Pakela Newalu-Gomes

Pakela Newalu-Gomes (they/them) was born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, and moved to Los Angeles at thirteen, where they began their dance training in hip-hop. They later earned a BFA in Dance from Dominican University of California under the direction of Marina Hotchkiss. While there, Pakela had the opportunity to work with Gregory Dawson’s dawsondancesf and James Graham’s Dance Theatre. After graduation, Pakela danced with Contemporary West Dance Theater in Las Vegas under the direction of Bernard Gaddis, and joined Post:ballet in the 2024-25 season led by Robin Dekkers. They joined the Oakland Ballet in the spring of 2025.