PROGRAM & BIOS

Portland based artist and educator originally from New York State. After receiving her MFA in Dance Choreography & Performance she founded Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater in 2014 with the support of New Expressive Works Artist Residency (Subashini Ganesan) and Performance Works NW’s Alembic Co-Production series(Linda Austin). Rejoice was built as a platform to create Black contemporary dance work with movement foundations from Africa and the African-Diaspora. Her choreography focuses on the complex identities, histories and futures of Black communities. Oluyinka is an Educator and curriculum builder with Portland Public Schools at Harriet Tubman Middle School and Faubion K-8. Prior to PPS, Oluyinka was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Reed College and SUNY The College at Brockport, a three year guest artist for the Sankofa African Drum & Dance Ensemble; her work was featured in the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference (Washington D.C. and Los Angeles),  Carnaval 2014 (Salvador, BA, Brazil), TEDxMtHood, and Newmark Theater among others. Most recently, Oluyinka received the Oregon Dance Education Organization’s teacher of the year award in 2020.

Portland, OR native, Michael started his dance career in hip hop and club dance culture as a bboy. His dance studies took him to Ghana, Brazil, Senegal, and New York, studying a wide range of secular and sacred dances from the African-Diaspora, as well as a variety of contemporary and modern techniques. His notable teachers are: Khady Badji (Bakalama Dance Co., Senegal), Rosangela Silvestre & Vera Passos (Bahia, Brazil), his local peers, and many more. Michael has spent many years sharing his passions through public school residencies and private programs. He also frequently composes and records music for Rejoice productions, building on his university studies in Jazz Performance.

Charles is so grateful to arrive at this moment of sharing GRIOT with you. It has been such an honor and beautiful journey creating this experience with Rejoice Diaspora Dance Theater, and everyone involved in bringing this to life. As an actor, director, writer, and producer, he’s also worked with Portland Center Stage at the Armory, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, Confrontation Theatre, Broadway Rose, Staged!, Oregon Children’s Theatre, and Portland Playhouse (where he is currently in the role of Producing Director). Thank you for being here and breathing with us. Love to Chip and Giselle. Say hi on IG: @thecharlesgrant or thecharlesgrant.com .

Massamba Diop is a Senegalese drumming sensation whose music has captivated audiences worldwide. From his unforgettable contributions to the Black Panther soundtrack to his collaborations with music legends like James Brown and Carlos Santana, Massamba's rhythmic journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Join him as he takes you on a rhythmic adventure spanning decades, cultures, and continents, proving that the language of music knows no bounds. https://www.massambadiop.com/

Clyde Alafiju Morgan (project mentor, consultant) received his early dance training at the Karamu House Theater and is a graduate of Cleveland State University. He made his professional debut with the José Limon Dance company, studied and performed in NY, and toured West and East Africa, before being appointed Choreographer and Artistic Director of the Grupo de Danca Contemporanea da Universidade Federal Da Bahia in Salvador, Brazil. University appointments include UW Madison, UW Milwaukee, and SUNY Brockport. In 1993 he was selected as Young Audiences Inc.’s inaugural Artist of the Year. His work has been supported by the US Dept. of State and a Fullbright Professorship, among others. He continues to live and teach in Bahia, Brazil.

Midnight Seed / Wanda Abioto (b. 1959) is a muse, a consummate lover, an oracle, a mystic.  Her tools are culinary arts, writing, spirit law, ecological installations and storytelling.  For close to 40 years, she practiced human rights law throughout the byways and highways of Mississippi.   She brought her southern roots of vegan and vegan sun foods to the Pacific Northwest.  Combining writing, theatre, law, and spirit, she has been led in the spirit to create “Oracle Mediation”  applying  ritual to conflict resolution.  As the ancestor in “The Griot”, she channels her ancestors as teachers, preachers, and artists.  For Midnite, “The Griot” is real ceremonial.    She is a queen mother of five women who have brought their extraordinary qualities to the earth and for this, she is most grateful. She is a consummate lover of life evolving and bursting boundaries of preconceived dogma and for that, she is most blessed.

Bernard Brown is an award-winning Los Angeles-based performer, choreographer, arts activist, and educator who situates their work at the intersection of Blackness, Queerness, and belonging. With an extensive performing career, Bernard now serves as Executive Artistic Director of Bernard Brown/bbmoves – a social justice dance company, choreographing for stage, specific sites, film, and opera presented globally. Brown has received invitations, residencies and commissions from On The Boards, The Getty Museum, the Centre de Développement Chorégraphique la Termitière (Burkina Faso), Dance Italia, The Music Center, REDCAT, Dance Mission Theater, danceBox (Japan), Johns Hopkins University, National Immigration Law Center, California African American Museum, among others. Brown conducts lectures, workshops, and master classes internationally, namely in Korea, Panama, Israel, Burkina Faso, Canada, Puerto Rico, Malta, and Brazil, and across the US various educational institutions and community-centered organizations. A first-generation college graduate, Brown earned his MFA from UCLA and BFA from Purchase College. He is an Assistant Professor of Dance at UC San Diego, a Certified Katherine Dunham Technique Instructor, and a California Arts Council Established Artist Fellow. The Los Angeles Times has called him “…the incomparable Bernard Brown…” 

Michela Melone is an Italian-Brazilian dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles, specializing in contemporary, breaking, hip-hop, Afro-Brazilian dances, Brazilian samba, and advanced floorwork. She has performed for artists and brands such as The Weeknd, Jordan x Nike, Jade Thirlwall, FIFA, Pink Sweats, Charles Jenkins, Laura Bryna, and Jonah Kagen, and appeared in commercials for ZTE, Xbox, Poshmark, and Hatch for Sleep. Michela has danced with Viver Brasil Dance Company, serving as Dance Captain, and with Diavolo Architecture in Motion. Her international career spans performances in the United States, Brazil, Italy, and Germany, including work with Gruppo E-Motion and Metropolis Dance Company, appearances on Capodanno 5, and at Teatro Sociale di Bergamo.

Making her way from New York City, Rikkia Pereira formatively received training in Ballet, Horton Modern, Jazz, and West African Dance. Rikkia went on to pursue studies in Dance and Education at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Presently, Rikkia is dancing with Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater in Portland, Oregon and teaching at Evergreen Dance Academy in Vancouver, Washington. 

Nia Sadler (Winston-Salem, NC) trained at University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) where they completed a BFA in choreography and performance with disciplinary honors. Nia’s had the pleasure of dancing with Urbanity Dance Company, Katherine De La Cruz and in The Metropolitan Opera’s production of El Niño. Nia is currently pursuing their MFA in Choreography and Performance at Sarah Lawrence College. They’re excited to be collaborating and performing with the talented team with Rejoice Diaspora Dance Theater.

Alex Meyer is a Portland-based set designer and artist. Her stage design focuses in new work, premiering plays at Artists Repertory Theatre, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and more. Other credits include with Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Orpheus PDX, The Theatre Company, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Passinart, and clients such as The Portland Timbers, Intel, and Visit Seattle. Her art has been shown at Blackfish Gallery, Lunaria Gallery, and The Remains Gallery. More at www.designbyalexmeyer.com.

Dayna Lucas is a costume designer and assistant from Detroit, MI, now based in Portland, OR. Dayna received her degree in Communications/Film Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and eventually received a degree in Fashion Design FIDM in Los Angeles. She has worked in costume design for both film and theater over the past ten years. Her most recent theater work includes Joe Turner’s: Come and Gone (Portland Playhouse, 2025), A Christmas Carol (Portland Playhouse, 2023 and 2024), and Primary Trust (Portland Center Stage, 2025). For her portfolio and more information, please visit her website www.designbydayna.com.

Thyra Hartshorn (Lighting Designer and Production Manager) has worked with Rejoice since 2017. Recent design gigs include sets and props for Columbia Dance's Nutcracker and lighting design for Portland Shakespeare Project's Merchant of Venice. Her training includes an MFA in production and design with a concentration in stage management from the University of California, Irvine, as well as almost two decades in ballet production. Thyra has toured and worked with companies around the world including The Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet. Locally she’s also worked with Oregon Ballet Theatre, Profile Theatre, White Bird, Portland Taiko and Northwest Dance Project. She has also been the head of production at Portland Playhouse since 2012.

James Mapes is a lighting designer, writer, and board game creator who's lived in Portland all his life. Working primarily in dance, he's toured all over the world with companies like BodyVox, Éowyn Emerald and Dancers, and Mammalian Diving Reflex. At home, he's the Festival Director for Risk/Reward and works a whole bunch of places. He has a family, who is great, and a library, which is secret.

Marilys Ernst is an award-winning projection designer and the creative force behind Horse & Hay Media. Known for her innovative 360-degree design approach, she pushes the boundaries of video projection to invite audiences to shift perspective—reminding us that life looks different depending on where we stand. With a passion for experimentation and visual storytelling, Ernst continues to redefine the possibilities of projection in live performance.

Lilo Alfaro (she/they) is a professional multi-hyphenate, accumulating titles such as producer, stage manager, consultant, educator, director, COO, artist, and performer. She holds many more unpaid titles. Find Lilo at @captainlilo | www.liloalfaro.com | www.vanportmosaic.org | opadconsulting.com | ghostsofsummerpdx.com 

And in case you forgot: Water is Life. Black Lives Matter. Free Palestine.

Born and raised in Portland, OR. She discovered her love for dance at age 10 when she began taking classes in tap, jazz, and baton. She continued growing her passion for dance and exploring different movement styles throughout high school and college; she was a member of the Jefferson Dancers and later Western Oregon University's dance program. Bethany enjoys dancing with Rejoice! as a way to integrate her passion for dance, social justice, and honoring the stories of underrepresented populations. Bethany joined Rejoice! for Ibukun/The Celebration in January 2017 and will be featured in many new choreographic works in UPRISE.