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.
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.
Jesse Bliss
Jesse Bliss is an actress, writer, director, producer, poetess and MC whose works have been produced and performed around the world. She is a 15- year veteran of Arts Education, having written curriculum and taught for some of the most prestigious arts organizations in California including Inside OUT Writers, Danny Glover’s Robey Theatre, We Tell Stories, and Performing Arts Workshop among others, working with incarcerated and at-risk youth. Jesse received a grant from the Flourish Foundation in collaboration with J.U.I.C.E. and Community Partners for an educational program involving youth released from juvenile halls.She designed and implemented the program under the auspices of The Roots and Wings Project. Her works for the stage include Diamonds, performed at UCLA in collaboration with dance legend Rennie Harris, Roots and Wings the play performed in New York and San Francisco, Between Fingertips performed at Central Juvenile Hall and CASA 0101, and performance appearances at the United Nations on International Women’s Day and the Edinburgh Festival. As an actress, Jesse has portrayed leading roles at CASA 0101 including performances in You Don’t Know Me, Hoop Girls, and Heart on a Wire, Between Fingertips as well as hosting the CASA 0101 Poetry Slam. She has also performed in the Vagina Monologues and countless other theatrical productions with extensive work in radio and independent film. LA Times’ Kathleen Foley dubbed Ms.Bliss “fierce and original.”
Daina Block
Daina is an Australian born artist who’s personal professional development towards the relationship of movement and body have been greatly influenced by faculty guidance at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia. Here she studied and nurtured her interests of kinesthetic relationship with movement to the dance craft of choreographic design. Her dedication and contribution as a dancer during her college years later paved her way to receive support from the Australian Arts Council in the category recognizing young and emerging artists. She worked with Australian dance company Dance Works for the duration of this grant and then continued for an additional two years under the artistic direction of Sandra Parker. Currently Daina can be found working with the San Carlos Children’s Theatre as a teaching artist and choreographer and is a founding member of SoShe’s Performance Collective.
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.
Artist Mentor: Jason Brown
Jason approaches his work teaching rhythmic arts to children with the belief that art is a framework in which to teach critical thinking. Jason urges students to artistic discovery through engaging them in creative conversations about real-time issues within a musical environment and using musical tools. Music, song and dance provide a safe platform upon which youth then explore perspective and celebrate difference without being labeled divergent. The discussion of multiple points of view as a means of locating self is the rite Jason guides students through with the idea that a critical thinker will emerge. Through the inclusion of Yoruba, Kongo, Swahili, Spanish and American myths Jason leads students in creating soundscapes in which they explore global issues and anthems, birthing music which is both innovative and reflective. His goal is to help every student recognize his or her own personal creative power. The final desired outcome is that creative and critical thinking will grow to serve youth as sources of renewable energy. Energy which they can use to fuel their work as agents of change within their families and communities.
Former musical director of Ayoluwa African Dance Company (Atlanta, Georgia), Jason has performed with professional West African Dance companies and artists as both a solo and accompanist percussionist for the past fourteen years. Such companies and artists have included, Barefoot Ballet of Atlanta, GA (Djembe, Djun Djun and Kutiro drums) Spelman College Dance Department of Atlanta, GA (Djembe, Djun Djun, Sabar and Kutiro drums), Jeh Kelu African Dance Company of Burlington, Vermont (Djembe drum), M'Baiye Djiane of Buffalo, New York, (Djembe and Sabar drums) and Naby Bangoura of Oakland, California (Djembe and Songba drums).
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.
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.
Fabio de Oliveira Mendes
Fabio de Oliveira Mendes was born and raised in Brazil, where he discovered and fell in love with Capoeira. He has choreographed and performed for concerts and Carnaval parades in Sao Paulo and has experience teaching children of all ages, in addition to youth and adults with disabilities. In 2007, he brought his expertise to the Bay Area and began work with Performing Arts Workshop in 2009. Fabio enjoys bringing his creativity, resourcefulness, and experience to schools and community centers with the goal of educating and inspiring youth. He is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.
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.
Dilcia Gonzalez-Quiero
Dilcia teaches reading and movement, combined with her background in singing that includes programs at the Julliard School. Fluent in 3 languages, she looks forward to introducing Bay Area youth to Cuban musical traditions.
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.
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.
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.
Dana Teen Lomax
Dana Teen Lomax is the author of Curren¢y (Palm Press, 2006), Room (a+bend press, 1999), and the contributing co-editor of Letters To Poets, Conversations About Poetics, Politics and Community (Saturnalia Books, 2008). Her work has received the San Francisco Foundation’s Joseph Henry Jackson prize for poetry, as well as Academy of American Poets, Ann Fields, and Leo Litwak awards. Her writing has been published internationally in numerous journals and magazines, including Jacket, Poets & Writers, The Bay Poetics Anthology, War & Peace 2, Tripwire, Moria, sonaweb, Vert, Fourteen Hills, Dusie, mem, and many others. Supported by the California Arts Council, the Peninsula Community Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Fund, the Marin Arts Council, and other organizations, she is presently working on Q, “home movies” about raising a daughter on prison grounds and a poetry manuscript entitled Shhh! Lullabies for a Tired Nation. She works as the Interim Director of Small Press Traffic Literary Arts Center in San Francisco, teaches writing at San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco, and lives in northern California with her family.
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.
Jose Ramirez
Jose Rojas Ramirez, from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, studied at El Yarey Professional Art School in Oriente, where he majored in Modern and Cuban Folklore. In Cuba, Jose taught for the Guantanamo Dance Company and also for The School National D’Arte in Havana while dancing professionally for Bam Rarra. He’s been teaching and performing professionally in The Bay Area since 1999, when he came to California to perform as a shark in a Marin Country production of West Side Story. He has taught all ages, kids and adults over the North and East Bay and in San Francisco.
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 began teaching children dance as an assistant in San Diego at the age of 14. Since then, she has taught in a variety of non profit organizations, after school programs, studios and clubs. Liz received a BA in Spanish Literature and Psychology from UCSB. While in college, she studied with the UCSB Dance Department and lived and danced in Granada, Spain for a year with 4x4, participating in various festivals and impromptu street performances. Since her arrival in San Francisco, Liz has had the pleasure of dancing with Laura Arrington and Scott Wells and Dancers. She has been with Performing Arts Workshop since fall of 2008.
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.
Amy Torgeson
Amy received her B.A. in English from Santa Clara University and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Saint Mary's College of California. Before becoming a teaching artist, she taught English Composition and creative writing to college students in the East Bay and Chicago and worked as a writing tutor to ESL and community college students. Interested in moving into arts education, she completed the Teaching Artist Training and Internship Program (TATIP) with The Community Word Project, a New York City based arts-in-education organization, which offers artists an opportunity to turn their creative skills into practical teaching tools. In addition to her training with TATIP, Amy worked with the Guggenheim Museum's Learning Through Art (LTA), a program that teaches critical thinking and literacy skills through conversations about art and art making. It was her experience with LTA that showed her how art can be a powerful way for students to think critically and make connections to other texts, themselves, and the world. Now back in the Bay Area, Amy was drawn to Performing Arts Workshop because of its belief that engaging with art can improve a student's literacy skills as well as their self-expression and confidence. She joined the staff in 2007.
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