M.F.A. STUDENTS

Antonix. , They/Elle
antonio.hernandez@email.ucr.edu
Double B.A. in Theatre and Dance, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón
Decidí con mami nacer en Borikén, since then (I)ve <lived>played>studied>worked>died<relived> in this powerful island held by Atabey. Transdisciplinary artist, in dialogue around political action, feminism, the gender binary and race discrimination within the puertorrican context (I) inhabit. Artist in residence, “Melaza: decolonizing stories” (2018-2022) collaborating with Boston based company, Danza Orgánica directed by Mar Parrilla. Most of my practice navigates around public spaces, every[body] is invited to actively interact. Exploring within endurance, durational and site specific methods of working to create systems of chance that allow a collaborative meta-communication about/with surrounding ecosystems.

Rodrigo Arenas, He/They/Él/Lx
raren008@ucr.edu
M.A. in Literature, Universidad de Playa Ancha de Ciencias de la Educación
Latin-American artist, activist, arts manager, author, and researcher. His work has been focused on multidisciplinary performance art, being exhibited in several territories across and beyond Abya Yala, obtaining the Third Place in the Paris Biennale at Guatemala (2017). Rhizome Microgrant, Global Connectors, Fondart Nacional (Chile), Fundación YAXS (Guatemala), and Experimenta/Sur 2016 (Colombia) are some of the grants he has received. Currently he is a member of IETM (International Network for Performing Artists). As an activist, he co-founded and co-directed the LGBT+ project Cuipoétikas (2016 – 2022). Additionally, he has published three collections of poetry, being translated to English and French.

Mariia Bakalo, She/Her
mbaka003@ucr.edu
B.A. in Choreography, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
Mariia Bakalo is a dance artist, choreographer and educator in the realm of contemporary dance from Ukraine. Her research focus integrates two of her biggest passions which are literature and dance. In 2015-2017 she led regular experimental dance classes at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukraine). Her choreographic works of 2017-2019 years were dedicated to an idea of dance as a life practice and choreography as an ongoing reality-construction process. In 2019 was designated as laureate of a Presidential artist scholarship (Ukraine). In 2022 she became a scholarship holder of the DanceWeb program (ImpulseTanz festival Austria).

Negar, She/Her
negar.hajikamali@email.ucr.edu
BA in Architecture, Qazvin Azad University
Negar Kamali is a multidisciplinary artist with experience in dance, theater, photography, videography and woodworking. She has formally taught Persianate and Iranian dance forms since 2011 and enjoys playing Daf percussion. Over the past few years traveling to different regions in Iran, she choreographed dances inspired in Iranian geography, history, and literature. She is an active member of the Iranian Dance Studies Working Group (Dance Studies Association) and hopes that by weaving together contemporary dance, theater and photography, she can continue to create paths for expressing the realities around her.

 

Hannah McClean, She/Her
hmccl005@ucr.edu
B.F.A in Dance, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
Hannah McClean is a dance artist who creates interdisciplinary art that utilize innovative methods of song, dance and narrative to create performances that are rich with humanistic themes. From 2017 to 2023, Hannah collaborated and performed with the New York City based dance companies Amirov Dance Theatre and Beth Soll & Company, as well as with choreographer Nathan Trice, Sommer Ulrickson and Devo Nelson. Hannah is also an arts educator, she specializes in teaching outreach creative movement, interdisciplinary arts, and modern technique for young people.

Kevin Wong, He/Him
kwong039@ucr.edu
B.A. in Dance with an Education Minor, University of California, Riverside
Kevin Wong is a Queer Asian-American artist from San Francisco, California with a background in experimental, contemporary, hip hop, modern, pedestrian, and Chinese dance. He has danced with STEAMROLLER, Project M, and the Flying Angels Chinese Dance Company, and produced several works with his childhood best friend Matthew Wong. His work researches ideas of intimacy, desires, and memories through improvisation scores, experimental choreographic approaches, and reactive conversations. His goal is to develop an analytical and bodily practice that cultivates a safe space for generating a deeper understanding of the self.