NYOMI OMI UNBOTHERED

Featured in Vogue, the New York Times, and named a 2026 Woman to Watch on Broadway, N'yomi Stewart also known in the ballroom scene as Agent Omi Unbothered Cartier is a prominent mother and international teacher of this generation. A recent OBIE winner for her acting role in Prince F*ggot and the current Associate Director of CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway, she has stamped herself as the future of not only fem queen performance within the ballroom scene but also trans women of color working in the entertainment industry. 

THE YEREDON CENTRE

An Arts and Culture Center located in the Doumanzana neighborhood of Bamako, Mali. Founded in 2001, The Yeredon Centre is run by Seydou Coulibaly, a renowned Malian dancer and musician, and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, professor of Theater Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University. The programming at Yeredon is designed to invite people from all over the world to study traditional Bamana dance, music, and culture straight from the source and provide resources to support Malian artists to remain local and retain traditional knowledge. For over 20 years, the Coulibaly family has hosted many artists, researchers, collaborators, and others interested in an all-inclusive summer program that includes language, history, dance, music, and textiles workshops.

Seydou Coulibaly, Co-Founder

Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, Co-Founder

Assitan Coulibaly, Legacy Arts & Education

www.yeredon.org

SEYDOU COULIBALY

Seydou Coulibaly is one of Mali’s leading dancers, teachers, and choreographers. He was named Mali’s #1 dancer in the final Biennale Arts Competition with his company Troupe Commune Quatre, before the coup d’état in 1990. He then founded and was artistic director of Mali’s nationally respected and award-winning Troupe Komée Diosée, which toured throughout Mali. Seydou now also works extensively in the US, where he teaches Mande dance, music and culture at Wheaton College, Brown University, the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA and frequently visits schools throughout New England. Seydou also runs Yeredon, a cross-cultural school in Bamako, which aims to bring a greater knowledge of Malian culture to foreigners while preserving the work of Mali’s most talented artists. His film credits include Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, Mali Djembekan, Street Party in Lafiabougou, and numerous educational films on Malian music, dance and culture. Seydou’s djun-djun playing can also be heard on Mohamed Kalifa Kamara’s Africa Kanben

 SHAFFANY TERRELL

Shaffany Terrell is a Black, afro indigenous multidisciplinary performance artist, dancer, actress and musician from Roxbury, MA /PVD. Music is an ancestral gift for Shaffany, her intuition has guided her in making sound beyond her realm of understanding since her childhood. Shaffany is interested in using her gift to create community and safe space for Black people and all people to vibrate at a higher frequency together. Shaffany is an artist-facilitator for Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Trauma in Schools combining art making with mindfulness to help children deepen their understanding of Self. She is certified by Deep Play for Kids and teaches yoga to children. Shaffany’s work has been featured at Wilbury Theatre, WaterFire Arts Center, Rites and Reason Theatre, Trinity Repertory Theatre, and Paramount Theatre in Boston.

MESTRA ISAURA OLIVEIRA

Isaura Oliveira is a black-brown indigenous woman born and raised in Salvador, Bahia, one of the cradles of Afro-Brazilian culture, where many African, Amerindian traditions and arts are maintained and nourished. Isaura is a multidisciplinary artist of dance, theater, music, and costume. As a cultural educator and independent scholar, Isaura's expertise is culture, history, and social movement of her Afro-Brazilian population and cultures of the African Diaspora. She is dedicated to teaching culture and creating experimental dance and multi-disciplinary performances. Isaura also follows updates on the contemporary life of indigenous peoples of Brazil and beyond. Her interest in arts, culture, and humanities started when she was a little girl following her elders in their every-day life. Isaura is a Mestra and mentor on her expertise. Her works have been documented by distinguished sources including the PBS and BBC TV documentary Dancing #5:New Worlds,New Forms, representing Brazilian dance. Her first full-length one-woman show Malinke' (1988, Bahia) is featured in the book Dancing Bahia, in a chapter by Dr. Yvonne Daniel. Isaura's second solo show, and first in the USA, Ancestrais, was supported as an in-progress project in 1999 by Smith College (Northampton, MA) and Festival Cantar of Costa, Italy. In 2001, Ancestrais was sponsored and presented by MIT’s Theater and Music departments, with three evenings of sold-out shows, receiving a positive review from The BostonGlobe. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Mestra Isaura created a new program for her community in safe environments: Living Experience Outdoor Program, a healing-arts program held in public parks and private yards. Currently, Isaura continues to invest in her 2019 performance training program Power of Skirts into a BIPOC collective. With the Boston Foundation’s Live Arts Boston and Next Steps for Boston Dance grants, Isaura produced and perform YABAS at Strand '25 Isaura teaches a seasonal workshop series on Sundays at the Dance Complex.

SIDY MAIGA

Sidy Maïga began drumming with master djembefolas as a teen in his native Mali, refining his voice in this ancestral cultural tradition. Sidy made for a quick study, and began touring professionally with well-known national acts such as Troupe Artistique de Bamako and the Fakoli Percussion Troupe. Since moving to Rhode Island in 2006, Sidy has become a regular on the music scene. Beloved in the community not only for his traditional Malian music, but for his seamless blending into latin, blues, and brazilian drumming traditions–even accompanying house music DJs! His talent and passion bring him throughout New England and the world.

DIVA DANCE BOSTON: AHLEA TUCKER

Ahlea is a queer, black, retired cheerleader turned dance instructor for DivaDance Boston. She found DivaDance last year right before their opening and started working for their Client Experience team. What started as a side job became a passion and now she is an instructor and the Membership Experience Lead. Her goal is to host events and classes that grow communities and connect people to safe spaces

BECKY BASS

Becky Bass is a renowned vocalist, steel pannist, and actor from St. Croix, USVI, celebrated for her Caribbean Soul music and two New England Urban Music Awards. A graduate of Brown University, she has performed extensively in musical theatre, made her debut with the New Jersey Symphony, and shared stages with international artists like Oumou Sangare and Wyclef Jean. Beyond her performance career, she is dedicated to giving back to the community by teaching music and theatre to students.

UTOPIA DANCE

Louis Casiano and Elvis Lora are the visionary leaders behind Utopia Dance Company, a Massachusetts-based dance organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and advancing Latin dance and culture through education, performance, and community engagement.

Founded with the mission of creating access, opportunity, and cultural connection through dance, Utopia Dance Company has grown into one of the region’s leading Latin dance organizations, serving youth and adults throughout the Merrimack Valley and beyond. Through classes, performances, cultural programming, and leadership development initiatives, Utopia empowers individuals to build confidence, discipline, responsibility, and pride in their cultural heritage.

Louis Casiano, founder and mentor, has dedicated years to developing dancers, leaders, and community programs that use dance as a vehicle for personal growth and cultural preservation. Elvis Lora, Artistic Director, began his journey as a student dancer before rising through the company ranks to become an instructor, choreographer, performer, and leader. Together, they have trained and performed at major events throughout the Northeast and beyond while continuing to inspire the next generation of dancers.

Utopia Dance Company specializes in salsa, bachata, Afro-Caribbean, and folkloric dance traditions, blending technical excellence with cultural education. Their work emphasizes the importance of understanding the history, identity, and stories behind the movement, creating meaningful experiences both on and off the dance floor.

Through their commitment to community, culture, and artistic excellence, Louis Casiano, Elvis Lora, and Utopia Dance Company continue to impact lives while sharing the richness of Latin dance traditions with audiences everywhere.

THE HAUS OF GLITTER DANCE COMPANY

The Haus of Glitter works through movement and choreography, to shift the energetic center of the universe towards Queer Feminist BIPOC Liberation. In the work we share and co-create with audiences, we strive to embody ancestral liberation, healing, and love in every step and every breath of our creative process and pedagogy. Our choreography aims to reach beyond the stage and into the streets; into our homes; into our institutions; into our hearts.

Co-Founders + Co-Directors: 

Anthony "AM." Andrade

Steven "Sen" Choummalaithong

Assitan "Sita" Coulibaly

Matthew Garza

Trent Lee

Franchesca La Unica

www.hausofglitter.org 

@hausofglitterdanceco