afro mosaic soul dance collective life style dance new york


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	Ebony Nichols - Kuyateh Co Founder / Dancer / Director Of Operations "I live dance; it is my first love, my comfort, my support and my life." Ebony Kuyateh, born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. began dancing at the age of six. Her first experience in dance was with Ms. Marie Brooks, with whom she studied Ballet and African dance. Ebony continued her dance education under the instruction of many greats, such as Ms. Carol Lonnie, Baba Ishangi and Ms. Mary Barnette. In 1997, Ebony was exposed to a new world of dance and music through a weekly Sunday event in Brooklyn, The Tea Party, organized by Ian Friday. In that world she developed a love and appreciation for the freedom of movement and expression. Always expanding her knowledge in dance, in 2002 she began dancing with the Abu Em Khat Dance Anksamble, a collective of dancers dedicated to the uplifting and healing of women through dance, under the artistic direction of Queen Afua. Since 1997, Ebony has been living the life of freestyle dance, along the way she developed friendships with some of New York’s most respected freestyle house dancers. Those friendships prompted the formation Afro Mosaic Soul Dance Collective in 2005. Her style exhibits the versatility of her formal training. For example, Ballet, African, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, House, Belly Dancing, and other elements are reflected in her movements. A woman of many talents, Ebony is also the owner of one of Brooklyn's top natural hair salons, Locks Of Nu Natural Hair Spa. Her eye for fashion and style lead her to developing a unique vintage clothing collection with her husband named Bed Stuy Vintage. A dedicated mother of three and wife, Ebony lives and breaths the mosaic expression and motto Life, Style, Dance.

	Renee K. Smith Dancer / Community Outreach Manager Renee K. Smith is a recent graduate from The New School University with Masters of Science in Non Profit Management and the Columbia INM Middle Management Program. She completed her undergraduate degree at Hunter College of the City University of New York in Dance Education. Her work as an artist and educator has allowed her to travel the world learning and compiling movement that she hopes will one day help others share in her joy for movement. Her travels have included Prague, Italy, Guinea, France, Cuba, Brazil as well as many states in the US. Her movement vocabulary includes genres like ballet, tap, jazz, Dunham as well as cultural dances of the Caribbean and African Diaspora. She has danced with Gabri Christa, PAKA Dance Company, Baba Chuck Davis, Magbana Drum and Dance Company and has done a series of reconstructions like “Line Up” by Trisha Brown and “Flood” by Sondra Loring. She currently is a member of Kow Teff African Dance Company, MUV Dance Company and one of the founding members of U Betta Work Dance Productions that has produced dance programs including Outspoken: Tribute to Women’s History. She continues to further her training in Dunham technique and will be a candidate for certification in the near future. Overall, her greatest joy is teaching. One of her current projects is creating integrated curriculum that combines movement with academic subjects that allows the student to have an experiential learning experience. She currently is the Arts Education Director at Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, Inc. Through furthering her education she hopes to be able to create opportunities for cultural arts experiences for the community. She plans to continue passing on the lessons learned from life’s rich experiences.

	Duncan Smith Dancer / Visual Artist / Photographer Duncan Smith was born and raised in Mexico. When he turned 16 he came to the US to attend high school and college. He received a BFA from Parsons School of Design in 2008. Duncan is a published author and illustrator. He divides his time between Mexico and New York. His first children’s book “Dear Primo” is published by H N Abrams. While in college a friend of a friend hired him to videotape a party in Brooklyn, at the time called Soul in the Hole. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. “Everyone was wearing sneakers. Instead of drinking beer everyone drank water. People were dancing to house while mixing West African dance moves with capoeira. You could see twelve people on the floor at the same time rolling and flipping over each other like some kind of postmodern sculpture.” Little by little Duncan began to dance more and videotape less. He attended different house parties in NYC. While making friends with the dancers, he became part of the culture until one night he was one of those people rolling and flipping over each other on the dance floor. Duncan’s love of dance has allowed him to experience many styles from West African and Caribbean dance in high school to a little bit of Salsa and Swing in college. While living Brazil for 6 months he practiced capoeira. Duncan is a self-taught freestyler trying to improve his skills every day. “Nothing gets me higher than dancing and sweating all night, forgetting myself and feeling like I can fly, then taking the subway at four in the morning and sketching someone that is asleep on the train while I get home. Now that’s what I call a good night.”

	Scott A. Wiley Dancer / Rehearsal Manager Scott A. Wiley (Scottie) aka “Baby Wiley”, born in Queens, NY, now resides in Brooklyn. Scott and his three siblings were raised in a household where music, such as hip-hop, house, soca, and soul classics, was an influential presence. Influenced by his friends and brother who are also dancers, he naturally became a dancer and began freestyle dancing in 1998. Within a short period of time he became a regular in the NYC house dance scene. In 2006 he was asked to fill in for a member of Afro Mosaic Soul and never left. His love and excitement for freestyle movement and expression permanently solidified his position in Afro Mosaic Soul Inc. Since then Scott has expanded his movement education and has taken lessons in Capoeira, Parkour and House dance. These various techniques are reflected in his dance style. His movements are charged with vitality and enthusiasm. He brings these same motivations to his other interests--cooking, family, sports, entrepreneurship, and having fun. Scotts goals as a dancer is to uphold the foundation of true freestyle. Scott’s motto in life “ Live with Freedom”. “ When I dance I feel liberated it takes me to another place I feel I can free the world”.

	Stephen Wiley Co Founder / Dancer / Director of Retail / DJ "Before I knew it, I was a dancer. I have been auditioning for Afro Mosaic Soul since birth. I am so happy that I finally got in. Life.Style.Dance…" Stephen Wiley (Steph) was born in Queens, NY and now resides in Brooklyn. Steph has been dancing all of his life. Self taught, his passion for dance is the result of his love for music. In 1996 Steph began attending an event in Brooklyn called the Tea Party. The Tea Party would ultimately be the thing that connected him to life long friends and plant the seed to the formation Afro Mosaic Soul in 2005. Steph has been in various dance productions including “The Clearing” at the Prospect Park Celebrate Brooklyn Summer concert series. He has danced back up for various artist and has danced on The Grind (MTV). Drawn to the music and people having fun with out pretense, Steph began to DJ at different venues in NYC. Besides dancing, Steph is the co owner of Dudley’s Paw, a successful pet retail boutique and dog walking business in Tribeca NYC . His other interest include marketing, and community improvement. He is a proud father and hopes to continue to spread love through movement and music.

	Michael Pritchard Dancer “What can I say? I was homeless. Afro Mosaic Soul took me in. The dance was solely within me with no outlet expanse and freedom. That the very thing Afro Mosaic Soul strives for. Freedom of ones mind! Freedom of ones expression! Freedom of ones soul!” Son of the Republic of Panama, raised in the streets of the boogie-down Bronx, Michael presently resides in none other than Brooklyn, N.Y. Michael is a graduate of Manhattan College where he received a bachelor degree in Business Law & Accounting. During his youth he attended Henry Street Settlement, a fine art school on the Lower East Side where he studied piano, dance and fine art. Michael has been on a journey to reacquainted himself with self expression in the form of dance. Michael has indeed found a home with Afro Mosaic Soul.

	Brian Polite Co Founder/ Dancer / Poet / Graphic Artist Since arriving in Brooklyn from Hampton, VA, Brian Polite has made forays into every aspect of the New York art and music scene. It all started in the fall of 1995, on the Brooklyn campus of Pratt Institute when, as a freshman in Computer Graphics, the spoken word group Second 2 Last recruited him. Through this association, he was introduced to Tea Party--an open mic / dance party that combined the urban underground music, poetry, hip-hop, and dance scenes. Dancing at Tea Party put him in contact with such a variety of dance and music styles that Brian began to expand his own style beyond the hip-hop of his youth. He soon began to earn as much a reputation for his freestyle dancing as for his poetry. This led to collaborations with Ase` Dance Theater Collective and, in the summer of 2005, his contribution to the formation of Afro Mosaic Soul.

	Mito Honda Dancer Mito Honda was born in Kyoto Japan, where she learned the spirit of Buddhism from her grand father who was a Buddhist monk. Raised in Tokyo, during her young age she won the 2nd junior championship in fencing, and also joined the gymnastic team. She attended The Art University in Tokyo, and majored in photography. During her studies she traveled all through Asia (India, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal) as well as Europe and Mexico. After her travels, she realized what her real passion was Dance. With her eye on the prize, she came to New York City to train as a dancer. She started honing her skills with underground dance circles. In these exclusive underground communities she learned the dance forms of House dance, Break dance, and Old School hip hop. With these street dance moves, she then embarked on a whole new challenge, Modern dance and Ballet. She attended the Martha Graham dance school and Peri dance school. These variety of dance forms attracted her to capoeira which she began to combine with her dance training. Later, she was given a scholarship to train at Steps dance school in NYC to continue her training with modern and ballet. With her various dance vocabulary she has worked for the off Broadway show “Moses”, MTV Video Music Awards, a Spike Lee movie (The 25th Hour) , Summer Stage Central Park performing capoeira , New York Post with Ricky Martin. Through working with different dance companies she started to choreograph her unique combination of training and background. She has been producing very unique pieces that combine contemporary dance, with house dance and capoeira, infused with jungle music. She believes “there is no borderline in art.” She is looking to explore in film with her dance and challenge her choreography in different environments.

	Gibril Kuyateh Co Founder / Dancer / Director of Music & Branding / DJ “I just want to be the dancer that’s in my head. The more I let go and zone out, the closer I get to him. I soak up as much as I can, before the dancer disappears, coming back only when my mind is completely uninhibited by its surroundings” Born and raised in Brooklyn of Sierra Leone decent, Gibril has been dancing his entire life. Gibril began his journey as a dancer being the official dancer at family gatherings. Hip hop music and videos influenced his progression as a dancer. Fortunately, his mother exposed him to all facets of the arts which increased his appreciation for not only movement but all genres of music and art. A self taught piano player at age 4 and gifted flute player by age 10. In 1999 Gibril left college in Virginia to pursuit dancing in NYC, after being a regular on the BET television show Planet Groove. Being a featured dancer in videos, acting in movies, television shows and Soap Opera’s such as One Life to Live, he decided that being a dancer was his true passion. It wasn’t until a friend took him to a party called the The Shelter, that his life changed. He noticed that everyone there could dance and that the movements were unlike what he was used to seeing. Gibril immediately became enthralled with the culture, developing his circular and fluidly smooth style. Soon becoming a regular at some of NYC's underground house dance parties, he met friends on his journey as a dancer that facilitated his contribution to the formation of Afro Mosaic Soul Inc. When Gibril is not working in Marketing and Branding Management, he enjoys multi-tasking in the arts as a DJ/Producer. He is the host of The GiKu Experience Radio Show on Giant Step Jukebox, which was offered because of his eclectic taste in domestic & world music by the prestigious Giant Step label. He is currently working on his first album on the Deepa Grooves label and advocating worldwide respect for the house culture and African music through collaborative alliances with corporations and political entities. He is a father of 3 and met his wife and business partner doing what he loves… dancing and being free.