Photo Credit: Cameron Ousley
UPRISE, October 2017
Quiet Strength
Oluyinka A. Akinjiola, Artistic Director/Choreographer/Dancer,
Is a 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.
Is a 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.
Photo Credit: Cameron Ousley
UPRISE, October 2017
Light of Hope
Michael ‘MANTIS’ Galen, Founding Member/ Dancer/Choreographer is a versatile freestyle dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in Portland, OR. Specializing in various street and club dance styles, he has trained, battled, performed, and taught all over the west coast and Brazil. Some specialties include: Bboyin, House, Locking, Stepping, and Hip Hop party dancing. Expanding from hip hop, Michael has studied many styles of the African Diaspora, including: Afro-cuban, Afro-Brazilian, and a variety of West African styles. A strong foundation in breakdance and capoeira contributes to his fluid and complex floor work. While in Brazil, he trained Silvestre Technique with the creator, Rosangela Silvestre, and Vera Passos. Silvestre is a modern technique fusing Afro-Brazilian spiritual movements and concepts with western classical techniques. Michael currently loves dancing and choreographing with Rejoice Diaspora Dance Theater.
Photo Credit: Cameron Ousley, UPRISE, October 2017 To Protect
Jamie Minkus, Founding member/Dancer/Choreographer, background in gymnastics and affinity with Brazilian culture drew her to capoeira, which she trained intensely with Mestre Almiro Aquilino dos Santos. Capoeira was her introduction to the expansive folkloric movements of Brazil and Cuba. She has studied extensively with members of Raíces Profundas and Danza Contemporanea de Cuba in Havana Cuba, and completed the Silvestre contemporary dance intensive in Salvador, Brazil. She received funding from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to study African Diaspora culture throughout Brazil, Mexico and the US. She danced with Donna Oefinger’s Brazilian and Cuban dance company Axé Didé in Portland, OR for over eight years, and toured nationally with March Fourth! as a dancer, acrobat, and capoeirista.
Photo Credit: Cameron Ousley UPRISE, April 2018
Light of Hope
Bethany Harvey was 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.
Photo Credit: Cameron Ousley UPRISE, April 2018 Boldly Stated
Xavier "Decimus" Yarbrough is a movement artist that was bred from a blend of martial arts and urban and club dance styles. With having a strong family history in music and dance, it was almost inevitable for Decimus to find his passion within the same realm of arts. Decimus had always been invested in the culture of martial arts, ranging in disciplines such as Isshin Ryu, Hapkido and Capoeira-Angola. Hip-Hop/Bboyin found Decimus at an early age where he began to further pursue his passion for dance and movement. The love for House music and dance and club culture began to develop while in his journeys of authentic feelings of freedom of expression. Throughout the years, Decimus travelled to various parts of the country and world to experience, share and learn from other cultures. Decimus currently uses his movement to advocate the preservation of the cultures that raised and influenced him