Salê Ramos began training Capoeira in Brazil in 1990. Through his many years of training and experience, he has learned the many techniques and aspects important to capoeira. His training has included intense physical conditioning, studying Capoeira's extensive history and learning to play the musical instruments, all of which are integral parts of capoeira. In 2000, He traveled to Chile, Argentina and Peru in order to teach a number of intensive Capoeira workshops. Salê came to San Francisco in November 2001, and began teaching Capoeira at the San Francisco Central YMCA in 2002. His goal has been to create a strong community through Capoeira and to keep its spirit alive outside of Brazil. He continues to spread the dynamic energy of Capoeira through his dedication to teach and to use Capoeira as a tool to create a strong community among his students.
Celine Alwyn
A native of San Francisco, Céline has been performing, teaching, and creating in her hometown, on the east coast, and abroad professionally for the last 7 years. Her most recent role as the character of ‘Oceane’ in Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion took her to Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico. Around San Francisco and in New York, she worked with choreographer/directors Charles Moulton, Parijat Desai, and Sheetal Gandhi, trained at the Alvin Ailey School, and performed on Broadway in Bombay Dreams as an original cast member. More recently in the U.K., she completed an MA in Contemporary Dance at the London Contemporary Dance School, danced in works by Stephen Petronio, Garry Stewart, David Massingham, and Rui Horta, and toured with the Birmingham-based dance company, Bare Bones.
Having had the opportunity to teach and choreograph alongside her professional engagements, Céline has witnessed first hand how dance and creative movement builds community, confidence, and offers a much-needed physical outlet for self-expression at every age and level. In all her classes, she infuses a sense of fun and exploration, challenging students to bring their truest and most daring self to the dance floor.
Tina Banchero
Tina Banchero has been performing and teaching in the SF/Bay Area for the last 9 years. She holds her BA in Dance and Women’s Studies from SUNY at Buffalo and is a certified Yoga Instructor. Tina has performed with Ramon Ramos Alayo, Kim Epifano, Sue Li Jui, Monique Jenikson, Rapt Productions, and most extensively with Krissy Keefer's Dance Brigade. Tina has directed and choreographed for the Dance Mission Theater Youth Program, the Grrrl Brigade, Planned Parenthood’s Teen Reality Theater WNY and the opening ceremonies for Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. She has also choreographed for Trolley Dances SF, the Porazone Music project and Malfa Music Videos. Tina has taught for the Alvin Ailey Summer Dance Camps in Oakland and New York City and currently teaches at Dance Mission Theater, Performing Arts Workshop and the Bay School SF.
Jose Barroso
José Francisco Barroso began his professional dance career at the age of 18, performing with Havana’s premier Afro-cuban folkloric company ‘Raices Profundas’ (Profound Roots). In 1994 Barroso moved to the U.S. and was enthusiastically received as a performer, folklorist and instructor. Barroso has taught K-12 dance and music education in numerous schools and settings including universities, dance studios and cultural centers throughout the U.S. and abroad. Barroso is dedicated to the preservation of Afro-Cuban music and dance culture as well as the discovery of music and movement for every student.
Mastre Terry Baruti
Terry Baruti started training in the martial arts in 1976 in East Oakland. In 1985 Terry started teaching Capoeira for youth at the Western Addition Cultural Center in San Francisco, and by 1987 he had developed the largest and the most advanced group of children in the United States at that time. In 1992 Terry started teaching at the Whitney Young Child Development Center. Terry has also taught at Malcolm X Academy and Cleveland Elementary school among other SFUSD sites. Terry has been working in the Bayview Hunter’s Point district of San Francisco for almost 30 years. You can see a clip of his teaching here.
Daina Block
I'm an arts educator and have been in the industry as choreographer, performer, mentor, as collaborator and solo artist. My experience with young artists has proven that a dialogue filled with creative ideas, challenges, risks and inspirational encouragement, evoke the sense of belonging, fun, expression and value. Whether working in the Performing Arts to develop a craft or just to have fun, it’s enriching to witness a new set of skills and abilities students gain confidence from, which, in turn informs them in their broader life.
Lindsey Boldt
Lindsey Boldt is a poet, musician and performer originally hailing Olympia, Washington. She has been teaching poetry and creative writing for 5+ years first with developmentally disabled artists in Grass Valley, CA, and most recently as an elementary after-school teacher at Ulloa Elementary where she was the editor of the student literary journal Ulloa-Po!
In addition to giving readings throughout the U.S., she is a regular performer in Small Press Traffic's Poets Theater including a recent performance of her powerpoint presentation "My Breakup" and performances as "The Human Jukebox" and "Human Poetry Jukebox" for The New Reading Series in Oakland.
Her work has appeared in the journals Super Machine, Vanitas, Mrs. Maybe, Big Bell, Peaches & Bats, Shampoo, Try! Magazine and many more. She is currently working on two prose projects involving the movies, "Overboard" and "La Bamba" and a book of poetry about the role of ponies in the lives of girl children titled, "Do Me, Dreamlife".
She is the author of the chapbook "Oh My, Hell Yes" and the publisher and editor of the chapbook press, Summer BF Press. In addition to her work with Performing Arts Workshop, she works as an assistant editor with The Post-Apollo Press.
Ling Cheung
Ling was born in Hong Kong. She studied Multi-culture and Tourism. During her culture exchange program in Germany, she received full scholarship to join an American organization called “Up With People”. Along with 20 musicians and dancers from all over the world, she toured many countries, studied multi-culture and community outreach. It was an unforgettable world-expanding year. Ling joined the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company in 2006, under artistic director Lily Cai. It has been a joy to explore the inner beauty, strength and complexity of Chinese women. Ling is a dance teacher for the Lily Cai Outreach Program. This after school program brings art to children with diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. She is pursuing her goal to become a Speech Therapist.
Jennifer Chien
Jennifer Chien, born and raised in San Francisco, is a dancer, writer, media maker, and teacher. She received her BA in American Studies from Smith College, and MA in Creative Inquiry/Interdisciplinary Performance at New College of California. She has taught a wide range of disciplines including: creative writing, dance, theater arts, improvisation, and yoga in diverse settings including: the San Francisco County Jail, Starr King Elementary, Alice Fong Yu Chinese Immersion School, San Francisco Day School, New College of California, American Conservatory Theater, Hospitality House, Chinese Community Health Plan/ Excelsior Health Services, Colma Community Center, CounterPULSE, Intersection for the Arts, La Peña Cultural Center, Freiburg Contact Festival (Germany), and others. She has taught courses, classes and workshops for students ranging in age from 7 to 70. She serves as Project Coordinator for Flyaway Productions' Arts and Activism Apprenticeship, a paid dance apprenticeship program for low-income young women. Her writings have been published in The Los Angeles Review and 12 Ways, an anthology published by Kearny Street Workshop. Her choreography and video dance work has been shown at Venue 9, Asian American Dance Performances, Mama Calizo's Voice Factory and CASA 0101 in Los Angeles. In addition to her activities in the arts community, she also runs Karuna Healing Arts, a bodywork and yoga instruction business in San Francisco, and she writes, hosts and produces radio for KPFA in Berkeley.
Raphael Cohen
Raphael Cohen is a writer and performer committed to utilizing the word as a vehicle for social change. Fusing the craft of poetry composition with dynamic oratorical expression, his art critically assesses the multifaceted nature of oppression, exposes and explores the hidden costs of privilege, and vibrantly inspires efforts towards personal and collective liberation.
In 2007, he released Scrutinizing Lines, his first full-length poetry collection, and with it, launched Play In The Margins Press, an independent publishing and event production initiative dedicated to promoting the work of Bay area writers and performers bridging the worlds of art and activism.
A storyteller at heart, Raphael has shared his work throughout the Bay area, as well as in New York, Toronto, Montreal, and beyond. Venues of note have included Eastside Arts Alliance (Oakland), La Pena Cultural Center (Berkeley), City College of San Francisco, the Poetry Center at San Francisco State University, the Bowery Poetry Club (NYC), the Nuyorican Poets Café (NYC), Fiwi Aat Space (Toronto), Caliban Arts Theatre (Toronto), Casa Del Popolo (Montreal), and Concordia University (Montreal). He was a featured performer at the 9th and 10th annual White Privilege Conference, held in Springfield, Massachusetts and Memphis, Tennessee, as well as at the 1st Assembly of U.S. Jews Confronting Racism and Israeli Apartheid, held in Detroit, Michigan, leading up to the U.S. Social Forum, in June, 2010. He's also had his poetry published in several literary journals, including Transfer, San Francisco State University's undergraduate annual, and Zeek: A Jewish Journal Of Arts & Culture.
Raphael's work as an educator has ranged from leading creative writing and performance classes with elementary through high school students to developing curriculum and facilitating anti-oppression trainings for various youth empowerment groups. In specific, he has worked as an arts program director at Lighthouse Community Charter School (Oakland) and Camp Hayden-Marks of the Fresh Air Fund (NYC), and as a literary arts teacher at Think College Now (Oakland), Reach Academy (Oakland), Lockwood Elementary School (Oakland), John Muir Elementary School (San Francisco), and Enola Maxell Middle School (San Francisco), among others. He has designed and led interactive workshops on issues of racial justice, including the history of racism in the U.S., structural racism today, power and privilege, cultural appropriation, models of resistance, and storytelling as activism, for high school students through Y-Step (Youth Step Towards Addressing Racism), JYCA (Jewish Youth for Community Action), and the Youth Leadership component of the White Privilege Conference.
Originally from New York, Raphael has lived in Oakland since 2001. He holds a BA in creative writing from San Francisco State University, and a MFA in poetry from Mills College. Raphael is available for readings/performances, school assemblies/classroom residencies, workshops/trainings, manuscript consultation/editing, and event production/hosting.
Artist Mentor: Matthew Clark Davison
Matthew landed in San Francisco in the late 80s as a teen-aged runaway and high school dropout. With no formal education, he began writing in response to the AIDS crisis, the context in which he came of age. After enrolling in Poetry for the People at Glide Church, he was encouraged by poets June Jordan and Janice Mirikitani to pursue a degree in writing. He eventually earned a BA and MFA from SF State's Creative Writing Program, where he is now a lecturer. His short fiction has appeared in Lodestar Quarterly, The Pacific Review, 580-Split, and The Atlantic Monthly's Unbound, and has been recognized with a Clark/Gross Novel-in-Progress Award and a Stonewall Alumnae Association Award. His current project, a novel called LETTERS TO THE DEAD, was awarded a 2007 SF Cultural Equities Grant. You can learn more about him at blog.matthewclarkdavison.com.
Amadou Diawara
Amadou Diawara, a native of Senegal, began his career with the world renowned West African Drum and Dance Company, BOUGARABOU. In 1992, artistic director, Amadou M'baye Bagoura, invited Amadou to begin studying and performing with Bougarabou's African Ballet Company. Bougarabou presents the history and culture of West African Music through exhilarating performances of song, dance, stilt walking, fire eating and acrobats. Bougarabou performs in Senegal for tourist groups in local hotels and resorts. Bougarabou also travels internationally to share their captivating talent in West African drumming and dancing.
In 1997, Amadou, along with other artists, started an independent drum and dance company known as KAKILAMBE. He continued to teach workshops and perform with Kakilambe until he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in June, 2001. He began his career in the United States as a West African drum and dance teacher in the summer of 2001. He taught drum and dance to youth campers (ages 5 -17) at “Farm and Wilderness” in Plymouth, Vermont. Amadou has also taught classes for children, teens and adults at the YMCA in Cincinnati, Ohio and Bay View in San Francisco. Amadou participated in the 2002 Carnival in Bahia, Brazil, where he performed with a West African Drum and Dance ensemble for two weeks of entertainment!
Amadou Diawara relocated to San Francisco, California in November of 2002. He has taught drum classes at the African American Cultural Center, drummed for dance classes at the San Francisco Dance Center as well as the Alice Art Center in Oakland. Amadou has performed with Niancho Enyaley's West African Drum and Dance Company located in Los Angeles since 2005. In 2007, Mr.Diawara implemented an educational rhythm and movement/creative expression program to teach children in Bay Area private and public schools. Amadou has experience working with distinguished schools for gifted and talented children. He also provides educational programs for children with disabilities and urban youth enrichment as well. Since 2008, Amadou Diawara has had the privilege to work with organizations that provide Artist-in-Residency programs such as Leap … Imagination in Learning and San Francisco Arts Education.
Mr. Diawara is director of the West African Dance Company – “Bu Falle”. “Bu Falle” offers in school and after school assembly performances as well as festival and community performances. “Bu Falle” has worked with assembly organizations such as Youth In Arts in Marin and Young Audiences in San Francisco. Amadou Diawara is energetic, genuine, and excited to share his culture! He believes drumming and dancing knows no boundaries. Amadou feels that the spirit of West African music is intriguing and connects all ages and ethnicities. http://www.bufalledancedrum.com/
Ken Doumbia
Mr. Doumbia is a professional West African performer and is one of the few artists who has had the opportunity to travel the globe as a master drummer and dancer with every prominent ballet company in his region, including the internationally renowned Ballet du Senegal and Afrique Noire. He has since made his home in the Bay Area as a respected member of the drum and dance community. He has extensive experience working with numerous schools and dance companies, teaching students of all ages the music, dance and traditions of West Africa. Mr. Doumbia has traveled to many parts of West Africa and has also lived in several European and Asian countries and American cities, where he has had the opportunity to integrate and contrast his knowledge with other cultures. Mr. Doumbia has practiced yoga for the last twenty years in collaboration with his dance activities. He received his formal training and certification in Bihar yoga in Kerala, South India. Mr. Doumbia is fluent in Wolof, Bamana, French, Spanish and English.
Tara Fagan
Tara Fagan is a Bay Area movement educator, performer and collaborator. She has a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from California Institute of the Arts and a Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification from Its Yoga San Francisco. She teaches preschool and elementary school Creative Movement, Yoga, and Gymnastics. Fagan believes that all children are capable of growing, responding, investigating and forming their own ideas when given the appropriate space and conditions. She sees dance and movement as an important vehicle for this expression. Her classroom environment is fun and lighthearted, causing her students to look forward to moving and learning. Besides Performing Arts Workshop, she is an instructor for Rythym & Motion/ ODC School and Fitness In Transit. Fagan is also a professional Modern Dancer currently working with peck peck Dance Ensemble, kelly kemp & company, Liz Roman & Dancers and most recently, Scott Wells & Dancers. She is happiest when dancing and sees teaching as an important way to share her love of movement and creativity.
Aisha Fukushima
Aisha Fukushima is a singer, poet and self-proclaimed 'RAPtivist' (rap activist) hailing from Seattle, Washington/Yokohama, Japan. Aisha graduated from Whitman College in 2009 with an honors degree in Rhetoric and Film Studies and minors in French and Gender Studies. Upon graduating, Aisha travelled the world on a Watson Fellow and created an international 'RAPtivism' (rap activism) project. Having lived in cities as diverse as Bangalore, Casablanca, London, Dakar, Cape Town and Copenhagen, she is constantly working to expand her knowledge of the intersections between hip hop and social justice around the globe.
Aisha has been writing and performing poetry and original music for over ten years. She has also established several community-based youth programs in Washington including the 'Turn Off The Stereotypes' project and the Whitman Institute of Summer Enrichment (WISE). In addition to working with The Workshop, Aisha teaches middle schoolers in the San Francisco public school district, writes articles for New America Media and is working on a documentary film about her international 'RAPtivism' journey. In her free time, she enjoys learning new languages, visiting the farmers market and beatboxing.
To learn more about her current work, visit http://raptivism.tumblr.com
Edward Galan
Two questions I get asked often are, what style of dance do you do and how long have you been dancing?
The answer to the first is I don't have one style. I try to learn as many as I can and then blend them to form my own unique style. My main influence comes from my culture which is Afro-Caribbean. I was born in the Dominican Republic which is a country rich in culture particularly dance and music.
The answer to the second question is not very long, 3 years in fact. I've always been an athlete and I have worked with youth for over 6 years with organizations such as 21st Century after-school programs, City Year, and Citizens Schools. I feel very passionate about bringing movement, dance, and play to young people. It is essential, just like math or science. In light of what's happening right now in the world I think the most important thing we can do is follow our passion and try to make the world a better place with it. My goal as an artist is to be an example of that.
Freddy Gutierrez
FREDDY GUTIERREZ, vato de aquellos, avant-guardian from Pittsburg, CA, longtime member of East Co. Co. County's only teatro troupe - Teatro LOCOS (Latinos or Chicanos or Something). Actor, Orator, Poet, Facilitator, and aspiring playwright, you can catch him facilitating workshops on spoken word and theatre for high schoolers in Oakland and San Francisco. A recent graduate of the Performing Arts and Social Justice program at the University of San Francisco where he was co-founder of USF’s first and only Creative Writing and Performance Poetry group: Poetic Engagement. Community-based theatre is the current focal point of his artistic endeavors. His most recent work was the Man.Alive performance project, a restorative piece rooted in personal narrative, movement, and direct speech. His focus as a performer, poet, and facilitator is the aim to help humanize the will of the people and help them make a true face for themselves through the flower-and-song he creates and shares.
Chin-Chin Hsu
Chin-Chin Hsu, Dancer, was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Hsu has trained in ballet, modern, Chinese martial art, Chinese ballet, Tai-chi, jazz, GaGa, improvisation and dance composition. She received her BFA with highest honors from New World School of the Arts under the direction of Daniel Lewis and was honored to receive full scholarship awards to attend professional educational workshops such as Jacob’s Pillow, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre – Young Dancers, and Asian Young Choreographer Project. Hsu has performed works by well-known choreographers including Diversion of Angels by Martha Graham, Psalm and The Choreography Offering by José Limón, Esplanade and Cloven Kingdom by Paul Taylor, Minus 16 and Mamootot by Ohad Naharin, among others. Hsu joined the Performing Arts Workshop in Fall of 2008.
Chas Jackson
Chas began performing poetry as a dare and hasn't stopped since, he was one of the breakout stars of the FX television show, “Black.White.” (produced by Ice Cube) Performing his original poetry he received high praise for his work on the show that later went on to win an Emmy award.
He has competed as a member of the 2006 Los Angeles Slam Team & 2008 Atlanta Slam Team. Most recently, in 2009, as a part of team San Francisco he performed on final stage at the National Poetry Slam and placed 3rd in the nation out of 68 teams.
Chas' poetry has aired nationally on NPR radio, and on also on the PBS television show Snap Judgment.
He holds his B.A. in Screenwriting with a minor in Marketing and is available for readings/performances, school assemblies/classroom residencies, workshops/trainings, and event production/hosting. Chas believes poetry is the only way you can touch someone’s heart without their permission.
Rahman Jamaal
Rahman Jamaal is an actor, lyricist, and musician from the Bay Area who has been performing onstage for nearly 15 years. His professional career began while studying cinema-television in Southern California with his starring role in the 2003 Sundance Film “The Beat”, dir. Brandon Sonnier. He also chaired the first chapter of Hip Hop Congress at USC, later developing his own curriculum with its co-founders that he has since been teaching thru non-profit organizations for the past 5 years. Through rap he has been able to create the perfect demonstration of a much respected skill which he hopes to share with the rest of the world.
Clara Kamunde
Clara Kamunde began acting at an early age in her native Kenya where she performed with the Kenya National Theatre. Some of the highlights of her performing experience include: hosting a children's program on Voice of Kenya Radio; a year as artist-in-the-community grantee for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department producing and performing classical vocal concerts in non traditional venues. Clara has taught spoken work storytelling, and acting for performing arts organizations in the greater Los Angeles area and the bay area. She is currently studying for her MS in creativity leadership.
Fredrika Keefer
Fredrika Keefer was born and raised in San Francisco's Mission district. She graduated from School of the Arts high school and is now performing, teaching, and choreographing all throughout the bay area. She works with organizations such as Dance Brigades Dance Mission, Mubu Dance Studios and Destiny Arts Center. She has also done tons of out reach classes in the public schools and after school programs in San Francisco such as "GLO" at Alvarado and James Town.
Fredrika has traveled to Oregon, Cuba, and Saint Marteen to teach Hip Hop and contemporary dance. She now dances professionally with Dance Brigade and Alayo Dance company.
Fredrika is thrilled to be a part of Performing Arts Workshop.
Aaron Kierbel
Aaron Kierbel is a drummer/percussionist who has been living and performing in the Bay Area for the past 8 years. He studied jazz performance at Sonoma State and San Francisco State Universities, but his real music education came from endless hours soaking up live music in smokey jazz clubs in Los Angeles where he is from.
He is currently the drummer for Rupa and the April Fishes, a dynamic world fusion group, who have been touring Europe and the U.S for the past 5 years. He has had the honor of playing at festivals such as Montreal Jazz Festival, Central Park Summer Stage, Outside Lands and Power to the Peaceful, and has shared the stage with musical heroes Gil Scott Heron, Susana Baca and Manu Chao.
Due to the groups's interest in global politics and current immigration issues, Aaron helped create "Catapulta," a multimedia show performed at the Brava Theater. It was inspired by the band's many travels down to the U.S/Mexico border to witness and listen to the stories of immigrants who make the dangerous journey to the U.S looking for a better life. He also regularly works as a volunteer bringing music into hospitals and juvenile detention centers.
Aaron has worked with kids for many years but is very excited to be with an organization that puts an emphasis on the creative process.
Nicole Klaymoon
Nicole received a Bachelors of Arts in dance from UCLA. Her one-woman show, The Sixth Vowel, premiered at Miami Project Hip-Hop. Her other solo show Ms. Spellings of Be, was performed at the Illadelph Legends of Hip–Hop Festival in Philadelphia and the Electric Lodge in Los Angeles. She has performed spoken word integrated with dance in the La Pena Cultural Center Hip-Hop Theatre Festival, Hybrid Project, and the show Poejazzy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Her choreography has been showcased at the Bootleg Theatre, Fruede, and was selected by the American College Dance Festival 2004 to be in the Carpenter Center Gala Concert. She has collaborated with d. Sabela Grimes and performed in works directed by Rennie Harris, Marc Bamuthi-Joseph, David Dorfman, Maria Gillespie, and Meridith Monk. In addition to her work at Performing Arts Workshop, she currently teaches dance and theater to adults and youth at Roco Dance and Fitness and Destiny Arts Center.
Ousseynou Kouyate
Ousseynou Kouyate, was born and raised in Senegal, West Africa of a family line originating in Mali. He comes from a long line of griots—the poets, history tellers and keepers of West African song and dance traditions. Ousseynou has performed professionally since the age of twelve in various local dance companies in Senegal. He was selected at the age of eighteen for a dance spot with the National dance troupe of Senegal (Le National du Senegal) . After one year in the ballet he was chosen as lead choreographer and dance captain a title very few has owned.
Mr. Kouyate has toured internationally throughout Africa, Asia, North and South America. Ousseynou has dazzled audiences and graced the stages with many renown West African artist including Toumani Diabate, Youssou N'Dour, Ami Koita, Kine Lam and Baba Maal, to name a few. Now residing in the US, Mr. Kouyate has directed performances and instructed numerous classes and workshops, proving his dedication and love for African culture.
Wilson Low
Mestre Wilson Low was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A natural acrobat and musician, he studied capoeira and Brazilian culture and folklore with renowned Mestre Suassuna of the Cordao de Ouro Academy, graduating in 1988, and receiving his Mestre 1st degree in 1993. A featured Capoeirista/dancer with Oba-Oba, the renowned Brazilian cultural extravaganza troupe, he toured the United States, Europe and Canada. Relocating to San Francisco in 1991 ,he began to create capoeira/dance programs for adults and children of all ages, Pre-K-12 in public and private schools throughout the Bay Area. His special mission is working with special & underprivileged children of all ages to learn the beauty, discipline and cultural traditions of Brazilian capoeira. In 1995, he created MaraReggae, – a group dedicated to the preservation, education and expression of the Brazilian arts with respect to the teachings of the ancestors and has participated in San Francisco Carnaval for 15 years.
Amani Manning
Amani started her journey through dance at the San Francisco Ballet. After performing in the Nutcracker, her passion for dance and performing was sparked. Amani went on to study Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Afro Haitian and Afro Peruvian dance. These different teachers and styles have taught her the importance of technique, self-confidence, understanding and purpose. Teachers have the ability to change lives. Amani strives to be a teaching artist that reaches students in a positive way. Dance is the exchange of energy while moving through space in time, and this energy put into the universe can and will affect others. Amani wants to teach dance technique as well as self- expression, communication, connections, and creativity. She wants to teach students to be outgoing individuals in a community, and how to use their creative energy without fear of being judged; these are lessons students can learn through a positive experience with dance if they choose a path other than dance they can apply what they have learned to other areas in life.
Mica Miro
Hailing from Ashland, Oregon, Mica Miro has been dancing and teaching in the Bay Area for the last eight years. She earned her BA in Modern Dance from Mills College and has since had the pleasure to dance with many local companies, including Scott Wells & Company, Kelly Kemp & Company, Leyya Tawil’s Dance Elixer, ArtFace, and Abigail Hosein’s ahdanco. She has also co-produced and choreographed several shows with her fellow alumna under the company Barely Complete Productions.
Alongside her dance career Mica has been steadily developing as a professional youth educator. She began teaching with Camp Galileo in 2006 and quickly moved in to teaching in SF after school programs and as a school day Dance Specialist. Most recently Mica began teaching Art at the de Young Museum and joined the dance and visual arts teaching team at SF Parks and Rec. She has worked with kids all over the Bay Area and taught a variety of subjects including visual art, science, and of course, dance. As a child, dance was Mica’s first love. Now she loves sharing the thrill and joy of dance with the next generation.
Marco Nava
Marco was born and raised in Mexico, where he discovered since an early age his passion for his country’s culture and traditions, especially for Mexican Folkloric Dance. He has a B.A. in History, talented as a Crafts teacher and he is fluent in Spanish, English and French. Combining professional study and research, Marco has performed as a dancer and taught Mexican dance to children of all ages and diverse conditions. Sharing knowledge, unleashing creativity, embracing the power of expression, discovering the ability to amaze, and learning back from the whole experience; is how Marco believes Art is a great and effective way to thrive.
Stephanie Owen
Born and raised in San Francisco, Stephanie has been dancing her entire life. Dreaming of choreography since the Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul dance video days, Stephanie started her formal studies in her late teens. After graduating high school, she attended Skyline College, receiving an Associates Degree in Dance, emphasizing Modern, Jazz and Dance Education. Shortly after, she attended San Francisco State University, where she learned and studied other dance forms such as Congolese, Haitian, Ballet, and Dunham dance technique. She received a BA in Dance in 2003. Stephanie brings creativity in teaching and choreographing dance, especially within her first love, Hip Hop, in addition to performing arts work. Stephanie is a Creative Movement dance instructor at Dance Mission Theater and Hip Hop dance instructor for the Youth Program at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.
Artist Mentor: Kristin Papania
Ms. Papania has a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR and a Teaching Credential from Holy Names University, Oakland, CA. She has numerous Master Level classes in English Language Development. Her area of expertise is literacy development through arts integration, to foster thoughtful observation and critical thinking skills. She has taught all levels from preschool through adults in Oregon and throughout the Bay Area. Kristin understands the arts are a powerful impetus for all students to develop self esteem and ways of analyzing their world, while honing critical thinking, speaking, writing and reading skills. She is currently a Senior Teaching Artist in Creative Writing and Arts, Literacy Specialist and Teacher Coach with the Performing Arts Workshop. She is also a Writing Teacher Consultant with the Bay Area Writing Project. Kristin has expertise and years of experience in literacy development and has worked with students of all ages and diverse languages, cultural backgrounds and literacy developmental levels.
Shireen Rahimi
Originally from Santa Cruz, CA, Shireen Rahimi aka Shea Boogie was first inspired to dance by the Fly Girls of the popular 90's TV show In Living Color. As a teenager, Shea trained with legendary b-boy, choreographer and founder of the Jabbawockeez crew Gary Ray Kendell in her home town of Santa Cruz, CA. In later years she auditioned for City Shock San Francisco Youth Dance Company and began her weekly Bay Area commute into the City just to expand her horizon as a young dancer. At 18, Shea moved to the San Francisco Bay Area after auditioning for WSPA's professional Hip-Hop dance company 'The Company' where she trained under the direction of Patrick Cruz and competed in Hip-Hop dance competitions throughout the West Coast in 2007. She was was recruited into The UFO Movement and trained under the direction of Algin Ford & Tati Larot, expanding her dance style from Hip-Hop into Reggae & DanceHall. Today, Shea is evolving as a House dancer and Vogue freestyler. She also recently founded her own youth production company, The Dopest Outsiders, consisting of youth ages 8 - 19 years old and based out of the Sunnydale Community of SF. You can visit Shae’s project at www.DopestOutsiders.com.
Sonia Reiter
Sonia Reiter is a dance artist, teacher and writer. She grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia and graduated from Oberlin College with a BA in Dance and a concentration in Creative Writing. She recently returned to the Bay Area after a year and a half living in Salzburg, Austria and Berlin, Germany. When she is not dancing with kids, dancing with adults, teaching yoga or in front of her computer she enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, and going see live music and performances.
Rebecca Rozell
Becca Rozell was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska where she started to dance and just couldn't stop. She went to Skidmore College where she graduated with honors in dance. She has studied and performed many styles including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern and has even done a little Stomp. Since college she has lived in Boston and NYC where she has at taught youth and adults at many studios including The Boston Conservatory, Jeannette Neil's and Peridance. She has performed with Nicola Hawkins, Andrew Jeanetti, Vanessa Paige, Deborah Abel and dances currently with Weber Dance. Becca's choreography has been presented in Brooklyn, NYC, Saratoga Springs, DC, Boston & SF.
Beverly Sotelo
For 12+ years, Beverly has been a professional actor in/out of the Los Angeles market. In addition to small screen appearances, work in indie films, and ensemble work in regional theatre (Guthrie Theatre, PCPA, East West Players, etc.): Beverly is most proud of her time touring the nation with the educational theatre group ‘hereandnow’ and then later, with the solo-show Faces of America by ‘Will and Company’. Both groups dealt with issues of multi-culturalism and diversity. During this time, Beverly wrote and performed for intimate and huge audiences (between 4 to 800+ people in attendance), and also led workshops/question and answer periods for students and professors alike at over 50 universities in over 30 states.
Beverly discovered theatre as a method of community building while studying in Africa in the 1990’s. There, around the villages near the capital of Ghana, she and her African actor friends used skits and songs to teach villagers how to practice family planning. After that revelation, Beverly completed a B.A. in Drama from UC Irvine and just recently finished her MFA in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program.
In addition to acting, Beverly’s other pursuits include adventurously backpacking to remote regions, volunteering, and running on as many trails as possible.
Mia Tagano
Mia received her B.A. in Drama from the Ohio State University and her M.F.A. in Theatre Arts through the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program. A member of Actor’s Equity Union and Screen Actor’s Guild, Mia has been working as a professional actor since 1997. Highlights of her career include performing 203 shows of Far East at the Lincoln Center in NYC and performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 10 hour play Tantalus directed by Sir Peter Hall which began in Denver, toured around England and ended in London. Mia has also performed the solo show CININNATI here in SF, in Seattle and in London. Most recently, Mia was seen in Washington, DC as Zenocrate in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Tamburlaine. Along with her passion for acting, Mia has a great love of teaching and working with youth. She believes that every individual is gifted in some way and sees teaching as a way of facilitating and witnessing this light.
Liz Tenuto
Liz Tenuto grew up dancing and continued to study improvisation and modern dance at UC Santa Barbara and in Granada, Spain. Since arriving in San Francisco, she has had the pleasure of performing with Avy K Productions, Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers, Scott Wells and Dancers and Laura Arrington Dance. She teaches creative movement and world dance through Performing Arts Workshop, the ODC Youth Program and the Richmond District Afterschool Collaborative. Liz's classes are process-based with an emphasis on improvisation, rhythm and imagination. By using imagery, physical theater and world music, Liz encourages students to move freely while guiding them into the theme of the day.
Claire Toepfer
Born and raised in Taiwan, Claire began to dance at the age of six under her father’s guidance. Later on she continued her dance education at National Taiwan Academy of Art University where she received five years of academic training in both Western and Eastern dance styles and techniques. Interested in exploring different movement forms and expressions, she went to Chinese Culture University and obtained a BS in martial arts. In order to broaden her vision in dance education, performance, and choreography, she came to the USA to pursue graduate study and received her MA in Theatre Arts – Dance from San Jose State University.
Claire taught dance and martial arts for various ages and levels in Taiwan and San Jose. While working as a teacher and co-director of Hua-Shia dance studio, she also taught summer dance workshops in high schools and gave seminars in Chinese dance to school teachers in Taiwan. During her graduate study, she was invited to teach and choreograph for Kunshin Dancers in San Jose. In addition, Claire has performed in the ballet, Coppelia, Asia Olympic Martial Art Competition, University Dance Theater, and Choreographic Works, San Jose. She performed on tour with a Chinese good-well mission for the government of Republic of China (Taiwan) to introduce and promote Chinese dance and culture to audience in the USA.
Teaching for Claire is not only about mastering the movement techniques but also about cultivating endurance, confidence, and creative imagination that can benefit students throughout their lives. She is grateful to be able to merge this vision with Performing Arts Workshop.
Adrianne Verhoeven
Adrianne A Verhoeven is a musician, performer and music educator. After moving from Lawrence, Kansas to San Francisco in August of 2009, Adrianne completed her B.M.E., Bachelor of Music Education while student teaching and interning in the San Francisco School District. She is an alumni of the University of Kansas. Adrianne finds that through teaching music, her own musical expression is nurtured, creating a creative discourse with each class she works with. Adrianne has been a music student and lover since she was a small child, studying piano and voice while growing up and majoring in vocal music & percussion with an emphasis on Musicology while pursuing her degree. She has been an active member of many a national/international touring ensemble, releasing a solo album under the name "Dri", entitled 'Smoke Rings' in 2007, and is currently performing with her new band, Extra Classic. Adrianne is quite interested in music from different cultures and incorporating a wide variety of music from around the world into her curriculum. She specializes in elementary vocal & general music, though she is well versed in music education for PreK-grade 12. Adrianne teaches at a variety of different school sites, and loves being an active artist with the Performing Arts Workshop.
Deaidre White
Teacher, Writer, Poet, Spoken Word Artist D’dra White is the breath of fresh air you didn’t know you were missing. Armed with a smile, and the knowledge that this is her calling; D’dra is an empath, using poetry to tell the stories of those who forgot that they had a story to tell.
She has featured all over California, most notably the Starry Plough in Berkeley and the Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles. She has shared the stage with Talaam Acey, Shihan, Sonya Renee Taylor, and other notable poets. She has performed with musicals acts such Bay Area natives O2, Jimmie Reign and Team Zoe and most recently with Atlanta’s Grammy nominated Anthony David. In addition to sharing the stage with these amazing artists D’dra can be heard performing the intro on Zoe4Life Records recording artist B.C’s “For the Kingdom Sake” album as well as on the Team Zoe “I’ma Win” project.
As a "slam rookie" in 2008 she was the lone female voice of the nationally ranked Oakland Slam Team. She was a member of the 2009 “New Word Series” winning San Francisco Slam team that finished the slam season ranked third in the nation (the only team member to compete in all rounds of national competition), the 2010 Golden State Slam rep for the Women of the World Poetry Slam, as well as 2010 “School of Slam” winner. She is also a member of the Bay Area All Stars writing collective; one of the first spoken word collectives to tour the Hawaii Slam scene. 2011 has seen D’dra take her art in many directions. She has directed a one-woman play and earned an invitation the “Ill List” (one of only two poets invited from the state of California). In team competition, once again as the only female on her slam team, D’dra and her squad traveled to Atlanta to compete in the Southern State’s Regional competition known as the Southern Fried where they finished the competition with a top 10 ranking…the first team from California to do so. D’dra, herself ended the competition ranked 9th out of 180 poets as an individual.
Her debut album “All the Things You Can’t Take With You” was released on Zoe4Life Records and features guest appearances from nerCity and Chas Jackson. The album itself, a mixture of laughter, “tear jerkers” and thought provoking ideas contains “classics” such as ‘Stalker,’ ‘Lil Mami,’ and ‘Mommy’s Baby’; a new take on “favorites” like ‘Scorpio’ and ‘Father/Daughter Dance’ and is the only place to hear ‘A Poem for Mama’, her only once performed poem for her deceased mother that received one of the few ever given standing ovations at the Berkeley Slam.
D’dra is also the host of afterWords, a monthly open mic at the Grand Lake Coffee House in Oakland, Ca, as well as the co-host of the San Francisco Slam and the Golden State Slam.
When not on stage, D’dra can be found doing a multitude of things including but not limited to: teaching middle school creative writing, conducting spoken word workshops, chasing rainbows and rocking the flyest of earrings.
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