GROUNDED IN FREEDOM

This workshop will introduce students to the movements, music, and philosophy of Capeoira Angola through his decades of experience in the study and research of Afro-Brazilian martial art, centered on the diaspora. He will bring stories of his travels to Brazil and many hours spent with the older Mestres of Capoeira.

Mestre Themba Mashama is a San Francisco native who has dedicated over 42 years of his life to the study of capoeira. As a father, husband, activist, and therapist, he has embraced capoeira not only as a martial art, but also as a means of personal and community development. He began his journey training Capoeira Regional under the instruction of Mestre Acordeon, and later pursued Capoeira de Angola under the guidance of Mestre Moraes.

Currently, Mestre Themba serves as the esteemed leader of Kapoeira N’gola Preto Velho. Through his expertise, passion, and dedication, he continues to empower students of all backgrounds, sharing the rich cultural heritage and transformative power of capoeira with the community.

Inspired by Fred Moten's fugitivity as "an ongoing refusal of standards imposed from elsewhere," huu's workshops will focus on the fugitivity or liberatory praxis of Capoeira Angola. Her workshop will explore capoeira beyond its "cultural" symbol, and emphasize the liberatory embodiment of this practice. Grounding her workshop in a healing* justice (HJ) and somatics framework, we will examine how capoeira embodies a sociopolitical strategy to intervene and respond to current systemic oppression through refusing to accept the status quo and business as usual normalcy.

* based on HJ framework of Cara Page and Erica Woodland

huu nguyen, PhD, is a cultural worker and community organizer, who is steeped in different cultural practices that are all grounded in unwavering values of a commitment and praxis to restorative and transformative justice principles. She was born in Vietnam, raised in North Carolina, and conscientized in Chicago, where she calls home, living on the southside of Chicago with her partner and two teenage daughters.

Her passion is to decenter Western medicine in our public health and medical systems by reinserting the botanical wisdom and cultural healing practices of BIPOC. As a contra mestre in Capoeira Angola, a cultural practice that emerged in response to the violence of the slave system in Brazil, her vision is to share its liberatory practice as a pathway towards both individual and collective healing, as well as mutual liberation.

This workshop will first introduce Micaiah’s “Farmalosophy” to participants - his lessons learned from nature that he uses in life to guide and educate his community. He will share wisdom gained from his lifetime of growing food and tending the land that also lends itself to all aspects of living life. The workshop will also touch on portions of Micaiah’s curriculum, Grow Your Own, which Micaiah uses in his community to support neighbors in more urban settings to learn how to access land, learn the basics of growing food, and learn why it is so important to be in control of our own food. After touching on this philosophical foundation, participants will engage in hands-on stewardship of the vegetable beds of Ayeko Farm and share skills in soil preparation and care, health and disease of plants, companion planting, and harvesting techniques. Participants will have the opportunity to share any wisdom that came to them during the hands-on portion that they can apply to their life.

Micaiah has been growing his own food since he was 7 years old. With eight kids in the house and not a lot of money, he says, gardening was a way to subsidize the family grocery bill. He took to it, and landed his first job at age 12 working on a 16-acre farm in Connecticut. He drove a tractor before a car.

In 2017, he and his wife Cynthia set out to change that when they began to farm the one-acre property they had purchased two years earlier in Lawnside, New Jersey, Cynthia’s hometown. They christened it Free Haven Farms after the town’s original name, given to it by the formerly enslaved people who settled there in the 19th century (the town was renamed in the 1920s). “We wanted to tap into that mind-set, and the idea of bringing people out of mental slavery and toward a healthier and better quality of life,” says Micaiah. “There is a lot of trauma with Black people in the U.S. doing farming because of ties with slavery. That connection has to be severed. We need to create a new narrative. It’s not about our labor and our oppression. Every civilization in this world developed from agriculture.”

Experience the vibrant fusion of Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the energetic movements of samba dance in our dynamic workshop. Immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage as you learn the intricate steps and techniques that blend these two captivating styles. This workshop promises an exhilarating journey through the heart and soul of Brazilian dance, where every step tells a story and every beat ignites the spirit of celebration.

Deise has been working with Brazilian dance since 2009 back in Brazil, she became the Princess of Samba in Teresina-PI in 2011. Deise worked as dance educator in 2 majors schools in her city, one of them has been elected multiple times as the Best School in Brazil. Deise moved to Ireland in 2015 to study English meanwhile she also started to work as dance instructor and personal trainer in one of the best gyms in the country 1 Escape Health Club. Throughout her job she started to spread the Brazilian culture in Ireland. Deise started to work with other companies as samba performer since 2017, having more than 200 performances in her portfolio not only in Chicago, but Ohio, Phoenix and Indiana.

Discover in SALSALAB a cozy and welcoming salsa class! Connect body and rhythm from the get-go with fun dynamics. Progress at your own pace while focusing on your body, peers, and community. Learn the fundamentals of salsa with progressive movements, partner, and group dynamics, strengthening cohesion and teamwork. Explore not only technique but also emotional and social aspects, promoting values of respect and inclusion. In the end, you'll not only dance salsa but also feel a deep connection with yourself, the music, and your community. Join a unique experience at SALSALAB!

Karina Rojas Mesías is a Chilean pedagogue and dancer with a degree in dance and education from the Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano (UAHC). Trained in the CECREA methodology, she works as an artist educator for the ACCIONA program of the Chilean Ministry of Culture. She also tutors dance pedagogy at UAHC and teaches children's workshops at the Escuela Moderna de Música y Danza.

For nearly 20 years, Karina has inspired movement in various educational settings, including universities, dance schools, cultural centers, emblematic schools, and rural schools. She created SalsaLab, a methodology combining salsa, dance, and education, promoting a respectful and inclusive learning experience.

To enhance her skills, Karina has attended international salsa congresses and trained in Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba, including courses at the National Theater of Havana and with the National Folkloric Ensemble.