Karlia is a dance artist of European, Mā’ohi and Māori descent, hailing from Norfolk Island, Hitiaurevareva (Pitcairn Island) and Ngāpuhi iwi on the North Island of Aotearoa. Karlia was raised in so called Australia on Yuin and Dharawal Country. Encompassing this Karlia’s dance practice is grounded in the embodiment of listening and honouring the ever-evolving relationality between her body her ancestry and the lands and water she grew up on and travels between.

Karlia is currently based in Geelong working as a freelance dancer and choreographer and in 2023 completed a Masters in Dance from the Victorian College of the Arts. Previous to this she graduated from WAAPA in 2021 and since then has worked with companies and artists such as Chunky Move, Joel Bray Dance, New Zealand Dance Company, Strut dance, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Guts dance, Julie Minaai, Bella Waru, Calry Sheppard and Alisdair Macindoe. Alongside this, Karlia choreographed and performed a new work two thread, presented at Dancehouse, The Blue Room Theatre and Arts Margaret River in collaboration with her sister Danni. In 2025 Karlia performed as a Dancer in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui premier Manifest at Perth Festival.