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.
Blackcherry
Dancer/Choreographer
Paris | Central Africa Republic
BlackCherry: Dancer and teacher. She began to dance when she was child. After many years of dance, she shares now her experiences of African culture and dance.
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.
Vanessa Mwingira
Photographer
Dar es Salaam | Tanzania
Vanessa Mwingira is a photographer based in Tanzania. "Punkandblack" is the artistry name used by Vanessa and it explores her photography foundation which is rooted in portraying black and brown individuals as her main subject matter. The photographer aims to amplify the presentation of black people in mainstream media visually through usage of complementary tones and colors which provide a perspective of richness and beauty.
Agaba Solomon Peabo
Photographer
Kampala| Uganda
My name is Agaba Solomon Peabo, a photographer and digital artist born and raised in Uganda. My inspiration behind my street photography and afro-futurism is we always dream for a better Africa bringing that dream into reality through my work is what motivates me each day.
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.
Judith Dyeme Daduut
Sculptor/ Installation Artist
Jos, Plateau State| Nigeria
Judith Dyeme Daduut is a young, rising contemporary artist who specializes in sculpture. A Fine Arts graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Master’s degree in Art and Design from Birmingham City University, UK, she has received recognition for her work in by the following body
▪ Winner, Most outstanding lady (category) at the Life in My City Arts Festival (LIMCAF) Enugu State (2018).
▪ Winner Best Sculpture/Ceramics /Installation Category at the Life in My City Arts Festival (LIMCAF) Enugu State (2017).
▪ She was one of the 25 finalists at the Life in My City Arts Festival (LIMCAF) Enugu State (2016).
▪ She won the Ikon Gallery Art Prize for Master’s Degree 2014. Birmingham, UK.
She was one of the 6 artists featured in the Rele Arts Foundation, Young Contemporaries exhibition held at the Rele Arts Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria. She expresses her ideas in various media including but not limited to clay, metal, wood, body filler and fiberglass. With her special interest in mental health, her artwork observes behavioral patterns and creates their symbolic movement. Currently, she teaches Sculpture at the Fine and Applied Arts Department, University of Jos. Plateau State.
KimikoVersatile
Dancer/Choreographer
St. Ann | Jamaica
Kimiko Miller, also known as KimikoVersatile, is originally from St. Ann, Jamaica. She began dancing professionally in 1998 at Naggo Head Primary School. By the time she got to high school, she was being trained in modern contemporary, Jazz, Folk, Hip Hop, and Folk. While doing this, she had the privilege of attending the Ashe Performing Arts Company where she was being trained by some of the greatest choreographers in Jamaica and also participated in dance, drama, music, and edutainment.
She further went on to study dance at the Edna Manley of the Visual and Performing Arts in 2005 where she received her diploma in Dance theatre and production and in 2011, she earned her Bachelor Of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance.
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.
NADÉEYA GK
Dancer/Choreographer
Paris | Cameroon
NADÉEYA GK is a Cameroonian dancer, Italian by adoption based in France. She presents an atypical artistic journey: Her first steps are from traditional Cameroonian dances and gets close to Hip Hop culture on her arrival in Europe (Italy and France). She falls in love with House dance and decides to devote herself to it. She took open dance classes in various dance studios in France and travelled as well to gain more knowledge. Today, she presents a House Dance with an "African accent" as she likes to say.
In her quest for movement, Nadeeya opens up to the richness of African gestures and approaches Krump dance. Her movements are therefore charged with energy at the crossroads of African culture and the western urban movement.
Yung Phil & The Turffeinz
Dancer
Oakland, CA
The hard hitting spitting image of the Bay Area...We are the turffeinz the most known dance group out of Oakland, california. You’ve might’ve seen us on many commercials, videos, and appearances. We have such a deep love for Oakland and the culture so we show it through our dance, The ups and downs the good the bad and everything in between. We showcase emotions through our dance everytime we touch the floor. If you have heard about us then you have heard about dancing in the rain Rip rich D it has over 8 million views and it impacted the dance culture in Oakland. We create new dance moves such as the Smeeze, mobby, etc. this is the 1-3 generations of the Turffeinz and the Turffeinz name won’t be leaving soon.
Mestre Mario Pam e Tambores do Mundo
Percussionist, Composer, Music Teacher, Coordinator of Tambores do Mundo, Musical Director Bloco Ilê Aiyê, Collaborator of NGO CCOR, Militant and Researcher of Afro Brazilian Music. With Ilê Aiyê recorded 3 discs and a DVD, participated in phonographic recordings with the artists: Arto Lindsay (EUA / BR), Daniela Mercury (BR), Yerba Buena (EUA), Creole (BR), Maira Freitas (BR), Lucia de Carvalho (ANGOLA / FR), Bjork (ICELAND) and Tambores do Mundo.
em portugues:
Percussionista, Compositor, Professor de Música, Coordenador do Tambores do Mundo, Diretor Musical Bloco Ilê Aiyê, Colaborador da Ong CCOR, Militante e Pesquisador da Música Afro Brasileira. Com o Ilê Aiyê gravou 3 discos e um DVD, participou de registro fonográficos com os artistas: Arto Lindsay (EUA/BR), Daniela Mercury (BR), Yerba Buena (EUA), Crioulo (BR), Maira Freitas (BR), Lucia de Carvalho (ANGOLA/FR), Bjork (ISL NDIA) e Tambores do Mundo.