Celebrate Hispanic & Latino Heritage Month

Mestre Gaivota:

(David Morgan), has been practicing martial arts since the age of six. After training Tai Kwon Do as a child he took up Shotokan as a teenager. In college he began learning Enshin which is a full contact style of karate. As a Black Belt in Enshin he competed in several bare-knuckle, knock down tournaments and placed in all of them. He was first introduced to Capoeira in 1999 and began teaching classes at the NJ Capoeira Arts Center in 2003.

Gaivota graduated to the level of Instructor in 2005 with Grupo Liberdade de Capoeira and was graduated to Professor in 2007, Contramestre in 2014 & Mestre in 2018 Capoeira Guerreiros. In 2006 Mestre Gaivota opened the Afro Brazilian Cultural Center of New Jersey. During his career in Capoeira, Gaivota has traveled to many countries as well as states sharing his love of the game at Batizados, workshops and events. The Afro Brazilian Cultural Center of New Jersey is dedicated to promoting and teaching Capoeira as a living example of Brazilian folklore and culture.

Professor Pele began training Capoeira in 2003 with Mestre Gaivota. He began teaching for the Afro-Brazilian Cultural Center in Afterschool programs in Newark in 2007. He is currently a full time Capoeira teacher at the Center and responsible for the Capoeira Club at Columbia University.

Randy Brathwaite, Professor Chapa started training Capoeira in 2000 in Bloomfield, N.J. with Mestre Glauber of AU Capoeira. In 2006 he instructed for Parks Theatre in Union City, N.J with the supervision of his Mestre. He is currently teaching for The Afro Brazilian Cultural Center of New Jersey in Montclair & Newark as well as running his own Capoeira studio in Jersey City.

Professor Carcaju (Adam Chase) started training in martial arts in 1990 at the age of 7 in Tae Kwon Do. In March of 2003 Carcaju began training Capoeira in RI with Mestrando Tigri of Grupo Ondas. In 2007 he began training with Mestre Gaivota in Capoeira Guerreiros. Carcaju graduated to Instrutor in 2014 with Mestre Gaivota. He has been teaching at the Afro-Brazilian Cultural Center of New Jersey under Mestre Gaivota since 2014.

Andrene Bryan puts a spicy carribean flavor on Zumba making it impossible to not shake every part of your body to the beats. Come and dance(hall) with her in our Saturday Zumba class.

Deborah Ovalles is a dance teacher and personal trainer with a degree in Exercise Science from William Paterson University. She is the Director of the Dynamic Performance Studio which provides an environment to expand, explore, and engaged in health, fitness and dance creativity. So tap into new Dynamics in your life and see what Fits for you.

Andrés Daniel Cisneros Birnbaum is a Venezuelan-born percussionist, vocalist, bandleader, and cultural educator based in Philadelphia. As a performer and bandleader in Salsa, Latin jazz and folkloric ensembles, his work draws from the rich traditions of Latin America and the African diaspora. He is the inventor of the CincoMano™, a hands-on percussion instrument designed for accessible, ensemble-based learning. An experienced teaching artist, Andrés leads interactive programs for learners from kindergarten through adulthood, using percussion, movement, and collaboration to foster creativity and cultural awareness. He holds a Master’s degree in Education and brings an engaging, hands-on approach to every learning environment.

Musician, poet, and storyteller, David Gonzalez received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from International Performing Arts for Youth, was nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award, was a featured performer at the 2007 National Storytelling Festival, and is a Joseph Campbell Foundation Fellow. He has created numerous theatrical productions that have been performed at the best performing arts centers, theaters, and festivals in the United States. Mr. Gonzalez received his doctorate in Music Therapy from New York University’s School of Education. David has performed at thousands of schools during his long and joyous career. You can find him online at www.davidgonzalez.com.

This artist’s assemblies come with a Creative Classroom Toolkit! The Creative Classroom Toolkit is a collection of innovative educational tools that extend your in-school performances into a series of engaging, curriculum-based lessons. Included in the toolkit are artist videos, activity videos, and an educator’s guide. Contents are delivered digitally after scheduling a David Gonzalez assembly.

For the past 20 years, Peruvian drummer and percussionist Hector Morales has combined national and international performance with his work as a Teaching Artist in the Tri-State area. Mr. Morales is the author of The Afro-Peruvian Percussion Ensemble, an instructional book/DVD published by Sher Music Co., which was nominated in the Best Educational Book of 2014 category by Modern Drummer magazine. He has led professional development workshops at F2F and the N.J. Music Educators State Conference. He has been the recipient of many awards, including the Artist of The Year Award by YANJEP (2014) and the Heritage Fellowship Award from the NJCA (2023). Morales has performed on international stages, such as Lincoln Center, the National Museum of Peru, the Society of Musicians and Composers of Chile, the Festival du Monde Arabe de Montreal, and the Jerusalem Music Festival, among others.

Leigh Robertson aka Mestra “Gata Brava” is an internationally recognized teacher and performer of the Afro-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, and one of the select few American women to achieve this rank. Since 2000 she has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing the unique style of Capoeira passed down to her by her teacher, Mestre Doutor.

In 2009 Leigh founded the group Capoeira Morro Verde, offering multi-faceted instructional programs for children and adults. She continues to lead programs in Capoeira, Samba, Maculele and music at her studio, Greenhill Arts, in Buckingham, PA.

Working with countless grade schools and colleges has led Leigh to create programs specifically tailored to adults and children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia, ADHD, auditory processing disorder and executive function difficulties, as well as autism and related conditions.

In her journey to help spread Capoeira to the greater community,  Leigh has trained actors, performed in and choreographed for Disney’s Step Up movie series, and was featured on TEDx in NYC. However, Leigh considers the most fulfilling aspects of her work to be done locally, teaching regularly for underserved communities with limited access to the arts.

Liliana Attar is the Director of Creative Bridges Institute, New Jersey State Winner of a National Civic Star Award Program. She was the Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania 2014 Artist of the Year and recipient of a 2016 New Jersey Governor’s Distinguished Artist Award.

She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Arts in Education in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has performed childrens plays, her own choreography, and other works in Argentina and the United States. She was the Artistic Director of Connections Dance Theater.

Liliana is the creator of the DVD series “Spanish Is Alive!” for parents, children, and Spanish educators.

Liliana directs artist-in-residence programs, performances, professional development programs, programs for parents, consultations, and conferences all over the United States and Argentina.

Marck “Flaco” Best has been teaching popular forms of cultural social dance since 1997, with a focus on rhythms that allow him to embrace his Cuban heritage.

He is a tenured instructor with the Mt. Airy Learning Tree. After being trained by Monsieur Pierre Dulaine in his method, Flaco became one of the original teaching artists for Dancing Classrooms Philly, sister to the program in New York City used in the film Mad Hot Ballroom.

Mexico Beyond Mariachi was created to address the needs of communities to know more about traditional Mexican performance culture beyond the stereotypes. While Mexican influence is all around us, what do people really know about the traditions of Mexico’s music and dance culture? Or the origins of the stories, legends, and myths that are interwoven together? And how do we effectively communicate that knowledge to young audiences?

​Responding to that need, Mexico Beyond Mariachi created an in-depth school performance and arts-in-education program that has reached more than 100,000 students in more than 250 schools and community venues on the East Coast.

The company also performs art-in-education residencies, lecture demonstrations, as well as full-scale performance productions.

Recent performances include the Pre-Hispanic Art Festival and Day of the Dead Celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Kean University, Queens Theater in the Park, and seasonal touring throughout the Northeast United States with Green Meadows Farms’ Festival of Cultures program.

Join husband and wife duo Blanca Cecilia González and Jesse Elder for Musiquita, a playful exploration of Music in Spanish and English. This program combines music, language and culture into a joyful celebration, appropriate for all ages.

Blanca holds a Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School in New York City, and Jesse is the former Music Director of Postmodern Jukebox. A passion project for both of these professional musicians, Musiquita builds and strengthens Spanish and English language skills through vibrant and approachable songs. Blanca and Jesse use violin, piano, ukulele, melodica, voice, percussion and movement to thoughtfully guide listeners through an array of music and verse.

As a bilingual Spanish-English family with two young children, González and Elder make learning engaging and enjoyable. Sharing their own experiences in a relaxed and supportive environment, Blanca and Jesse present easy ways to incorporate other cultures into your everyday life. Musiquita primarily focuses on Spanish and English tunes, but will also include glimpses into other world cultures. Traditional, classical, jazz, folk, pop, original compositions and more are all highlighted in Musiquita, appealing to a wide range of taste and energy levels.

Musiquita is the perfect way to bring the whole community together and share a meaningful connection. Discover more on their Instagram.

For over 15 years, Samba to Salsa has been a proud member of the Young Audiences of New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania’s artist roster, bringing vibrant percussion performances to schools and communities across the region. Based in Philadelphia, this celebrated ensemble is a dynamic trio with deep ties to the Brazilian and Latin music scenes. The group’s members have played with distinguished ensembles such as Alô Brasil, Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra, Timbalona, and Conjunto Philadelphia. With a shared passion for cultural exploration, they have studied, traveled, and performed a wide range of percussion genres from the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East.

As seasoned teaching artists, the members of Samba to Salsa each bring over two decades of experience in arts education. The group’s teaching artists—Alex Shaw, Josh Robinson, and Andrés Cisneros—are dedicated to fostering young talent while sharing the rich cultural traditions behind the music they play.

Alex Shaw, raised in Virginia, is a percussionist, vocalist, composer, cultural producer, and arts educator specializing in Brazilian music traditions. A long-time member of the Capoeira Angola community, he is a recognized cultural leader in Philadelphia and a recipient of the 2024 Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures Fellowship. He holds an MFA in World Percussion Performance.

Andrés Cisneros, originally from Caracas, Venezuela, was immersed in dance, music, visual art, and theater from an early age. A percussionist, vocalist, bandleader, and cultural educator, his work draws from Salsa, Latin jazz, and folkloric traditions of Latin America and the African diaspora. He holds a Master’s degree in Education and is known for his engaging, hands-on teaching style.

Josh Robinson, a native of Woodstock, NY, is an award-winning percussionist, keynote speaker, and facilitator. Known for his work at the intersection of rhythm, resilience, and healing, Robinson has received numerous accolades, including the 2021 New Jersey Governor’s Award for Excellence in Arts Education and “Performing Artist of the Year” by Young Audiences NJ & Eastern PA. His impact extends beyond performance, as he has been recognized for his contributions to arts education and community healing, including the Community Hero Award from The Uplift Center for Grieving Children and a Service Award from Rutgers University Future Scholars in Camden, NJ.

This artist’s assembly performance, A Journey Through Latin Percussion, comes with a Creative Classroom Toolkit! The Creative Classroom Toolkit is a collection of innovative educational tools that extend your in-school performances into a series of engaging, curriculum-based lessons. Included in the toolkit are artist videos, activity videos, and an educator’s guide. Contents are delivered digitally after scheduling a David Gonzalez assembly.

Recognized under the New Jersey State Council on Arts Folk Apprenticeship Program as a Master Drummer, Mr. Cartagena has been performing, teaching, researching and writing about Puerto Rico’s drum music for over 30 years. He is the volunteer Executive Director of SQFC and the director of its dance and drum ensemble, Segunda Quimbamba. Mr. Cartagena is also an instructor, teaching drumming to students of all ages, arranging music for student performances, performing with students in public venues.

Nanette Hernández

Recognized under the New Jersey State Council on Arts Folk Apprenticeship Program as a Master Dancer, Ms. Hernandez has been performing dance within Puerto Rico’s drumming traditions music for over 30 years. She has also been teaching these art forms for over 15 years.

She is the Director of Development & Education Initiatives for SQFC and works to secure and administer grants for teaching dance within public schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Ms. Hernandez is the President of the Board of SQFC and an Instructor where she teaches dance to students of all ages and performs with students in public venues. She is the principal dancer in the ensemble Segunda Quimbamba.

Established in 1985, SEA (Society of the Educational Arts, Inc.), is the premiere Bilingual Arts-in-Education Organization and Latino Children’s Theatre in the United States. SEA has created and produced a combination of educational theatre productions and art workshops/programs specifically designed to examine, challenge and create possible solutions for current educational, social and community issues.

Its internationally celebrated programs include school, outdoor, community and main stage performances, workshops and residencies, among others, reaching over 75,000 children and young adults every year. The organization, established by Dr. Manuel A. Morán, currently has offices in San Juan, New York, and Florida. Teatro SEA has its performance space at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.