Alisha Acquaye (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, creative writer and workshop bae from Brooklyn, NY. Their art contemplates speculative Black femme embodiment, Black art, film and music, West African mythology and afrosurrealism. Alisha’s writing is published in The Plentitudes Journal, The Iowa Review, Catapult, Carve Magazine, Teen Vogue and more platforms. As a teaching artist, Alisha curates loving and imaginative writing spaces for Black writers to explore different realms within themselves. Alisha is a former resident of The Free Black Women’s Library: Obsidian, StoryKnife Writers Retreat, The Bandung Residency and Rhode Island Writers Colony.

Alexandra Bayeva is a dancer and a teaching artist originally from Minsk, Belarus with a background in folk, ballet, jazz/modern, contact improvisation, and social dance. She holds a BA in Folk Dance Teaching, Performance, and Choreography from the Belarusian University of Culture and Arts. For the past 18 years, Alexandra has been working with various organizations, teaching children and adults the joy of movement. Alexandra is currently employed with Vanaver Caravan, Notes in Motion, and Young Dancers in Repertory, where she teaches traditional dance, ballet, theater dance, and creative movement at school residences and after-school programs.

Jordan Campbell is a New York City-based filmmaker. A Rutgers University graduate with a degree in Visual Arts and a specialization in Media and Digital Filmmaking. Campbell’s films often focus on New York City’s complex social dynamics. His latest film, Mad Clean (2024), explores mental health and socio-economic divides through the story of a home cleaner navigating a client’s manic episode. As Director of Media Programs for Hook Arts Media, Campbell has taught filmmaking to over 300 young New Yorkers since 2016 through organizations like Eagle Academy and Film at Lincoln Center. For him, film and media transcend entertainment—they are tools for amplifying marginalized voices. Campbell strives to empower himself and his students to share their stories with the world.

Sharlene Chou is a traditional Chinese folk artist and skilled pattern maker based in Queens, New York. Specializing in mixed-media paper cutting, her work blends Chinese calligraphy and seal stone carving, with past exhibitions at Flushing Town Hall and ArmatureArt Space Gallery. Sharlene is also a quilter, with pieces like “Story Talking Quilts” and “Community Quilts” featured at the Queens Museum of Art and Flushing Library. Over her 30-year career in the New York garment industry, she honed advanced handcraft skills, particularly in 3D live draping with silk. Since 2016, Sharlene has shared her expertise through art and craft workshops for immigrant families in the Queens community. A recipient of multiple grants, including from NYSCA, NYFA, and Queens Arts Fund; she currently co-teaches paper cutting at the Brooklyn Public Library, teaches art craft making at Queens Public Library and leads NYSCA grant-art-making programs for the CPC Nan Shan OAC in Queens.

Isabel Clarkin is an environmental arts educator and artist who is passionate about developing opportunities for equitable access to green space and the arts for underprivileged youth. Through her curriculum, she uses the natural environment as a basis for learning and restorative practice. Isabel strives to empower youth to be confident in their rights to using space, resources, and their own creativity to create something new. By forming a connection between arts and the environment, youth are encouraged to trust natural processes and treat all living things with care, whether through the growth of a basil plant or through the creation of a self-portrait painting. Isabel received a Bachelor’s degree in Children and Youth Studies with a minor in Visual Arts from CUNY Brooklyn College. She currently works as a teaching artist for Art Start where she develops garden-based curriculum for youth living in public housing shelters.

Matt Dunning started playing Indonesian gamelan music in 2006 while living in Chicago and developed a deep understanding of Javanese performance and cultural practices while living in Solo, Central Java from 2011-2013. Matt began studying Balinese gamelan in 2023 when Nusantara Arts was gifted an incredible set of Semar Pegulingan instruments. Matt has been fortunate to study with some of the best gamelan musicians including Gusti Komin, Darsono Hadiraharjo, Heri Purwanto, Hartono, Midiyanto, and Wakidi Dwidjomartono. He Currently teaches gamelan music at Nusantara Arts in Buffalo New York as well as at a free afterschool program in collaboration with Buffalo String Works.

C Meranda Flachs-Surmanek (they/them) is a Queens-based theatre artist and urban planner. As Co-Director of WhyWOW Studio, Meranda offers capacity building services to organizations: conflict engagement, impact assessment, opportunities for reflection and awe, strategic planning, and leadership coaching. With Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia, Meranda supports grassroots leaders to develop creative projects that uphold democracy locally, democratize history, and rehabilitate culture and lifeways nearly lost to policies of genocide and erasure. Since 2018, they have collaborated to produce community-engaged theatre with NYC’s Ping Chong + Company, devising projects that invite people to investigate the places we live in. For three years, they worked with The Clinic Performance to devise creative programs and short plays that explore moral injury and burnout with 1,000+ healthcare workers at 20+ hospital across the U.S. They are a third-generation Ashkenazi Jewish New Yorker and active in the grassroots movement to safeguard public housing in NYC.

Antígona González is a Mexican theater performer, director, and teaching artist based in NYC. Co-founder of Aguaardiente Colectivo which develops community-based art projects using field research and oral history interview process, Member of Teatro Linea de Sombra (Mexico) since 2007 with whom co-created the pieces Amarillo, Baños Roma, and Article 13, among others. Collaborations include Cie Carabosse (France), El Rinoceronte Enamorado, La Percha Teatro, The Commons Choir, FABnyc, Superhero Clubhouse, IATI Theater, Downtown Art, University Settlement, to mention a few. Recent work LES people power (DTA/ GOLES), the NY Memory Project (FABnyc), On being home while feeding the lungs (FABnyc), LES Senior Tour, (FABnyc, University Settlement). She has facilitated workshops at OHMA Columbia University, Downtown Art, and University Settlement Seniors Centers to mention some. Was granted the 2023 HOLA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing for Temporada de Ciervos, IATI. Selected Artist to the SuCasa program by LMCC in 2024.

Katalina Gutierrez (she/her) is a New York-based media-maker, painter, and educator whose work explores themes of nature, identity, and representation. She is the founder of The Art of Mindfulness Center, where she integrates mindfulness into her artistic and teaching practices. Katalina holds a BA in Film and Media Studies from Hunter College and a BA in Fine Arts and Photography from the Universidad Nacional (UNA). Over the past six years, she has taught documentary production, mixed media, and storytelling in both English and Spanish at NYC public schools. Her paintings, films, and photographs have been exhibited in galleries in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and Latin America. Katalina’s teaching focuses on helping students from underserved communities and neurodivergent learners explore their identities and express themselves through art.

DaShaun Hightower is a visual artist and fashion designer who started gaining popularity working in the Chicago fashion scene. Hightower created one of a kind pieces to be worn by some of Chicago’s budding talent. These pieces garnered the attention of important industry voices such as: WWD, Afropunk, Italian Vogue, LadyGunn, ID, and OUT. Since then, Hightower has worked with recording artists such as: F.U.P.U., Jamila Woods, and MØ to create content bringing viewers into his world of art and fashion. The artist uses graffiti,3D modeling, and textile manipulation to tell his story. Hightower’s approach to art has allowed him to develop an aesthetic all his own. The artist’s usage of embellishment, language, and color creates opportunities for dialogue and envisions the black body in new ways.

Lisa A. Johnson, native of Rochester, NY is a gifted artist, poet, writer, teacher, speaker, and resilience coach on a mission to inspire and empower individuals to “Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.” By sharing her vulnerable stories, Lisa empowers others to embrace discomfort and use it as a catalyst for their own personal growth. Her artistic expression includes: poetry, tap dance, creative movement, drama, and sewing. Having taught middle and high school English in both public and private schools, she believes all students have the potential to learn and excel when given the appropriate resources. Johnson has penned and performed poems for Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Celebration in Avon, NY and Alopecia Awareness Month. A recipient of the Big Pencil Award for inspiring the creation and appreciation of literature. Johnson is a parent, and a pescatarian, with a goal: to write a poem and perform it at an upcoming inaugural celebration.

Rachel Kalkstein is a passionate dancer, educator and teaching artist who believes in the power of dance to positively transform lives. She has a diverse dance background in various styles and is the founder of Belly Dance Alchemy, a dance studio for adults in NYC. With a focus on global impact, she holds a Master’s degree in Education Policies for Global Development from the University of Amsterdam and is passionate about making dance and somatic movement an integral part of students’ education internationally. Rachel previously worked as an education researcher and designer for organizations such as NYU, UNESCO and Nickelodeon with the goal of bringing the best education to children worldwide. As a Teaching Artist, Rachel currently teaches multicultural dance to students across New York City schools. Her work aims to build students’ confidence, spark their creativity and embrace their authentic artistic expression.

Yekta Khaghani is an award-winning playwright, actress, and theater educator based in New York. She holds a BA in Playwriting from Tehran University of Art. Before immigrating to the U.S., she expanded her skills through theater pedagogy workshops and led initiatives adapted into stage performances. As a teaching artist, Yekta connects students to their cultural heritage through literature and fairy tales. She adapted and narrated seven seasons of Fairy Tales from Greater Iran, an educational podcast series reimagining classic stories for young audiences. Her dedication to integrating literature and theater has resulted in five stage productions. In 2022, she joined the People’s Theater Project as an actor and teaching artist, leading residencies across New York City. Yekta’s playwriting explores themes of identity and diaspora, with works like In the Stillness of Night receiving high acclaim.

Raised in the Lower East Side (LES), Nicole Kontolefa graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre and co-founded Studio Six, a theater dedicated to cross-cultural exchange. Working abroad taught Nicole theatre is a language that can bridge differences. Nicole devises workshops that use theatre as a forum for change in urban and rural communities with grants from LMCC (Su-Casa), Brooklyn Arts Council, Wyoming Humanities Council, Wyoming Arts Council. Nicole makes forum theater with older adults about issues they care about. Her writing on forum theatre was published in Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal. Her writing about devising theatre with people in transitional housing was featured in the theatre journal: etudes. In addition to working with older adults Nicole has taught at Butler University, Department of Corrections of New York, Greenwich House, The Center for Resiliency and Wellness, NY Memory Center. Nicole also works with her applied theatre collective Journey Theatre Project.

Anna Mayta grew up in Chile. She is an educator, dance improviser and choreographer. She graduated from Empire State College in June 2001 with a BA in Dance in Education. Anna has been teaching, performing, and choreographing for over 20 years. She has taught at places such as Art Omi, Bethel Woods, River Arts and Caramoor. Anna’s signature programs are her Spanish language through movement, Fusion dance which incorporates African, Bharatanatyam, Flamenco, Latin and modern dance styles coming together as one and transcending linguistic prejudice through movement. She has choreographed, taught dance, for the National Ballet of Zimbabwe in Africa, England, India, NYC, and in the Boston Area. She was awarded a grant from CREATE council of the arts in Hudson NY, a residency at Bethany Arts Community. She is currently teaching, choreographing and performing all over the Hudson Valley NY. Plus directing and choreographing with her dance company called Mayta Fusion Dance.

Asako Mizukami is a choreographer and a teaching artist, living and working in New York City. With a background in classical piano, Asako’s early passion for music led her to pursue dance. She holds a BA in Music and completed a professional trainee program at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Through her career, she showcased her choreography and performed nationally and internationally. Asako is a certified Feldenkrais method practitioner, and her teaching approach is deeply influenced by its holistic philosophy. She emphasizes the integration of physical, mental and emotional aspects in her teaching.

Sari Nordman, a Finnish interdisciplinary artist and educator, creates public art projects, video works and dance performances. Many of her projects have been informed by climate change and respond to environmental social justice issues. To amplify diverse voices from around the world her projects often involve social engagement. She engages people through interviews and fiber-art processes. She has exhibited her works for Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, King Manor Museum, South Street Seaport, and with Shared Dialogue, Shared Space, and NYC Summer Streets, New York. She is a recipient of awards from Brooklyn Arts Council, Foundation for Contemporary Art, and New York State Council on the Arts. She has discussed her projects, and the environmentalism and social engagement in her process in panels at South Street Seaport, New York, and at The Kennedy Center and Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC. She holds a M.F.A. from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts.

Tanya Perez is a Nuyorican playwright, performer, filmmaker and clown exploring the human condition through dark comedies. Recently, she made her Off-Broadway debut with her solo show “Welcome to Clowntown,” to critical acclaim and was a Bx Arts Factory Artist in Residence premiering her visual art in a gallery exhibition called Temporal Release. Her interdisciplinary artistry is the foundation of her work as a teaching artist, using Purposeful Play techniques to empower students across the country. Collaborative patrons include Utah Theatre Association, Brooklyn College, Florida International University and Conch Shell International Film Festival to name a few. Proud member of SAGAftra and Actors Equity Association. Long time recuser of stray cats and dogs.

Polina Porras Sivolobova is a passionate art educator with over 20 years of experience in interdisciplinary teaching. She began her career in 2002 with Asociación Tepeyac, helping to develop the innovative program “Art, Storytelling, and the Five Senses” to support Latino immigrants in New York City. Since then, Polina has worked with organizations such as Arts Horizons, Marquis Studios, the Harlem School of the Arts, and Pratt Institute. As a museum educator, she has collaborated with the Queens Museum, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Noguchi Museum, and El Museo del Barrio. Polina’s teaching philosophy focuses on fostering diverse learning styles and connecting art to other disciplines to expand the art making experience. She believes in each person’s innate creativity and the power of embodied knowledge. Currently, she is exploring the theme of the creative processes using practices such as drawing, collage, performance art, puppetry, and artist books.

With a #InnovativeWomenJA Women’s History Month grant from the US Embassy Kingston, Abigail Ramsay started a theatre for social change organization for girls. Downtown Girls Theatre Collective/ Every Body Theatre Project ran in Trench Town, bringing girls from Denham Town, Trench Town, and Parade Gardens together in a theatre across borders/ theatre for social change program. Later, the program was moved to the Institute of Jamaica’s Junior Centre, a few months before COVID gripped the world. Only two years later, Downtown Girls was resurrected and given a new life with a program for teenage girls and young women in Tèt Ansanm Leadership Group for Girls at Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project in Little Haiti, Brooklyn. Since 2022, Downtown Girls has transitioned into TurningWheel Collective. and the program has formalized, offering culture-forward and relevant Theatre for Social Change programming.

Jonelle Robinson is an artist, educator, entrepreneur and care advocate based in Queens, NY. She has worked with youth for over a decade via teaching, directing, choreographing, devising, costuming, prop making, curriculum building, and more. She is currently teaching theatre for Marquis Studios, Queens Theatre and Lincoln Center. Outside of the classroom, you can find her making Marvetta, her scotch bonnet pepper sauces (shameless plug: www.MarvettaNYC.com), and proudly caretaking for her mama. She is a 2024 Care Fellow for Caring Across Generations and fights to advocate for care rights in NYC and beyond. She holds the belief that everyone is a lifelong learner, and she aims to do work centered around love, care and community.

Hilarie Spangler is an Appalachian multi-instrumentalist, teaching artist, and community arts facilitator focused on communal music making and combating the barriers to entry in arts education. Her work emphasizes authentic, collaborative, and musical community experiences, with a particular focus on rural-urban relationships and community healing. From 2018-2022, she co-founded and served as artistic director of Cardinal Cross Arts Collective as a way to explore diverse artistic experiences in Appalachia. Hilarie has led workshops on identity and inclusion at the International Storytelling Center, Ballyeamon Barn (Northern Ireland), Freshgrass Foundation, Pratt Institute, Covenant House, and more. She teaches at Brooklyn Music Factory, Arts Ignite, and Tribeca Music NYC, helping students discover their creative voices. Currently pursuing LCAT licensure through a Creative Arts Therapy MA at Hofstra University, Hilarie also holds degrees in Community-Based Arts and Theater from Western Kentucky University and an MA in Arts and Cultural Policy from Pratt Institute.

Anna Warfield (she/they) is a poet and sculptor living in Binghamton, New York. They create text-based fiber sculptures that consider the body, unlearning, and complex identities. Making the professional practice side of an arts career approachable is a pillar of Warfield’s work. They’ve taught professional skills for artists regularly with upstate arts councils, and through NYFA. In 2024, they launched the Artist Grant Navigation Project in which they guide artists through grant-writing processes, offer feedback, and bridge access to state and local funds via fiscal sponsorship. In 2025, Warfield will exhibit with the Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse) and the Rockwell Museum (Corning). They’ve had recent solo exhibitions with SUNY Oneonta (2024) and Roberson Museum (Binghamton, 2023-2024). Selected awards include NYSCA Artist Support (2023, 2025), Arts in the Community Commission (2024), and a Saltonstall Residency (2023). Warfield holds a BFA and BS in Communication, both from Cornell University.

Antonia Badon is a former Co-segment Producer and Co-Celebrity Talent Coordinator for the late Great Chair-Emeritus, Percy E. Sutton’s Inner City Broadcasting Co., TV show “It’s Showtime At The Apollo,” a NAACP AWARD WINNER for the play ZORA!, a BEST ACTRESS AWARD WINNER of the Strawberry One-Act Festival, a WBLS/WLIB, Circle of Sisters COMMUNITY HONORS RECIPIENT, and a FIRST FRUIT AWARD RECIPIENT for her radio show. The HBCU graduate of Dillard University New Orleans-actress is a force to be reckoned with. Antonia came to the consciousness of the New York populous with her critically acclaimed one-woman play of the famous Zora Neale Hurston in, ZORA! written by Multi-Award Winner Laurence Holder. Antonia is a trailblazer in digital media, audio, and film editing. As an Edu-Tech Creator, she envisions a world where urban America is seen through a new lens, blending history and culture seamlessly. Her mission seeks to inspire young minds through culturally diverse content, making history enjoyable & accessible.

Inspired by urban-born artists like Duke and Zora, Antonia’s mission transcends conventional boundaries. Antonia harnessed her superpowers to build community awareness and appreciation for urban communities. Her transformative journey merges education seamlessly with inspiration. At the forefront of an edu-tech revolution, she builds bridges of awareness and combats violence by fostering community appreciation globally.

Antonia’s dedication extends to inspiring the next generation through cultural awareness. Her book “Harlem: The Black Mecca,” part of the “Harlem Renaissance Time Travel Girlz” landmark series for children aged 1 to 9, is featured on the shelf of the Schomburg Center Bookstore. This series blends historical exploration with storytelling to pave the way for a future devoid of violence.

Laura Brenneman is a composer and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Recent projects include music for Antipodes (Danspace, NYC) a commission from The Women’s Project (NYC) for Gurley, a new musical based on the life of Helen Gurley Brown, as well as arrangements and accompaniment for Martha Clarke’s The Threepenny Opera (Atlantic Theatre Company, NYC). As composer-lyricist and co-creator of the puppet theatre piece Fox vs the Kingdom, she is the recipient of two Jim Henson Foundation production grants.

As a teaching artist, Laura holds certification in Dalcroze Pedagogy from the Lucy Moses School (NYC). She has taught students in both public and private schools in NYC, including Berkeley Carroll, Talent Unlimited High School, and Packer Collegiate Institute. Laura is the recipient of a 2021 Knutson Grant for professional development in music education from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She is also a 2021 recipient of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s ‘Empire State Creates’ grant for her curriculum project, “The Classroom Album: Fostering Collaborative Behavior through Group Composition”. She is currently writing a book entitled ‘All Over the Map,” about teaching music all over the world (remotely) during the Covid-19 pandemic. She garnered her undergraduate education in composition and piano at UCLA, and holds a Master of Arts in Music Education from Hunter College.

Cornell “Lord Judah” Carelock is an accomplished Mindfulness Practitioner, Teaching Artist, and Creative Place Maker with over two decades of experience dedicated to educational and community settings. As the CEO of Judah Bless Ent and the Director of True He(ART) Academy, he has made significant strides in integrating arts into curricula, promoting community engagement, and leading innovative professional development initiatives.

Lord Judah’s work is deeply rooted in social justice and arts integration, and he is renowned for developing creative strategies that translate proactive messaging into his art and workshops. His approach uniquely combines digital arts training, mindfulness instruction, and social justice education to empower individuals, particularly youth and those with special needs, fostering resilience, creativity, and personal growth.

A certified mindfulness instructor and Hip Hop cultural specialist, Lord Judah has developed “True He(ART) Academy,” a self-healing instructional program that blends his extensive knowledge and skills to create transformative educational experiences. His work is guided by a mission to lead in the fields of mindfulness and arts integration, influencing others to understand how art, especially music, impacts mental health and well-being.

He has been honored with numerous awards and proclamations, including the prestigious recognition of “Cornell Carelock Day” in Westchester County, NY, and continues to be a vibrant leader and influencer in the arts community. His work not only enriches the lives of his students but also serves as a beacon of inspiration across generations.

Courtney Renee Cochran is a NYC based freelance dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Born in Sacramento, CA, she received her training from Sacramento Ballet, Lines Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet X, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Crockett-Deane Ballet where she was selected as an emerging choreographer for Regional Dance America. Since moving to New York, Courtney’s work has been featured in programs such as Brooklyn Ballet’s First Look , Norte Maar’s Counter Pointe, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Sunday Matinee, Thelma Hill’s Dance Festival and Works & Process’ Artists Virtual Commission Series where her piece entitled, From cage of teeth and jaw, was awarded “Best Solo Performance” in Earl Mosley’s Dance is Activism Film Festival. In 2019 she was nominated for Dance Lab New York’s first Female Choreographers of Color residency in collaboration with The Joyce Theatre where the culmination of her work was presented at Works & Process at the Guggenheim.

Courtney has 10+ years of freelance experience dancing with companies including Eglevsky Ballet, Brooklyn Ballet, The Black Iris Project, Collage Dance Collective, Columbia City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem; and has performed in ballets such as Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, and starred as Puck in Sierra Nevada Ballet’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.Courtney has taught at Brooklyn Ballet, The Billie Holiday Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Límon Dance, Harlem School of the Arts, and after completing her ABT NTC certification, joined the JKO School in the fall of 2021.

Jacob Cohen is a Brooklyn-based experimental cellist, instrument maker, visual artist, and educator. He began playing the cello in 1995 and over the years has developed a unique improvisational style that grew out of his days as a street performer in New York City. Cohen’s music was featured in the 2014 film Foxcatcher which was nominated for 5 grammy awards. From 2014-2018 He ran a music program for youth incarcerated at Rikers Island Correctional Center. He brought his cello into the jail and played music with the youth, and also drew portraits of them. Over 500 of the portraits were exhibited at the Queens Museum in 2018 in a solo show titled “Dispatches from the Ghost Ship.” In 2020 he and a group of activists founded the Free Prakash Alliance with the goal of getting murder charges against Prakash Churaman dropped. At the age of 15 Churaman had been accused of a murder in Queens he did not commit and interrogated for hours before making a false confession with no lawyer present. All chargers against Churaman were dropped on June 8, 2022. Jacob is now running a music and art program at Crossroads Juvenile Center, an ACS-run secure detention facility in Brooklyn.

Maya June Dwyer is an emerging interdisciplinary artist based in Syracuse, N.Y.. She is a teaching artist, performer, director, choreographer, movement director and music and theatre creator specialized in site-specific immersive art. She has trained and worked with companies including PUSH Physical Theatre, The Hofesh Shechter Company, Punchdrunk, Meredith Monk, and Pilobolus. She recently completed Big Bang, a contemporary dance training program in Montréal at Espace Ouvert, and in 2023, she was one of 12 choreographers in New York State to be awarded the NY State Dance Force Choreographer’s Initiative. Maya is a frequent guest artist at Le Moyne College, where she directs and choreographs movement-infused productions of plays and musicals and has taught courses since 2020. During COVID, she Previous directing and choreography credits include Orlando and Cabaret at Le Moyne College. At the heart of Maya’s teaching career is the goal of demystifying movement and working to dissolve the barriers to entry which exist in movement and theatre.

Danaya Esperanza (she/they // ella/elle) is a queer Afro-Cuban immigrant who spent much of her childhood in the Deep South. Based in the Bronx, they’ve performed on several of the most renowned stages in the country, including The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Theatre for a New Audience, The Signature Theatre, National Black Theatre, Soho Rep, Playwrights Horizons, Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Folger Theatre (DC), and the Goodman Theatre (Chicago). She recently played an artistic ancestor, Haydée Portuondo in BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB at Atlantic Theater Company, and this summer she revised her role as Adriana in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS/LA COMEDIA DE ERRORES at The Public. Danaya often works as a teaching artist with The Classical Theatre of Harlem and volunteers with The 52nd Street Project. As a writer, they are developing two plays honoring their two grandmothers. Danaya is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she adapted and directed KASSANDRA AND THE WOLF, based on the novel by Margarita Karapanou; and Columbia University where they completed a Thesis in Directing with Sarah Kane’s 4.48 PSYCHOSIS. Her callings are new works and adaptations, or a reimagining of classics, where they can bring something of their intersecting identities. Danaya is also a poet and songwriter, and collaborated with the Latin band, Última Nota on the song ESPUMAS as the lyricist and vocalist, which is available on all streaming platforms.

Bakary Fall is a dancer and choreographer of traditional and contemporary West African, Capoeira, and urban dances from Dakar, Senegal. Bakary launched his career at the Third World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, originally established by Senegalese poet and president Leopold Sedar Senghor.

Bakary notably studied with Bessie award winning dancer Germaine Acogny.His dancing and choreography have been featured in several documentaries and music videos, including with Grammy award winning artists. He founded the annual Nun ak Yeen festival in Dakar in 2014 that is recognized throughout West Africa for uniting artists experimenting with the fusion of contemporary and traditional dance. He also founded a dance group, Sunu Percu Dance, in Senegal that works with traditional and contemporary West African cultures. In 2023 he took 20 members from Kofago Dance Ensemble, for whom he is a Choreographer, to Senegal for the Nun Ak Yeen Festival.

Since arriving to the United States in 2018, Bakary has danced in festivals and performances, including in New York: INSITU Dance Festival, a Youssou N’dour’s performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the International African Arts Festival: West Africa Dance Masters. He teaches classes and workshops at Alvin Ailey Extension currently weekly, Ripley Grier, Piel Canela Center for Latin Arts, Peridance Capezio Center, CUMBE: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Queensborough Community College and NYC public/charter schools to all ages. He has also taught at schools and universities across the United States and has performed throughout Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Senegal.

Rosemarie Fiore lives and works in Bronx, NY. She is a pyrotechnic painter, sculptor and performance artist that typically creates her own tools to harness Firework smoke using Fumage to create work.Fiore has received awards through National Endowment for the Arts, NYFA Artist Fellowship, Avery Foundation, NYC DCLA and Dieu Donne Paper Mill. The Bronx Council for the Arts has supported Fiore’s work with BRIO, AIE and Arts Fund Grants. She has attended residencies at Millay, Kohler A/I, Art Omi, Yaddo, Skowhegan, MacDowell, Walentas-Sharpe Studios, Wavehill, Roswell AIR, VCCA, Sculpture Space and Bronx Museum.

Her exhibitions and performances include: MOCA, Jacksonville, FL., Weatherspoon Museum, NC, The Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, NY, SCAD Museum, GA, Von Lintel Gallery, LA, VCUarts, Richmond, Grand Arts, Kansas City, Bronx Museum, Queens Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, NYC, and Franklin Institute, Philadelphia.Her exhibitions have been reviewed by The New York Times, New York Magazine, Art in America, Artforum, Village Voice, NY Arts Magazine, FLAUNT Magazine, Art Papers Magazine, Art on Paper, Art and Cake and Art Ltd. Magazine.Fiore’s work is included in the following collections: Kohler Co., John Michael Kohler Art Center, US Art in Embassies, Colombo, Sri Lanka, UBS Art Collection, Fidelity Corporate Art Collection, Weatherspoon Museum, Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, Neuberger Berman, Aspen Collection, Texas A & M University, and The Franklin Institute of Science.She has served as a mentor in NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Program since 2010, is a teaching artist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MacDowell trustee.

Sherese Francis (she/they) describes themselves as an AlkyMist of the I-Magination, finding expression through poetry, interdisciplinary arts (collage, book and paper arts, sound and performance art, text art), workshop facilitation, editing, and literary curation. Her(e) work takes inspiration from her(e) Afro-Caribbean heritage (Barbados and Dominica), and studies in Afrofuturism and Black Speculative Arts, mythology and etymology. Some of their work has been published in Furious Flower, Obsidian, Rootwork Journal, The Caribbean Writer, The Operating System, Cosmonauts Avenue, No Dear, Apex Magazine, Bone Bouquet, African Voices, Newtown Literary, and Free Verse. Additionally, Sherese has published four chapbooks, Lucy’s Bone Scrolls (Three Legged Elephant, 2017), Variations on Sett/ling Seed/ling (Harlequin Creature, 2018), Recycling a Why That Rules Over My Sacred Sight (DoubleCross Press, 2021) and Lady Liberty Smashing Stones (THRASH Press, 2022), and edited a poetry anthology/guided journal, Baby Suggs and a Purple Butterfly (Get Fresh Books, 2024). Sherese has received grant awards from Queens Council on the Arts, NYFA and NYSCA, residencies from WorksonWater, LMCC, Akademie Schloss Solitude and SeaSalted Honey in Senegal, and fellowships from Voodoonauts and Baldwin for the Arts. Besides publications, Sherese has had her(e) work featured in various exhibitions and showcases from NY Live Arts, Queens Public Library, York College Arts Gallery, King Manor Museum, WorksOnWater, Flushing Town Hall, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, Bliss On Bliss, Maleza Proyectos, The Rubenstein Art Center, The Loomis Chaffee School Mercy Gallery, Flux Factory, and Ely Center for Contemporary Art.

Miranda (Randi) Gescheit, a true Brooklyn native, found their artistic calling meandering through Manhattan’s art scene after a day at Edward R Murrow High School. There they participated in any after school program they could find, including Theater Performances, workshops and talkbacks. These experiences lead them to study Theater Production/Hospitality and Tourism from Buffalo State University. Randi’s journey took a meaningful turn towards community engagement and arts education. From Theatre of Youth to Ujima Company Inc where they are a company member. Randi immersed themself in local theater, managing community partnerships and ensuring the show’s heartbeat as a Stage Manager. Randi’s passion spreads far and wide; they have been a Teaching Artist in Arlington, Virginia to Central New York, as a Road Manager at The Rev where they bring theater to rural corners of New York State. Randi has been inspired by Stacy Wolf’s book Beyond Broadway… to work with the next generation of theater goers and makers all over the US but most importantly in their home state of New York. Randi is thankful for their Public Education and the Teachers, Professors and Friends that got them to where they are today along with their hard work and passion.

Devin is an arts educator, choreographer and creative director from VA who performed and taught in Chicago five years before moving to NYS. She premiered in Sharon Cooks’ Black Girl Magic in Winter 2022 and Verbatim Performance Labs’, Whatever you are be a Good One Fall 2023. She/Her work has premiered on stages for companies such as the Black Ensemble Theater, Theater 47 and Steppenwolf Theater.

Though she is just getting started her most prized moments are when she gets to teach in detention centers and schools teaching youth how to express themselves through writing and dancing. Storytelling is the heart of her work so each piece she creates shares a piece of her with the audience. She believes there is a healing in expression through arts and wants to share it with whoever will watch/listen. She is honored to be apart of NYU Dance Education Program and grateful her leaders and professors who have done such an amazing job of continuing to mold her into the arts educator she is today. She is beyond excited to embark on this new journey with NYS Mentorship Program and can’t wait to connect with the cohort and her new mentor.

Gail Lewis is a retired preschool teacher and Day Care Provider of 45+ years. Art has always been a part of her practice but in recent years, she has become a Certified Zentangle Teacher. Gail has taken her passion for art as a form of relaxation and made it into a small business by teaching through grants or privately through local libraries. She has collaborated with the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes to bring different forms of arts and crafts to rural areas in the region. Gail has also been seen on stage in local theater groups and sings with two choral groups. Gail has two daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren who are the loves of her life. She loves warm weather and likes to keep busy and active, which includes jumping on trampolines with her granddaughter!

Fatima Logan-Alston, a native of Durham, NC is an interdisciplinary artist committed to engaging communities in culturally and historically thematic workshops, residencies, concerts, performances, and events connecting dance, live music, and visual arts into theatrically enriching experiences. Logan-Alston received her BFA in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters in Liberal Studies from SUNY Old Westbury. She danced as a company member of the African-American Dance Ensemble and Forces of Nature Dance Theater. Her collaborators have included artists such as Bobby Sanabria, Valerie Capers, and Ntozake Shange, and she has performed at the Curtain Up Broadway Festival, Lincoln Center Outdoors, and in Adam Pendleton’s film, So We Moved: A Portrait of Jack Halberstam. Logan-Alston is currently the Artistic Director of Threads of Truth (formerly VashtiDance Theater), which she founded in 2011. Since that time, she has performed with Threads of Truth, at national and international venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music (NY) The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture (NY), Durham Arts Council (NC), Powhatan Arts Council (VA), the International Association of Blacks in Dance (Ontario, Canada), and the International African Diaspora Dance Traditions Conference (Salvador, Brazil). Her residencies have included Hunter College (NY), Long Island University Post (NY), and Hostos Community College (NY) through the CUNY Dance Initiative. She has been a Guest Instructor at Queens College (NY), University of Iowa, Barnard College (NY), and is currently an Adjunct Instructor at SUNY Old Westbury and a Teaching Artist with Alvin Ailey Arts in Education and Community Programs. Logan-Alston is a recipient of the Disability. Dance. Artistry. Dance and Social Justice Fellowship from the Ford Foundation and was selected as a 2024 SU CASA artist by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Lorena is an interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY, originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She has been involved in numerous theater and dance projects across Manhattan and Jersey City. Her credits include notable Shakespearean roles such as Isabella in “Measure for Measure” and Banquo in “Macbeth.”

Lorena has been an integral part of the Dance Company Katherine Pettit Creative as a principal dancer and the Something From Abroad Theater Company as an Actress, Director, and Producer. Among her recent works is her bilingual play based on Shakespearean monologues titled “Unspoken Garden/El jardín que calla.” Additionally, she orchestrates the Artistic Laboratory, a live performance where, as a dancer and director, she collaborates with other artists to explore their craft and create original works through improvisation.

She is also the Founder and artistic director of the Robus Dance Theater Ensemble, which has showcased commissioned works for the New York Foundation for the Arts, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, and the Queens Council on the Arts.

Kevin Toledo aka Advice is a Bronx born and bred artist of Puerto Rican & Dominican descent. He is an independent hip hop artist, teacher, mental health advocate, and creative entrepreneur. Throughout his career Advice has provided mental health services across New York City and now works as a teaching artist and program manager for Thrive Collective’s R.H.Y.M.E. mentoring youth through hip-hop across NYC.

Kea Trevett (she/her) is a theater practitioner, filmmaker, and educator. As an actor, her NY stage credits include Roundabout, Classic Stage Company, Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Sheen Center, New Georges, The Lark, Page 73, and Cherry Lane. Kea teaches playwriting and Shakespeare in performance for Theatre For A New Audience and Lincoln Center, and is a founding member and co-artistic director of Apocalyptic Artists, a theater company which provides free theater programming and professional productions to NYC schools. MFA: Columbia University. www.keatrevett.com

Jo-Ann Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University with a double major in Music and Journalism. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker, author, singer/songwriter, instrumentalist, playwright, actor, motivational speaker, and educator. Jo-Ann has written Black History Month coloring books on various topics including Traditions from Africa, Famous African-American Writers, and 101 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History. As a motivational speaker, she has performed at national conventions, mental health organizations, juvenile detention facilities, and nonprofit organizations. As the Founder of INSPIRED, her mission is to use the arts to improve individuals’ self-worth, confront misconceptions on a community level, and provide safe spaces for people from different cultures to have important conversations. Her programs are multi-generational/cultural and include a variety of artistic genres. Performers include professional artists and community members.

Miyabi’s journey is deeply rooted in underground street dance and club culture. Born amidst the pioneers of Hip Hop and House dance, Miyabi’s formative years were steeped in rhythm, grooves, and soul. From her upbringing emerged a passion for artistic exploration, innovation, and community-building through Street dance. As a Black and Japanese street dance teaching artist, she empowers her students drawing upon her rich experiences. In an effort to educate the Japanese street dance community, her family opened Next Generation NYC Studios in Okayama, Japan. NXGN is a school that focuses on understanding the history and origins of street dance styles as well as their core foundations and grooves. Miyabi spent her early years learning how to build hip hop based programs curriculums, teaching methods and material, with the help of her street dance pioneer father, Terry (Cebo) Carr. In 2010, Miyabi joined the Ladies Of Hip Hop collective in New York where she continued to not only educate the youth and women all across the U.S. nation, but grow artistically as a street dance artist and performer.

Kangnan Zheng (Nan) is a drama teacher and member of Beijing “Trust” Playback Theatre. She led a startup education company and cooperated with 10+ organizations and schools in China, such as The China Soong Ching Ling Science & Culture Centre For Young People, and Beijing Chaoyang Foreign Language School, etc.

She received the “Excellence Award for Program Design” from Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences and “Excellent Teacher” in the Third Golden Thrush Children Drama in Education Showcase. With 10 years of acting and teaching experience, she worked internationally in China, Nepal, British, New Zealand, and the United States.

Nan graduated from The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and holds an MA in Educational Theatre from New York University. She believes that the power of drama transcends the stage. Her goal is to popularize drama education and integrate drama with personal growth and community development.