BCF @ AAMLO PROGRAM
AAAPAC & K*STAR*PRODUCTIONS hosted by AAMLO present
BLACK CHOREOGRAPHERS FESTIVAL HERE & NOW
CELEBRATES 20 YEARS!
SPIRIT OF SANKOFA: Bridging the Legacies of BCM & BCF
Featuring: Archival Exhibit, Workshop & Community Roundtable
at
The African American Museum & Library At Oakland
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Program Begins @ 2pm
2- 3p Choreocore© - Chair-Based, Gentle Movement - Pilates Meets Dance w/ *Tonya Marie Amos
Increase Your Strength, Flexibility, & Balance While Reducing Pain
Many of us are inactive or are reluctant to exercise because of time, lack of energy, joint pain, or a sense of overwhelm with knowing where to begin. Unfortunately, the more sedentary we become, the less energy we have and joint pain increases. This fun and engaging program increases strength, flexibility, and balance with Pilates and dance-based chair exercises. These exercises target specific muscle groups required for decreasing pain, keeping us upright against gravity, supporting everyday movements patterns to get in and out of chairs, up and down the stairs, and being strong and confident on our feet. All exercises are done in a chair and can be replicated at work or at home sitting on the couch.
*Tonya Marie Amos is Artistic Executive Director of Grown Women Dance Collective and owner of Aspire Pilates Center. A movement expert with 35 years of teaching experience, she loves helping empower people of all abilities & fitness levels to live their healthiest, most creative & pain-free life.
3 - 4p Community Roundtable, in conversation w/ Tonya Marie Amos focused on healing, equity, and future-centered dialogue.
*Please be sure to view our Exhibit throughout and following the event!
BCF: Spirit of Sankofa: Bridging the Legacies of BCM & BCF, Archival Exhibit
An exquisite archival display that depicts the narrative of two iconic SF Bay Area Festivals:
Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century (BCM), founded by Dr. Halifu Osumare and presented from 1989 – 1995, and Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now (BCF) co-founded by laura elaine ellis and Kendra Kimbrough Barnes, premiered in 2005, celebrating 20 years of presenting BCF! Designed & Curated by Visual Artists: Pete Belkin and Tiersa Nureyev
BCF Production Team:
BCF Festival Co-Directors: laura e. ellis, Kendra Kimbrough Barnes
BCF Tech Crew: Jazara Metcalf & Taylor Wallace
Imman Barnes, Nate Barnes, Michael Dabney, Taylor Wallace (BCF Exhibit Load-in)
AAMLO Staff:
Bamidele Agbasegbe-Demerson, Chief Curator
Veda Silva, Museum Project Coordinato
Marco Frazier
SPIRIT OF SANKOFA: Bridging the Legacies of BCM & BCF, Co-Sponsors | Presenters
AAMLO: The African American Museum and Library at Oakland is dedicated to the discovery, preservation, interpretation, and sharing of historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West for present and future generations.
K★STAR★PRODUCTIONS, founded in 1996 by Director Kendra Kimbrough Barnes, is a performing arts organization that presents the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble (KKDE) and co-presents the Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now. Our mission is to cultivate a diverse and dynamic arts environment that inspires and supports the growth of the arts through relationship-building, mentoring, and community partnerships. We aim to make cultural exchange accessible, with a focus on BIPOC communities, by offering professional development for emerging dance artists/companies, youth programming, and impactful workshops and performances.
the African & African American Performing Arts Coalition (AAAPAC) is San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1995 by a collective of artists looking to create better performance opportunities for African and African American performing artists, as well as produce shows that reflect the aesthetic and cultural representation of the African and African American experience. As AAAPAC’s executive director, laura elaine ellis has co-produced successful events such as the Labor of Love Dance Series, The Quilt Project: Pieces of Me, and the Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now.
The Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now (BCF), with scheduled events throughout the year, is directed by Bay Area nonprofits AAAPAC and K*Star*Productions. Since 2005, BCF has served local, national and international artists acknowledging the diverse artistic expression within the context of African and African American dance and culture. BCF incorporates live performance, mentoring, master classes, workshops and special events. BCF has been awarded commendations from the Alameda County Arts Commission and Board of Supervisors, the California State Senate for preserving African American Art & Culture.
BLACK CHOREOGRAPHERS FESTIVAL HERE & NOW
CELEBRATES 20 YEARS!
SPIRIT OF SANKOFA: Bridging the Legacies of BCM & BCF
Featuring: Archival Exhibit, Workshop & Community Roundtable
at
The African American Museum & Library At Oakland
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Program Begins @ 2pm
2- 3p Choreocore© - Chair-Based, Gentle Movement - Pilates Meets Dance w/ *Tonya Marie Amos
Increase Your Strength, Flexibility, & Balance While Reducing Pain
Many of us are inactive or are reluctant to exercise because of time, lack of energy, joint pain, or a sense of overwhelm with knowing where to begin. Unfortunately, the more sedentary we become, the less energy we have and joint pain increases. This fun and engaging program increases strength, flexibility, and balance with Pilates and dance-based chair exercises. These exercises target specific muscle groups required for decreasing pain, keeping us upright against gravity, supporting everyday movements patterns to get in and out of chairs, up and down the stairs, and being strong and confident on our feet. All exercises are done in a chair and can be replicated at work or at home sitting on the couch.
*Tonya Marie Amos is Artistic Executive Director of Grown Women Dance Collective and owner of Aspire Pilates Center. A movement expert with 35 years of teaching experience, she loves helping empower people of all abilities & fitness levels to live their healthiest, most creative & pain-free life.
3 - 4p Community Roundtable, in conversation w/ Tonya Marie Amos focused on healing, equity, and future-centered dialogue.
*Please be sure to view our Exhibit throughout and following the event!
BCF: Spirit of Sankofa: Bridging the Legacies of BCM & BCF, Archival Exhibit
An exquisite archival display that depicts the narrative of two iconic SF Bay Area Festivals:
Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century (BCM), founded by Dr. Halifu Osumare and presented from 1989 – 1995, and Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now (BCF) co-founded by laura elaine ellis and Kendra Kimbrough Barnes, premiered in 2005, celebrating 20 years of presenting BCF! Designed & Curated by Visual Artists: Pete Belkin and Tiersa Nureyev
BCF Production Team:
BCF Festival Co-Directors: laura e. ellis, Kendra Kimbrough Barnes
BCF Tech Crew: Jazara Metcalf & Taylor Wallace
Imman Barnes, Nate Barnes, Michael Dabney, Taylor Wallace (BCF Exhibit Load-in)
AAMLO Staff:
Bamidele Agbasegbe-Demerson, Chief Curator
Veda Silva, Museum Project Coordinato
Marco Frazier
SPIRIT OF SANKOFA: Bridging the Legacies of BCM & BCF, Co-Sponsors | Presenters
AAMLO: The African American Museum and Library at Oakland is dedicated to the discovery, preservation, interpretation, and sharing of historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West for present and future generations.
K★STAR★PRODUCTIONS, founded in 1996 by Director Kendra Kimbrough Barnes, is a performing arts organization that presents the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble (KKDE) and co-presents the Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now. Our mission is to cultivate a diverse and dynamic arts environment that inspires and supports the growth of the arts through relationship-building, mentoring, and community partnerships. We aim to make cultural exchange accessible, with a focus on BIPOC communities, by offering professional development for emerging dance artists/companies, youth programming, and impactful workshops and performances.
the African & African American Performing Arts Coalition (AAAPAC) is San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1995 by a collective of artists looking to create better performance opportunities for African and African American performing artists, as well as produce shows that reflect the aesthetic and cultural representation of the African and African American experience. As AAAPAC’s executive director, laura elaine ellis has co-produced successful events such as the Labor of Love Dance Series, The Quilt Project: Pieces of Me, and the Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now.
The Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now (BCF), with scheduled events throughout the year, is directed by Bay Area nonprofits AAAPAC and K*Star*Productions. Since 2005, BCF has served local, national and international artists acknowledging the diverse artistic expression within the context of African and African American dance and culture. BCF incorporates live performance, mentoring, master classes, workshops and special events. BCF has been awarded commendations from the Alameda County Arts Commission and Board of Supervisors, the California State Senate for preserving African American Art & Culture.
