featured artists

Ramiro Vaughan (Purpose) is street wise dancer of many diverse styles from Boston, MA. He has been featured with Tony Williams “Urban Nutcracker”, Lorraine Chapman the Dance Company, North Atlantic Dance Theatre, Mystique Illusions Dance Theatre, Castle of Our Skins, and Jazz Inc.

Brian “Mirage” Washburn, born In Providence, Rhode Island, has been dancing since the age of 7 and performing since the age of 13.

We believe that Capoeira is a platform of freedom and expression. Therefore we always try to evolve Capoeira in its plenitude. Also without focusing our work in radically changing our own style and having Capoeira Regional as our main reference, we are constantly trying to keep up with its daily evolution.

Veronica Robles is a Mariachi singer, musician and Latin American folkloric dancer and choreographer by trade but has become a cultural icon for Latinos in Boston. She has effectively utilized the power of the arts and culture to bring the community together by raising awareness on the importance of diversity and she has empowered the youth by employing them and teaching them about their roots and cultures.

Dzidzor (Jee-Jaw) is a Ghanian- American folklore, performing artist, author, and curator. Dzidzor’s style of call and response has combined traditional storytelling in Afro-folklore and Poetry Slam through a sonic experience. Dzidzor is moved by the responsibility to alarm the power/abundance in the midst of bodies while creating a practice of care and freedom through creativity.

Asia-Elise Ramos, also known as Aer, is a 30 year old African-American entrepreneur and artist from Boston, Massachusetts. Her main objective is to bring awareness, clarity and balance of the mind, body and soul through meditation, yoga and meaningful self-reflection.

Born out of the desire to foster cultural curiosity, Castle of our Skins is a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. From classrooms to concert halls, Castle of our Skins invites exploration into ​Black heritage and culture, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated ​figures of past and present.

Jessica Park studied Korean Traditional Dance for more than 10 years when she was in South Korea. Twenty years ago, after moving to America, she founded the Boston Korean Traditional Dance Group. Jessica teaches various kinds of Korean Traditional Dance every Saturday in Maynard as well as to children at Korean schools and private studios.

Founded in 1994, OrigiNation’s mission is to utilize innovative dance instruction, performance opportunities, and other effective development strategies to promote self-esteem, leadership development, physical fitness, and self-sufficiency among youth ages 2-18. While our programs are open to all youth, who meet our age requirements, we primarily serve African American and Latino children from low-income families.

Where you will find Adornment for your Inner Being and your Temple (Body) made with Luv & Intuitive NRG (Energy).

A 20+year newcomer-settler of Turtle Island (currently in residency on Pennacook / Sokoki territory), Pampi is a darker-skinned nonbinary second-genx casteD-Bengali culture worker who plays at the intersection of healing and popular education: they develop community-centered art that releases creative potential and drives change-making. They lean on poetry, dance theater and gardening to help message the intersectional shifts in thinking we must embrace to center liberation.

Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr., is a citizen of the Nipmuc people. He serves as a cultural steward for his Tribe, is a father, public speaker, traditional dancer, Indigenous Activist for Indigenous rights, carpenter by trade and educator. With 15 years in recovery from drugs and alcohol, Andre is a recovery sponsor and integrated life coach for those in need. Andre’s work focuses on bringing traditional knowledge back to Indigenous Peoples.

Karen Young is a cultural organizer, taiko player, and teaching artist based in Boston. Influenced by Japanese-American taiko activists of the 70s, Karen combines taiko and creativity with community organizing strategies to empower, engage, and inspire people into action. Her personal story of disenfranchisement compelled her to find her own voice and use it to help others find theirs. In her decades-long work as a community builder and performer, Karen’s approach to taiko inspires marginalized populations to reclaim voice, culture, power, and a sense of belonging.

1Two5 remains well known nationally and in multitudes poetry circles. Known as Harlym 125, He is a frequent and highly regarded figure in competitions, performance, concert and beyond. 125 has become a part of the Boston area poetry scene and joined teams of poets who have won numerous competitions regionally and nationally.

125 has also become well known in the Boston area for his work leading workshops dealing with issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. Several times in the last couple of years, Harlym has been called to local high schools, colleges and communities to help bring a calm and constructive unity after incidents of racial injustice have occurred.

Lilly E. Manycolors is a mixed raced single mother and interdisciplinary artist known for her emotionally-excavating artworks and performances. Lilly’s artistic works are deeply rooted in a psycho-spiritual process that is greatly informed by her journey of researching and reconnecting to her Afro-Indigenous histories and traditions, reconciling her Anglo-colonizer heritage, and the Anishinaabe teachings gifted to her by Anishinaabe elder’s in her life. Lilly draws from her personal journeys to create pieces that offer safer spaces for decolonial dialogue, intimate connections, and new ways of being.