Événement

Kaleidoscope Dream presented by BlakTinx Dance Fesitval

We're excited to bring you a diverse and eclectic show that incorporates an array of dance styles including contemporary, tap, traditional West African, hip hop and fusion. It will be an evening of electrifying storytelling; an intimate reflection of the illustrious tapestry of cultures, ages, genders and disciplines of art that makes Los Angeles a truly extraordinary city.

This will be our 11th annual BlakTinx Dance Festival and the first time since the pandemic that we will be back in a theater. For the past two years we produced our event as an outdoor festival in the iconic Leimert Park.

This year's celebration will take place at Lula Washington Dance Theatre on March 30th at 7 pm.

Our incredible line-up includes new works from:
Lula Washington Contemporary Dance Company
Joshua Estrada-Romero of FUSE Dance Company
King Daunté Fyall of DaanseKou
Luckie and JNelle of Old School Skinny
Sasha Rivero
Byron Tittle
Shantel Urêna

During the show, we will also be honoring the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center as well as Crenshaw Yoga and Dance for their continued contributions to the Leimert Park / Crenshaw community.

This dance concert is being co-produced by The Bootleg Theater and The Latina Dance Project with support from the DCA, LA County Arts, CAC and the Dance Resource Center.

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Choreographer Bios:

JOSHUA D. ESTRADA-ROMERO received his BA in Dance in 2008 from California State University
Fullerton and his MFA in Dance from the University of California Irvine in 2017. He has performed with Palindrome Dance Company, RhetOracle Dance Company, BARE Dance Company, Dagdag Dance, Kelly Alvarez and is currently a guest dancer for Nickerson-Rossi Dance. Joshua is the founder and artistic director of FUSE Dance Company based in Orange, CA, whose mission is to support and foster the growth and development of the performing arts in Southern California through performances, dance education, and dance community collaboration programs. Joshua is currently a certified yoga instructor, a Nutritional Coach and a professor at dance at California State University Fullerton and Santa Ana College.

KING DAUNTÉ NABI FYALL is a passionate Cultural Arts Educator, performing artist, choreographer, and motivational speaker. Born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Washington DC, Daunté travels the world, sharing the healing energy and power of Traditional West African Dance Culture. As a Senior Company Member of the Kankouran West African Dance Company, Daunté has performed at prestigious venues like The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Museums, and The White House under the tutelage of Baba Assane Konte.

Daunté is a Professor of West African Dance at the University of California, San Diego while simultaneously sharing his dynamic gift of dance in several projects with Netflix and Amazon Studios to name a few. As the Founder and Artistic Director of DAANSEKOU Cultural Arts Collective, Daunté and his team provide workshops, activations and judgment-free safe spaces for communities to learn about West African Culture. He is dedicated to nurturing inner city youth, collaborating with community organizations, and teaching specialized workshops that unite humanity. Daunté believes in the power of love, knowledge, respect, and humility to empower others and promote self-awareness.

OLD SCHOOL SKINNY is a mind, body and soul experience! The 90's cardio grooves allow dancers of all levels to get lost in the music and release their inner Soul Train dancer to a handpicked playlist that blends all the old school jams and new school hits.

LA natives Aerick and J'Nelle Luckie met on the dance floor over 13 years ago and immediately something sparked. It's that same spark that inspired them to create a comfortable space where people were saturated with good vibes and good music.

Luckie has worked as a creative director, choreographer & movement coach for Nicki Minaj, The Black Eyed Peas, Jhené Aiko and more. J'Nelle's passion for dance began at the age of 3 with ballet and continued throughout high school. Her mission to promote wellness and body positivity has been directly influenced by her 19 years working in the healthcare industry.

The unique combination of interval training and plyometrics mixed with some good old fashioned backyard boogie gives recreational and seasoned dancers a full body workout while they party like its 1999. Although it may be challenging at times, OSS is moderation friendly. The routine is taught to smooth jams then we pick up the pace until everyone is feeling 2 legit to quit.

SASHA RIVERO, a first-generation American artist, was raised in Los Angeles, CA, by her Belizean mother and six older siblings. Her journey into the arts officially began in the dance department at Alexander Hamilton High where she honed her skills in ballet, modern, hip-hop, musical theater, and jazz. Her dance studies continued at UCLA's Glorya Kaufman World Arts and Cultures department where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Her time in the WAC department further enriched her with a diverse foundation in dance theory, technique, and performance, propelling her towards a successful professional career. Sasha has performed the works of choreographers like Daniel Eralow, Ryan Heffington, Denna Thomsen, Jillian Meyers, Tina Landon, Samantha Goodman, and Fatima Robinson. Her diverse repertoire spans across films, music videos, commercials, immersive experiences and site-specific works. Her credits include No(1)Arthouse, Heidi Duckler Dance Company, The Weeknd, L.A. Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Fat Joe, Maluma, Doechii, Hozier, Jhené Aiko, The Grammy's, HBO and the Disney channel. Her journey epitomizes perseverance and the transformative power of artistic expression.

BYRON TITTLE began studying tap dance privately with Kendrick Jones II and David Rider in his home state of New York. Exploring other disciplines, he trained extensively at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. An assistant to Michelle Dorrance for her American Ballet Theatre debut in 2018, he is also a proud, decade long company member of Bessie-award winning Dorrance Dance. He is a founding member of Candace Browns Soul Project Dance Company and his commercial credits include Janet Jackson, Usher, Karol G, Doja Cat, Jason Mraz, and Nicki Minaj. Tittle is humbled to have received a 2019 Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship Award and be a featured dancer in both Justin Pecks I Made This for You and Illinois. @byrontittle

SHANTEL UREÑA is a Dancer, Choreographer, Filmmaker and Teacher from Tampa, Florida now residing in Los Angeles, Ca. She has a focus in the concert, commercial and underground freestyle scene.

Within the essence of her dance, she experiments in blending styles. Which include Ballet, Modern and Contemporary with Street + Club dance styles such as Animation, Hip Hop, House, Waving and Salsa. Reflecting back on what she likes to call her Sancocho.

She has performed and collaborated with; The Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre Company and toured both nationally and internationally with Contra-Tiempos JoyUS JustUS.
She has also featured her latest independent piece, Mariposas at BlakTinx.

She has worked with artists such as Google Pixel, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera and Ozuna. Her most recent short film, Generational Wealth is a story on reclaiming the narrative of wealth and it was recently presented at the South-Central Film Festival.

LULA WASHINGTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE FOUNDATION

The founding mission is to build a world class contemporary modern dance company that travels worldwide with contemporary modern dance works that reflect African- American history and culture.

Our education mission is to create a school in the inner city where young people can learn the art of dance, launch careers in dance, and where dance is used to motivate, educate, inspire, challenge and enrich the lives of young people so they can become successful, productive competitive citizens.