Tango Leadaz
Choreographer
Los Angeles | USA
Tango Leadaz is a Los Angeles based movement instructor, choreographer and actor that has quickly made a name for himself as one of the leading choreographers for authentic Dancehall in LA. With well over ten years of Dancehall experience, he uses his extensive Dancehall vocabulary and knowledge to spread joy and help bring awareness to the culture. He is the creator of globally popular Dancehall moves such as "Good Chemistry," which was used by major artists such as Chris Brown and Omarion, and "Get Use to It," which was globally performed by the one and only Beyoncé during Coachella and OTR2 tour. Described as being "animated" and "full of life" he is gaining notoriety for his high energy classes, flavorful choreography and creative skits. Tango Leadaz performs worldwide and has taught workshops in the United States, Asia, Canada, South America and Europe. Because of his ability to create amazing vibes and good energy, whether in a party or on set, he has been dubbed the Vibes Architect. Tango Leadaz’s credits include choreographing Omarion’s “Distance” and “W4W” and featuring in performance/music videos for Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Black Eye Peas, and Gwen Stefani, to name a few.
Gbedu Town Radio
Dance/Music
Planet Bakanal
Over-articulated and barely translated, ‘Gbedu Town Radio’ is a Pan Afro-Urban Drumline & Dance Squad for the culture featuring a dynamic group of performers of diverse African heritage. GTR explores social themes through popular and folkloric rhythms, dance, and expressions with the stylings of Afrobeats, Dancehall, Reggaeton, Coupé-Décalé, Southern & Bay Area Hip hop.
Kalif (GALAKTiQ)
Recording Artist
Houston | NIgeria
Kalif Bakare, born and raised in Alief, Texas is a former Division 1 basketball player, fashion connoisseur, musician/producer, creative director, actor, & model. A jack of all trades, he has always managed to trend-set and stay ahead of the curve. He is the Co-Founder of GF Universal, LLC in which he created the imprint to house his business, humanitarian, and creative interests.
As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, “serving and transcending all” has always been a facet of his. Annual events are curated for the betterment of the youth and community as part of GF Universal Community Outreach program.
With a degree in Business Administration from University of Texas-San Antonio, Kalif is balancing his service for others, business ventures, and his artistic vision to cultivate a crossover appeal that is rare while positively impacting all corners of the world.
Agyakomah
Music Artist
NYC | Ghana
Agyakomah is an artist-singer-songwriter that utilizes her cultural background and unique upbringing as a young first-generation woman to create music that reflects her story. What she categorizes as Afrofusion, not only represents her West African and R&B/Soul blend, but the outcome of a fusion of different lifestyles, languages, experiences and generational stories that is highlighted in her artistry. Agyakomah pushes boundaries of the African narrative by creating stories reflective of the everyday experiences of young Africans like herself who may reside on or off the continent.
She recently performed alongside artists across the world by participating in the The Great Lockdown Online Music Festival, and has released music consistently throughout the year. Her latest single, “Pay Me What You Owe” calls out employers by detailing the realities of post-grad life, for a young professional and the frustrations behind feeling undervalued. She aims to close out 2020 with the new collaboration and drop of her debut EP.
David SNIPES
Choreographer
Lagos | Nigeria
David Amaechina also known as SNIPES is a multifaceted performing artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. A dance artiste and choreographer whose major style is Afro fusion, which includes various African dance styles. He is one of the executives of popular dance revolution movement called Afrocan where thriving dancers perform in "Bázuté” jam sessions towards creating a community for dancers in an unrepresented environment.
His work revolves around situational dynamism in an African context. His performances are mined recreation from memory, contemporary folklore and appropriated global culture as experienced by him, his work intends to create nostalgia with the artistic devices of cultural landmarks. His work involves use of set design as an architectural sculpture where memory is relived with relating sound, lighting and slight drama.
Caroline Ngorobi
Theatre Producer/Performer
Mombasa | Kenya
Caroline Ngorobi is a theatre producer and performer from Mombasa Kenya. She joined the theatre scene in 2005 in Nairobi as an actor featuring in a number of stage plays, films and has been a voice artist with Deutsche Welle. She believes every experience is a story waiting to be told.
She moved to Mombasa where founded Jukwaa Arts Productions in 2015. Since then she has worked as a producer and performer. Her work fuses drama, movement and poetry. She uses applied theatre to tell contemporary stories. She has began experimenting with physical theatre to promote and preserve culture while exploring its intersection with emerging and popular culture. Her work involves using the transformative tool of theatre to evoke emotions and provoke thought on touchy subjects like sexual harassment, juvenile crime and taboos in the African Culture.
In 2018, she presented a performance at the Bagamoyo International Festival of Arts and Culture in Tanzania which was facilitated by a grant from the British Council. Through a grant from Art Moves Africa, she was able to be part of the Producers Academy in Belgium and the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in 2019.
D’mani Thomas
Multi-discipline Writer/Visual Artist
Oakland |USA
D’mani Thomas (he/him/they) is a horror film fanatic, twitter sub-culture enthusiast, and dance lover. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where they were a two-time member of CAL Slam ( 2017 & 2018), representing UC Berkeley at CUPSI, an international spoken word poetry festival, earning the “Best Writing As a Team” accolade in 2018. He was a 2019 Pink Plastic House Resident, a 2020 “SHOW US YOUR SPINES” resident through Lambda Literary. D’mani is the 2020 Foglifter Youth Fellow and a “Bakanal de Afrique” fellow conducting research on transportation infrastructure in times of crisis. His work can be found in The Auburn Avenue, Foglifter, MARY: A Journal of New Writing, and elsewhere.
Lauren Baccus
Textile Artist
Miami| USA
Lauren Baccus is a textile artist with roots throughout the Caribbean. Her work is centered around the reframing and retelling of Caribbean stories through costume. She is strongly influenced by masquerade, the region’s legacy of resistance through clothing, and the universality of play through dress.
Dom Jones feat. Eric Fells
Musician
Oakland | USA
Dom Jones, from Oakland, CA, is an artist and creative entrepreneur. The Founder and Principal Artist at Dom Empire, she weaves her passion for music, media, and social justice through various projects. An International Songwriting Competition Winner in 2014, Dom released her first album, Wingspan, that same year. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2019 as a dual major in Songwriting and Music Business. Her music has been lauded as a beacon for social change through recognition from Berklee’s Songs for Social Change, BAMS Fest, and she is a 2019 Composer for the Hear Her Song project. Dom’s recent single, “Crazytown,” was featured in the 2020 Grammy U Conference by the Recording Academy. More about her work in music, media, and entrepreneurship can be on her website.
Magati Maosa
Visual Artist
Nairobi | Kenya
Magati Maosa (b. 1995, Nairobi) is a Multidisciplinary Artist. His medium; Still, Animation & Gif Art, Painting and Film. Obtaining a Higher National Diploma In Art Graphic Design, Magati has been equipped with skills and practices in digital media that reflect on his style, Surrealism. He explores topics on time, location and his influences are from the cosmopolitan city of Nairobi, Kenya. Magati is currently based and working in Nairobi, Kenya.
Working as a freelance Visual Artist, Magati aims to show relevance to his work with the inclusion of non-binary characters and story telling through the use of exubirant character trates from compositions and ideas.
Following his lead and interest in visual arts, Magati is currently merging photography with motion graphics to help with the interpretation of artworks as a different form of output for my work. As an upcoming visual artist, Magati has been able to collaborate on creative projects as an assistant set designer, Photographer, and Videographer.
Nzinga Bandida
Visual Artist/Filmmaker
Paris | Ivory Coast
Maureen Douabou is an Ivorian-French multidisciplinary artist born in Abidjan and currently based in Paris. She describes herself as a black woman with opinions and feelings and her works aim at exploring black womanhood(s) through the use of different formats and platforms. Her background in translation and interpretation allows her to communicate different object and concepts to diverse audiences and her work with fabrics, textiles and headwraps translates black women experiences in other art forms. She uses the form and function of headwraps and fabrics as well as installations, videos and short movies to explore, communicate and denounce issues that arise.
Mal The Oddity
Musician, Video Artist
Brooklyn, New York| USA
Mal the Oddity is a songwriter, producer, and video artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Drawing inspiration from hip hop, bedroom pop, and neo-noir films, Mal's work explores love, places, and self-reflection through stories drawn from his lived experience. His songs are the soundtrack to the futuristic cityscape developing around him in NYC, and to the sometimes dystopian digital existence we feel ourselves trapped in, where music helps us to feel real again.
Piwai
Singer/SongWriter/ Mbira Player & Percussionist
Richmond CA | Zimbabwe
Piwai’s chilling vocals and hypnotic sound have been described as spiritual nirvana. A captivating performer, she bends genres to seamlessly ow from jazz, reggae or folk to pure African rhythms, moving listeners to physically feel her music, creating a trance-like rhythm that balances consciousness.Piwai wows audiences across the globe with her soulful voice and genre-fusing melodies. Fondly known as the girl with the African thumb piano, the mbira, Piwai was born and raised in Zimbabwe. Her love of music is influenced by her multicultural Southern Africa and gospel exposure in early childhood. During and after college years in the US, Piwai trained as a jazz vocalist at the Jazz School of Berkeley. She’s studied with world-renowned vocalists such as Vernon Bush, Raz Kennedy, Maye Cavallaro, and Frankye Kelly. Piwai has since been under the tutelage of maestros and the incomparable percussionist, Yagbe Onilu, and conguero, Butch Haynes. Piwai collaborates regularly with Fantastic Negrito, playing percussion on his 2017 Grammy Award winning album “Last Days of Oakland"