2019 Day of Dance Choreographers
ANNA COPA CABANNA is an Australian showgirl who "really draws the audience to her" (The New Yorker). She was the face and twirling body of THE DEBASER video on The Pixies "Doolittle Tour", and sings and dances in an ACDC cover band, a 20s vaudeville Act, a German Polka Band, and the celebrated Loser's Lounge. Anna is also the official go go dancer of New York Rock and Roll.
Named one of "10 offbeat artists keeping the old, weird New York alive" by Flavorpill, Anna traveled to Europe earlier this year to teach a 1960s Go Go Masterclass and dance in Spain, Germany, and Sweden. As a choreographer, she has worked in music video/film (Ursula 1000, Joe McGinty, Azar Swan, The Pixies, Marc Ribot, Alice Bierhorst), Theater (Lovesong of the Electric Bear-Edinburgh, Leonard Cohen Xmas Show- Brooklyn, Shaken Not Stirred-NYC), with live bands, and for her own cabaret shows in Australia, Europe, and NYC.
The Anna Copa Cabanna Show (Joe's Pub)- her homage to television specials of the 1970's- allowed her to fulfill a childhood dream of dancing and choreographing like a SOLID GOLD dancer, and ran for 8 sold out years. This show was a "weird and wonderful pick" (Sydney Morning Herald) of the Sydney Fringe Festival 2018.
Anna has shared the stage and created numbers for Fred Schneider (The B52s), James Chance, Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps), Andrew WK, Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith), Tommy Ramone, and more! She danced at NYC’s longest running 60s party SMASHED! BLOCKED! for 10 years, danced on 2 US tours with DJ Jonathan Toubin, and danced in the window of the NYC Rock and Roll Mecca MOTOR CITY every Friday night for 10 years.
Her special brand of vintage go-go has graced Joe's Pub, Lincoln Center, Highline Ballroom, Scope Art Fair, City Winery, Terminal 5, 54 Below, Grounds for Sculpture, Scope Art Fair, The Slipper Room, Motherf*cker, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn Bowl, MassMoca, The Knitting Factory, McKittrick Hotel, Le Poisson Rouge, Dixon Place, Rubulad, Atlas Obscura, ATLANTIC ANTIC, Bowery Ballroom, Baby's All Right, and many more.
Check out www.annacopacabanna.com
LEILANI CHIRINO started dancing at the age of three at the Conservatorio de las Artes de Conchita Espinosa, a Cuban arts academy founded in Havana, Cuba. She later became principal dancer for the company of Ada Linares, specializing in flamenco, ballet, and modern dance. In college, she studied Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban modern dance. While training in the classical dances at school, she was raised in Afro-Cuban religions at home, exposing her to the music and dances from an early age. Professionally, her goal has been to promote Afro-Cuban culture, dance, and music. Since moving to Philadelphia, she has performed at the Koresh Artist Showcase, the Koresh Come Together Dance Festival, the Painted Bride, World Café Live, Fringe Arts, the Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation. She has also taught and performed Cuban social dances at dance congresses in San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta. She is currently an instructor of Afro-Cuban modern dance, flamenco, and ballet at Sound Space studio in Philadelphia. www.facebook.com/michaelandleilani
LEILANI CHIRINO started dancing at the age of three at the Conservatorio de las Artes de Conchita Espinosa, a Cuban arts academy founded in Havana, Cuba. She later became principal dancer for the company of Ada Linares, specializing in flamenco, ballet, and modern dance. In college, she studied Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban modern dance. While training in the classical dances at school, she was raised in Afro-Cuban religions at home, exposing her to the music and dances from an early age. Professionally, her goal has been to promote Afro-Cuban culture, dance, and music. Since moving to Philadelphia, she has performed at the Koresh Artist Showcase, the Koresh Come Together Dance Festival, the Painted Bride, World Café Live, Fringe Arts, the Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation. She has also taught and performed Cuban social dances at dance congresses in San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta. She is currently an instructor of Afro-Cuban modern dance, flamenco, and ballet at Sound Space studio in Philadelphia. www.facebook.com/michaelandleilani
LEILANI CHIRINO started dancing at the age of three at the Conservatorio de las Artes de Conchita Espinosa, a Cuban arts academy founded in Havana, Cuba. She later became principal dancer for the company of Ada Linares, specializing in flamenco, ballet, and modern dance. In college, she studied Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban modern dance. While training in the classical dances at school, she was raised in Afro-Cuban religions at home, exposing her to the music and dances from an early age. Professionally, her goal has been to promote Afro-Cuban culture, dance, and music. Since moving to Philadelphia, she has performed at the Koresh Artist Showcase, the Koresh Come Together Dance Festival, the Painted Bride, World Café Live, Fringe Arts, the Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation. She has also taught and performed Cuban social dances at dance congresses in San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta. She is currently an instructor of Afro-Cuban modern dance, flamenco, and ballet at Sound Space studio in Philadelphia. www.facebook.com/michaelandleilani
LEILANI CHIRINO started dancing at the age of three at the Conservatorio de las Artes de Conchita Espinosa, a Cuban arts academy founded in Havana, Cuba. She later became principal dancer for the company of Ada Linares, specializing in flamenco, ballet, and modern dance. In college, she studied Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban modern dance. While training in the classical dances at school, she was raised in Afro-Cuban religions at home, exposing her to the music and dances from an early age. Professionally, her goal has been to promote Afro-Cuban culture, dance, and music. Since moving to Philadelphia, she has performed at the Koresh Artist Showcase, the Koresh Come Together Dance Festival, the Painted Bride, World Café Live, Fringe Arts, the Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation. She has also taught and performed Cuban social dances at dance congresses in San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta. She is currently an instructor of Afro-Cuban modern dance, flamenco, and ballet at Sound Space studio in Philadelphia. www.facebook.com/michaelandleilani
LEILANI CHIRINO started dancing at the age of three at the Conservatorio de las Artes de Conchita Espinosa, a Cuban arts academy founded in Havana, Cuba. She later became principal dancer for the company of Ada Linares, specializing in flamenco, ballet, and modern dance. In college, she studied Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban modern dance. While training in the classical dances at school, she was raised in Afro-Cuban religions at home, exposing her to the music and dances from an early age. Professionally, her goal has been to promote Afro-Cuban culture, dance, and music. Since moving to Philadelphia, she has performed at the Koresh Artist Showcase, the Koresh Come Together Dance Festival, the Painted Bride, World Café Live, Fringe Arts, the Museum of Art, and the Barnes Foundation. She has also taught and performed Cuban social dances at dance congresses in San Francisco, New York, and Atlanta. She is currently an instructor of Afro-Cuban modern dance, flamenco, and ballet at Sound Space studio in Philadelphia. www.facebook.com/michaelandleilani
ANNIELILLE GAVINO, affectionately known as Ani ( meaning "Harvest" in her native tongue, Hiligaynon) is a native of the Philippines. Annielille studied Tourism Management prior to pursuing her dance training at the Alvin Ailey School NYC, simultaneously assisting Horton Master teacher, Milton Myers. She danced professionally with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble ( Denver, CO ) and the Dallas Black Dance Theater (Dallas, TX). Through these mixed repertory companies, she was able to work with legendary choreographers such as Katherine Dunham, Donald McKayle, Eleo Pomare, Diane McIntyre, Alonzo King, Ronald K. Brown, Chuck Davis and many others. Annielille is also trained in folk dances of the Philippines. Her passion for polyrhythms has led to her investigation of Flamenco, Bharatanatyam, and various techniques of the African Diaspora. Currently, Annielille is is a freelance teaching and movement artist/ choreographer. She dances with Kun- Yang- Lin/Dancers ( Philadelphia). Her recent collaborative work conceptualized by tabla player, Lenny Seidman is funded by Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and celebrates the rhythms of tabla, taiko and dance. Ani has also recently collaborated with visual artist, Saya Woofalk where Ani uses her improvisational skills against Saya's Hybrid Digital Art. Ani has also appeared on camera in the forms of a shorts and dance on films directed by, Jasmine Lynea, Torian Ugworji and Marit Stafstrom. A natural story teller, her first attempt at story slam was presented by NPR/WHYY and Common Space and directed by David O'Connor. Her works have been commissioned by Dance Place, DC, funded by Small But Mighty Arts Grant, presented at the Fleisher Art Memorial, Barnes Foundation, fBronx Academy Of Dance, DUMBO, Come Together Festival, Philadelphia Fringe and more. She continues her artistic journey as a political artist through her project based company, Malayaworks (named after her daughter Malaya Cassandra.) Follow her @ IG: ani_malayaworks
MALAYA CASSANDRA is a budding young Filipino artist. She has appeared in theater plays produced by MacGuffin Theater and performed dance theater works in the 2015-16 Philadelphia fringe productions. She has danced at the Dixon Place NYC, Koresh showcase and Fleisher Art Memorial. She has appeared in short films directed by Jasmine Lynea and by Marit Staffstrom. She loves art, from making mosaics, craft jewelry, felt needling, playing the ukulele and more. Malaya’s self proclaimed spirit animal is a black cat.
SOLES OF DUENDE is an energetic, multi-cultural, all-female percussive trio based in Tap, Flamenco and Kathak dance. Eagerly searching for truth and connection through the rhythms and shared stories of their respective cultures, these three women synergistically create performance that inspires and cultivates transformation. Amanda Castro, Brinda Guha, and Arielle Rosales deliver an explosion of rhythm, dialogue and music that celebrates an empowering female alliance. An unforgettable experience guaranteed to rock the world! www.facebook.com/SolesOfDuende
