about cazimi houdini
CAZIMI HOUDINI, or Cazi (she/they), is a creative force — a cultural producer, community connector, storyteller, an international nomad, and a vibe connoisseur. Cazi was born in Manila, Philippines, and grew up in Tkaronto and on the unceded ancestral lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, now colonially known as Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. Their expertise spans event and media production, focusing on transforming spaces and creating experiences that blend art, music, and dance with storytelling, space design, cultural preservation and community celebration. This takes shape by Interviewing, curating, emceeing live events & dance battles, social street/club dance, and the emerging field of immersive experience design.
At the heart of Cazi’s approach is a commitment to building authentic relationships with collaborators, clients, and artists by fostering a connected and thriving creative ecosystem. Their true talent lies in seeing the bigger picture and inspiring others to bring it to life, all while prioritizing joy and play in the creative process. Constantly evolving, Cazi has adapted to life in Canada's largest cities as well as internationally, drawing from each environment to continually reinvent themselves and their work.
With a BA of Fine Arts in Radio & Television (from Toronto Metropolitan University), Cazi was co-director of video documentation for Canada’s largest urban hip-hop festival, Manifesto shortly after interning with MuchMusic's RapCity. After returning to Vancouver in 2014, they founded Shape Shifter Studio, a production company and physical studio space for exploring multi-sensory, underground arts experiences. Cazi has and continues to collaborate with various artists to create immersive, storytelling-driven events that contribute to Canada’s vibrant underground music, dance and arts scene.
Cazi has brought their curatorial and spatial design vision to public spaces, working with organizations like Vancouver Mural Festival and Public Disco. They have also worked with re:Naissance Opera, Vancouver Street Dance Festival, Vancouver Civic Theatres, the Museum of Anthropology UBC, the Downtown Van BIA, Winter Arts Festival (Vancouver & Victoria) and more. Their work continues to extend internationally - building connections with creative communities across Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico, and Southeast Asia, where they’ve collaborated with Singapura Dub Club, a movement promoting dub, reggae, and dancehall in SE Asia.
As a media producer, Cazi has worked on a range of commercial and artistic projects, including the one-take dance video series Moments of Movement directed by Valino, which was featured in the Festival of Recorded Movement and premiered at Manila Fringe Festival in 2018.
Currently, they direct, produce and host Vancity Beats, Eats & MOARRR!, a TELUS Storyhive-backed live-streaming show that highlights Vancouver’s arts and culture scene through long format interviews and cooking live with guests.
With over a decade of experience in event production and community activations, Cazi now focuses on artistic curation, cultural programming, and immersive design. Their work is driven by the desire to amplify underrepresented voices and foster learning, growth, and community building. Cazi places both artists and attendees at the forefront, creating transformative, immersive experiences that evoke presence, connection, and a sense of being part of something greater.
