Sis.Jeannine Osayande is the founder and executive director of Dunya Performing Arts Company in Swarthmore Pennsylvania. She is archiving the rich history of Swarthmores Pennsylvania's historically black neighborhood where her family has been rooted for over 100 years. Sis.Jeannine Osayande will discuss dance, family ties and social identity as an artist and teacher in Boston and abroad.

Brother Brandon Guillermo will talk to us about growing up in Brooklyn New York and learning to play percussion at jam sessions and bembes. He will talk about the music and dance scene in New York and in Boston in the 70's and 80's. He will share his insights about Jazz, Afro-Cuban and African music then and now as an arts educator and performer.

Our guest on Spirit of Creativity will be Bro.Leon Mobley.

Brother Leon will talk to us about his days as a youth in Roxbury Mass. and the influential people who resided in the Fort Hill area. He held many interesting jobs as a youth. He will tell us about his days at the Elma Lewis school as well as his time on the PBS's program Zoom. Leon is the black man at the forefront of the Remo brand djembe drum. He will tell us about his travels around the world as a master musician in concert with other well known bands and artist . Listen in to hear more about Bro.Leon and his insights on Show Business.

Bro.Stone received his first drum from his father at the age of nine in Hartford Connecticut. The Artist Collective in Hartford Connecticut co-founded by Clarice "Dollie" McLean and her husband Jackie McLean was one of the well renowned institutions where Bro.Stone studied the arts. Some of Bro.Stone's Teachers were Chief Bey and Ibrahima Camara and more whom he will discuss with us. Bro.Stone will tell us about his transition to Boston as an artist and the companies he worked with. Bro.Stone was the lead singer in the band One People. He is among the first to bring African dance and music to the Dance Complex despite community opposition. He also brought African dance and music to independent black schools. Brother Stone started several groups and companies across the country and performed in the 1996 Olympics Opening Ceremonies

Our Spirit of Creativity guest is Brother Stephen O'Neal.
Growing up in Dorchester, Bro.Stephen got to experience the best of black arts and culture as a student at The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Roxbury. Brother Stephen O'Neal is a professional percussionist who started studying the Arts at The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Roxbury Mass. at a very early age. He played drums on Babatunde Olatunji's Drums Of Passion Album at the age of seven. He has performed in Boston's Black Nativity for 42 years. Bro.Stephen will talk to us about his journey as an artist in Boston Mass..

In Spirit Of Creativity welcomes Sister Iginaijah Seck. Sis.Igina is my FIRST teacher in traditional African dance. She started her first dance company, Dancers of Yimard in her teens.
She was the youngest artist of the first African Dance Companies in Boston Mass.: Bokande and The Art of Black Dance and Music. She is a vocalist who has hailed as the number one female reggae artist in Boston. Sis.Igina will talk to us about her artistic Journey.

Our guest is Sister Ife Bolden. She will talk about her dance Journey as a teacher and performing artist. Sister Ife will also talk about her role in the start and continuation of a well known permanent African Dance teaching space in Cambridge Massachusetts.

Sister Shelia Wilson is a teacher of children, an arts educator and performing artist. Her roots are in Boston Mass.. We discuss her school, the arts scene at the Piano Factory and the early days of African dance in Boston.

An interview with Sis.Liz Osun Kemi,
Pioneer, Sis. Liz Osun Kemi Coleman One of the first women in the 70's who paved the way in African rooted percussion in Boston. Sister Liz Osun Kemi is a percussionist, arts educator and teacher whose homebased arts institute, brought in master teachers of the traditionsfrom near and far to teach the history of African rooted traditions and culture in Boston for over 10 years.
We talk about the history of African rooted culture in Boston and abroad,
as well as her contributions to the arts community.