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Michael Naffier

@michaelnaffier

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Composer • Dancer • Maker
LA-Based
USC Kaufman ‘23
@just.michael_music

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Pandora’s Box - Michael Naffier and Cardin Chung

In collaboration with composer @michaelnaffier , Pandora’s Box is a dance-tech solo narrative on persistence, temptation, and acceptance. It features a self-engineered sensor box that creates musical responses according to the dancer’s proximity to it. Originally commissioned for the 2025 USC Widney Gala, it has been featured at the 2026 Flux Festival and the 2026 Woodworks Artist Residency.

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A year ago Michael and I premiered this work. A year later, it’s a big reason I’m typing these words from Berlin!

Pandora’s Box was made with so much care and input from my friends. From bouncing ideas with @annglaviano and Michael at Week of Dance, to Michael, @daniel.mangiaracino & I having a music jam with the sensors, to my friends at Kaufman workshopping ideas with me, to Michael composing and dramaturging the piece, and to performing it. Again, and again, and again.

Every time we get to share it, I’m reminded over and over that it reaches people. That what Michael and I made was worth it. That the emotional and physical toll I go through every time was worth it. That beyond the tech, this piece meant something. That someone, somewhere, found themselves within it. And each time I hesitated to step on the stage, a friend, a stranger, and a mother fueled me. And I won’t let it go to waste.

Michael, I am so grateful for you as my partner-in-crime. Thank you for composing such a beautiful modulating musical narrative. Thank you for your dramaturge and reflection. And thank you for being such a goober with me. Michael and Cardin hugging taken in Los Angeles, California by @michaelnaffier

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14 days ago

Reflecting on this piece from Flux Festival 2026

“Pandora’s Box” was our attempt to use interactive technology in a way that centered and illuminated the human experience. We combined it with dance and music to create a narrative that asked the question: am I ready for the things I want?

In this piece, as Cardin approaches the box, a proximity sensor uses his distance to change various musical parameters resulting in a musical atmosphere that breathes with his movement and reflects his inner conflict and journey.

As artists, this piece pushed us to consider how each medium we incorporated played its part and reinforced the very human experience we were conveying.

It was an absolute honor to dream, create, sweat, and innovate with @cardincn

thank you @fluxfestival giving us the opportunity to share and @sarasilkin for bringing us on!

📸: @jazz_zzyphotography by @michaelnaffier

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5 months ago

In march we hosted a showcase for our first inaugural class of Passioneers! Introducing....

Michael Naffier, founder of Atlas, a community where artists collaborate with deeper intention and shared understanding through a new method called Mapping.

Audreen Fune, founder of Trellis, a community of practice and structure where people in their 20s can discover their goals and career paths.

For the past 3 months, Audreen and Michael have taken the leap into their passion and are building the future they want to see in the world.

This is just the beginning! We are starting strong and will continue to grow! We have our next cohort coming up in the Summer, click the link in bio for our interest form!

#southcentral #passioneer #showcase #founder #education taken in Angel City Business Lab by @michaelnaffier

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6 months ago

Cardin Chung believes technology should de-center itself — reawakening tactility and self-awareness rather than overshadowing the body. Michael Naffier believes music and dance are inseparable, each informing the other in ways that go deeper than spectacle. In Pandora’s Box, those two philosophies collide. Cardin moves, Michael’s soundscape answers, and what unfolds between them is something entirely alive.

Don’t miss it at Flux Festival at Blum Gallery in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 25.

All-day tickets sold out. Evening only tickets available at the link in bio. See the full lineup and schedule at flux.net.

#FluxFestival taken in BLUM by @michaelnaffier

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6 months ago

Atlas.

A creative community built to unite artists across disciplines through a shared language called Mapping.

What Michael is building goes beyond art, it’s about creating deeper collaboration, intentional creation, and a new way for artists to understand each other.

Hear more of what Michael sees for the new generation of artists at our showcase! Link in bio! by @michaelnaffier

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7 months ago

Meet Michael, one of our Passioneers.

An artist and visionary redefining what it means to create intentional art.

What started as a personal passion is now becoming a way to connect artists across disciplines and build community through shared expression.

Come see his vision at our upcoming showcase! Click link in bio! by @michaelnaffier

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7 months ago

from the archives: Sound & Color (2023)

a show that asked one simple question: what if the music, movement, and lighting all said the same thing?

for this show I taught dancers how to listen to music from the perspective of a producer, created some dope music with @cardincn and @daniel.mangiaracino, and then mapped it all to LED lights to create a live reactive audio-visual experience

thanks @richa.krishna for capturing this moment 🎥 by @michaelnaffier

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a year ago

Made some music to capture the wonder of the void… how’d I do?

@loreobsessed
Starring: @teresabascle
Orb Voice: Sam Roberts

Director: @jooelyoon
Producers: @amanda_maddocks, @_bridget_taylor_01, @megdarbourne
Production Company: @nostorageproductions
Creative Director: @evanjsantiago
1st AD: @ryancsilver
Choreographer: @maddyfalconer

Director of Photography: @notgabriel
1st AC: @mandiezamora
2nd AC: @monetsprague
Gaffer: @samuel._lynch
Key Grip: @_calebsherrill
BBE: @danny.martinez.728
BBG: @braedon.walters

Production Designer: @isabella.a.monge.gmail
Set Dresser: @marygrebing
Art PA: @jaxisgone

PA: @vera_lorenzo_
Truck PA: @justinsaldana_

Sound Op: @cero.feeling
Composer: @michaelnaffier

Editor: @cutbynatalie
VFX Artist:@jooystin
Colorist: @zhetlage
Color Studio: @dippinsauce

Song: “Miracle Man” by Bob Carpenter

Special Thanks:
@old_fast_glass by @michaelnaffier

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a year ago

task 03: tension + release

this clip was taken from a 40-minute jam session where we experimented with mapping various musical elements to a distance sensor. by @michaelnaffier

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a year ago

task 02: ride the waves

this clip was taken from a 40-minute jam session where we experimented with mapping various musical elements to a distance sensor. by @michaelnaffier

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a year ago

discovering new ways of using the body to shape sound with interactive tech by @cardincn

this clip was taken from a 40-minute jam session where we experimented with mapping various musical elements to the sensor.

it was such an incredible experience—truly honored to share in these discoveries🙏🏽

more to come soon! by @michaelnaffier

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a year ago

Creaky Floorboard Loops — took the raw audio of the floorboard creaks and put them through a resonator to add some electronic color 🎨 such fun sounds! by @michaelnaffier

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a year ago