Shakia Barron
Shakia “The Key” Barron is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator whose work is rooted in the African Diaspora, focusing on Hip-Hop, House and other African diasporic dance forms. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Mount Holyoke College and Artistic Director of her own project-based dance company, Kia the Key & Company. She graduated with her MFA in Choreography at Wilson College, she holds an Associate’s degree in dance and psychology from Dean College, a Bachelor’s in liberal arts from Westfield State University, and she received the National Dance Institute’s teaching artist certificate in 2009. She is an alum of Bates Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, and Pioneer Valley’s Performing Arts Charter School.

Barron has choreographed and directed more than 50 Hip-Hop, modern, African and lyrical works that have been performed at Trenton Educational Dance Institute, Rider University, the Princeton School of Ballet, Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. She has performed for numerous Hip-Hop events and has opened for concerts by Fat Joe, Jadakiss, 112, Charlie Baltimore, and Kima from “Total” and Omarion. In 2005, she choreographed a Hip-Hop number for the Celtics/NBA half-time show. Barron has toured nationally and internationally, dancing with Face Da Phlave Entertainment, Illstyle and Peace Productions, and as a guest artist with Rennie Harris PureMovement. 

As a dance educator, Barron spent many years teaching at the Bates Dance Festival and taught community classes at Jacob’s Pillow. Barron is a DEL(Dance Education Laboratory) faculty member who has facilitated multiple professional development workshops around the integration of Hip-Hip dance and history in the curriculum. Barron was the 2019 Arthur Levitt Jr. ’52 Artist-in-Residence at Williams College. She is also a recent recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from Bates Dance Festival. Prior to joining Mount Holyoke College Dance Department as a full-time tenure track faculty, she served as an adjunct at UMASS Amherst, Smith, Amherst and Connecticut colleges.

Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez
Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez is a first-generation Latina Los Angeles native. Jackie graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA’s Dept. of World Arts and Cultures, with a concentration in Dance in 2004. Miss Funk found her love for Hip Hop/Streetdance since the late 90’s and her movement and historical content that she teaches is reflective of her personal experience as a teacher,professional dancer, choreographer, and participant/practitioner in Hip Hop and Streetdance culture, in which she has trained extensively and has served for over 25 yrs.

Some of her accomplishments are; First Latina Woman to teach and build the Hip Hop/Streetdance curriculum at the University of Los Angeles (UCLA) 2009 – present, a recipient of the Lester Horton Artist Appreciation Award presented by the Dance Resource Center Los Angeles and recipient of the Hip Hop Impact Achievement Award presented by Ladies of Hip Hop. Most recently, Miss Funk served as Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. through the Arts Envoy Cultural Exchange Program to teach and choreograph at the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel. As part of the 3-week residency, Miss Funk was the first woman of color to choreograph a full Hip Hop/Streetdance piece, while also teaching the history of Hip Hop/Streetdance culture.

Boogie Toonz Klick
Founded in 2009 by a group of dedicated breakers in southern Maine, Boogie Toonz Klick has established itself as a premier breaking crew based in Portland, Maine. Competing across New England, our mission is to promote the art of breakdancing and the broader hip-hop culture to the next generation. Boogie Toonz has competed at local events such as The Exchanges and has performed at Portland’s monthly Art Walks. We host open practice sessions at Casco Bay Movers and actively engage with local youth through various dance programs. Our commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive dance community continues to inspire and nurture young talent in the region.

Join us for an electrifying exhibition battle performance by Boogie Toonz Klick! Our crew will split into two dynamic units, showcasing an intense display of raw breaking culture. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the energy, skill, and passion that define our art.

CONcept ARTists
The CONcept ARTists, also known as ConArt, debuted in 2011 and for years have performed throughout the Northeast, sharing their multitude of styles and flavors. In 2016, ConArt hosted its first self-produced showcase, CONcentrate On The ARTistry, and has turned it into a continual celebration of New England’s dance and recording artists. Always with more on the horizon, ConArt builds on their legacy by providing high quality performance, instruction, and creative services. Follow us on Instagram at @theconceptartists. 

Project ChArma
Both Ama and Chris Law are proud products of the DMV metropolitan area, having honed their craft together since high school. Their combined expertise spans a diverse range of movement styles and foundations, cultivated through undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), where they both earned MFAs in Dance and Choreography. As devoted teachers and students of their craft, their extensive knowledge of West African dance, martial arts, vogue, modern dance, hip hop, and self-taught urban movement, uniquely allow them to guide diverse students and audience members through a fusion of different movement forms. They have taught and choreographed at various institutions including the Kennedy Center, Dance Place, Howard University, UMCP, American University, Goucher College, University of Kentucky and Bates Dance Festival.

In 2017 the Laws founded Project ChArma (pronounced Karma because it guides our lives), a DMV-area project-based collective of artists dedicated to promoting social change through movement. The duet you will see today, Quarantine and Nina, is the seed and inspiration for the hour-length production Chronicles of Nina… What Now? which premiered at the Kennedy Center in April 2024. Chris and Ama find intersections between street dance flair, West African foundation and modern technique manipulation. The duet delves into themes of resilience, ancestral connection, and the quest for enduring legacies… foregrounding movement and dance as a bridging point for audience members to find release.

Nate Odell
Nate Odell originates from Western Massachusetts, and has been dancing since the age of 3. Growing up at a competitive dance studio, Nate has trained in styles such as Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Acro, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Ballet, and Musical Theater. Later into High School, Nate started to train in street styles such as Tutting and Animation, and later Flexn. After living in Los Angeles to pursue his professional career, Nate came home and started to teach at studios around New England. Nate is a National Award winning choreographer, as his choreography is performed by his students who compete around New England and the country. He also teaches at school such as Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School and Mt. Holyoke College as a hired guest. Nate himself competes in the form of street battles, and on stages such as Paul Mitchell’s World of Dance. He also works as tech crew for the industry leading dance completion, “ID Dance Competition.”

Technique
Technique is from Springfield Massachusetts and has been dancing for about 15 years in the style of animation, tutting and freestyle!