The Performing Artists of
World Arts West Dances in the Park
Batey Tambó
Motto: La Bomba Es Vida
Batey Tambó is an Oakland and San Francisco-based, women of color-led, cultural group grounded in the centuries-old musical tradition of Afro-Indigenous Puerto Rican Bomba. Batey Tambó director/founder Denise Solís (La Bombera de la Bahia), founded one of the first ever all female Bomba ensembles, Las Bomberas de la Bahia, and more recently co-founded and co-led, Taller Bombalele. She has been a student of Bomba since 2001 and continues to learn from maestrx and elders from Puerto Rico and the Diaspora. Denise Solis is one of the first women to play the subidor (lead drum) in the tradition of Bomba.
Batey Tambó’s mission is to facilitate a conversation, through teaching and sharing spaces for Bomba (Batey’s), by offering an opportunity for dialogue about how capitalism and colonization influenced Bomba, in a racial, gendered, geopolitical context. As an embodied musical tradition Bomba is the result of the transatlantic slave trade and a tool for survival practiced by freed Africans (Cimarrones), in alliance with Taínos in Puerto Rico, to communicate, pray, agitate and organize revolts.
As with many spaces and cultural traditions of resistance, Batey Tambó plays a role in healing the long-standing patriarchal influences that interplay, and are passed on, in the very fabric of society through generations. Within the Bomba musical tradition, the most celebrated musical role, that of drumming, was held primarily by men. “La Bomba es Nuestra '' was held in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007. It was the first ever convening of an all women drumming ensemble that brought together Bomberxs from the Diaspora (New York, Chicago, California) and Puerto Rico to learn from each other, share experiences, and collaborate in a series of performances. Community Bateys (the space where Bomba is practiced and a place of healing) and workshops were offered to the Bay Area Bomba community. Denise Solis was one of the directors/facilitators of this first ever convening. This was the catalyst for the formation of her two projects/ensembles, Las Bomberas de la Bahia and later Taller Bombalele (with Julia Caridad Cepeda).
Batey Tambó continues in that service of healing and liberation, through the music and dance tradition of Bomba, by offering classes, facilitating workshops and creating space for performances on the stage and in the community that honor the complex histories and experiences of our diverse Latinx Diaspora.
Motto: La Bomba Es Vida
Batey Tambó is an Oakland and San Francisco-based, women of color-led, cultural group grounded in the centuries-old musical tradition of Afro-Indigenous Puerto Rican Bomba. Batey Tambó director/founder Denise Solís (La Bombera de la Bahia), founded one of the first ever all female Bomba ensembles, Las Bomberas de la Bahia, and more recently co-founded and co-led, Taller Bombalele. She has been a student of Bomba since 2001 and continues to learn from maestrx and elders from Puerto Rico and the Diaspora. Denise Solis is one of the first women to play the subidor (lead drum) in the tradition of Bomba.
Batey Tambó’s mission is to facilitate a conversation, through teaching and sharing spaces for Bomba (Batey’s), by offering an opportunity for dialogue about how capitalism and colonization influenced Bomba, in a racial, gendered, geopolitical context. As an embodied musical tradition Bomba is the result of the transatlantic slave trade and a tool for survival practiced by freed Africans (Cimarrones), in alliance with Taínos in Puerto Rico, to communicate, pray, agitate and organize revolts.
As with many spaces and cultural traditions of resistance, Batey Tambó plays a role in healing the long-standing patriarchal influences that interplay, and are passed on, in the very fabric of society through generations. Within the Bomba musical tradition, the most celebrated musical role, that of drumming, was held primarily by men. “La Bomba es Nuestra '' was held in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007. It was the first ever convening of an all women drumming ensemble that brought together Bomberxs from the Diaspora (New York, Chicago, California) and Puerto Rico to learn from each other, share experiences, and collaborate in a series of performances. Community Bateys (the space where Bomba is practiced and a place of healing) and workshops were offered to the Bay Area Bomba community. Denise Solis was one of the directors/facilitators of this first ever convening. This was the catalyst for the formation of her two projects/ensembles, Las Bomberas de la Bahia and later Taller Bombalele (with Julia Caridad Cepeda).
Batey Tambó continues in that service of healing and liberation, through the music and dance tradition of Bomba, by offering classes, facilitating workshops and creating space for performances on the stage and in the community that honor the complex histories and experiences of our diverse Latinx Diaspora.
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Cuicacalli Ballet Folklórico Cuicacalli (House of Culture) is a year-round youth training program, and Dance Company based at Brava Theater in the heart of “La Misión”. Founded in 2008 by renowned international performer Jesus “Jacoh” Cortes. It is an international, cross-cultural, dance-arts educational institution, providing Indigenous, Ballet Folklórico, and Contemporary Dance programs. Cuicacalli is dedicated to its mission to serve the diverse community of San Francisco with excellent instruction, performances, and community programs for intergenerational students, artists and audiences of all backgrounds. We continue to build and encourage communities through dance by expanding, exploring and celebrating the cultural traditions of the Americas. Self expression, confidence, enthusiasm, discipline, focus, cooperation, teamwork and positive attitude are some of the values incorporated into all Cuicacalli classes. Our variety of dance styles give students a well-rounded curriculum of body awareness, movement dynamics, strength, flexibility, spatial composition, and appreciation for the vibrant cultural rhythms that are the pulse of Latino/Indio life. |
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Feng Ye Dance Studio
Feng Ye Dance Studio was established in 2017 by artistic director Ms. Feng Ye, former president and artistic director of China National Song and Dance Troupe. She received the Chinese Ministry of Culture title of "National First-Class Dancer" and performed in the Athens 2004 and the Beijing 2008 Olympics. She also was a choreographer for the 2014 World Youth Olympic Games. The Feng Ye Dance Studio and the Feng Ye Dance Troupe successfully produced and performed a grand annual gala entitled "ENCOUNTER" at the San Jose Art Center Montgomery Theater in 2018 and "DANCE WITH NATURE" at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco in 2019. For two consecutive years, the Feng Ye Dance Troupe was selected as the only representative of Chinese dance to participate in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. With numerous professional awards, Feng Ye Dance Company is committed to producing new dance work based on the aesthetics of traditional Chinese culture, working with a variety of ideas, different forms of art, and experimental concepts. Feng Ye Dance Studio has emerged as an important figure in the region, promoting the integration of dance cultures from multiple ethnic groups. |
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Gbedu Town Radio of Afro Urban Society
Over-articulated and barely translated, Gbedu Town Radio tells dynamic stories for the culture. Led by Artistic Director, Nkeiruka Oruche, and featuring a dynamic group of performers, GTR explores social and political themes through Pan Afro-Urban music and dance including Afrobeats, Dancehall, Coupé-Décalé & varieties of Hip hop. Gbedu Town Radio performances and workshops have graced many venues including Zellerbach Hall, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Stern Grove Festival, Oakland Museum of California, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, UC Davis, The Umoja Festival, Yoshi’s SF, Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, the Independent, the California Academy of Sciences, and more. For World Arts West Dances in the Park, they will be presenting snippets from their piece Let Me Come & Be Going that was produced as part of the Bakanal de Afrique International Festival. |
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Kiazi Malonga & Co
Kiazi Malonga is a second generation Congolese American born into a family of artists. He was first introduced to the Ngoma drum at age two by his father Malonga Casquelourd, a world-renowned traditional drummer, dancer and choreographer from Congo Brazzaville who arrived in the US in 1972 and began to build his exceptional legacy in the traditional arts. Kiazi became a teacher and the lead drummer of his father’s dance company, Fua Dia Congo, at age 16l. He has taught and performed throughout the US, Canada, Costa Rica, Europe and Africa and currently teaches Congolese traditional music in Oakland, CA. Kiazi released his debut album, Tembo Kia Ngoma (https://linktr.ee/KiaziMalonga) in March of 2021; which incorporates never before recorded compositions from the late Malonga Casquelourd as well as newly composed music. Kiazi founded and runs a US based nonprofit social enterprise, Pelisa Energy (https://www.pelisaenergy.com/support). Pelisa Energy aims to close the energy gap in Central Africa by supplying solar-powered technologies that have immediate benefits to the health, education and livelihoods of the Central African people. Kiazi completed a dual masters in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development and has an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Stanford University. He has gained working familiarity with environmental, social, and governance criteria and ESG reporting frameworks. |
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LIKHA LIKHA - Pilipino Folk Ensemble was founded in 1992 as a performing group by Rudi Soriano and believes in the power of dance and music to share the beauty of Philippine culture. LIKHA has grown into an arts organization with a diverse breadth of programs and performances, representing the Philippines in 11 international festivals. LIKHA continually expands its repertoire and maintains authentic costuming, props, and instruments by researching, developing, and nurturing relationships with diverse communities throughout the Philippines. |
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Nicole Maria Dance & Friends: Egyptian Raqs Sharqi & SWANA Traditional Dance
Nicole Maria is a Bay-Area based bellydance artist and was a featured soloist in the 2019 Ethnic Dance Festival representing Egyptian Raqs Sharqi. She and her group of professional dancers and musicians will be presenting a variety of traditional dance and music from Egypt and the Levant. Raqs sharqi is the classical Egyptian style of belly dance that developed during the first half of the 20th century, performed in cabarets of Cairo and in early Egyptian cinema. The style is often considered the classical style of belly dance and today covers a much wider range of Middle Eastern dance as well as Western styles developed from them. For more information about Nicole Maria and her projects, please visit nicolemariadance.com or follow her on Instagram at @nicolemariadance. |
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Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts World Dance Department
World Dance at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts is a training ground for students to hone their skills as diverse movers, critical thinkers and arts activists. Students train in various forms of dance, including Salsa, Capoeira and Dancehall, as well as learn about their complex histories and backgrounds. Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to develop their own work, perform, collaborate cross-departmentally, and engage the community. World Dance strives to be a home away from home! |
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