Basketball too and I do gaming on Youtube. A long time ago I was the subject of a short film by Karenza for the ABC Creatability series. You can watch it on my website. I also did a performance with Sprung in Adelaide and Canberra. A long time ago Michael picked me up from Tintenbar and we did a performance at the gallery in Ballina. On Thursdays I do adventure walks to do my photography and on Mondays I volunteer at Seabird Rescue at Ballina. I work out 3 times a week with a personal trainer and I do social group with my room mate. That’s my new thing now.”