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Anida Rouquiyah Yoeu Esguerra seeks an artistic,
spiritual and political exploration of her identity as a non hyphenated
Cambodian Muslim American woman. Esguerra has performed all over North
America with I Was Born With Two Tongues, The YellowTechnicolor Tour,
and Mango Tribe. Other recent roles include co-editor of the new Asian
American anthology Screaming Monkeys (Coffeehouse Press 2003) and Producer
of Mango Tribe’s “Sisters in the Smoke,” a multimedia
theatrical production addressing personal and global violence. One valuable
lesson that is at the heart of her work as a visual artist, writer, performer
and motivator: No one else can tell her story. Every one has a story
to tell and everyone’s story is worth telling.
Ann Poochareon suffers multiple identity crisis,
overachieving syndrome, and has too complicated of a life story. She does
everything there is to do on a computer and is helplessly addicted to
the Internet. Her work includes writing, photography, video, websites,
interactive media, 3D graphics, and a lot of computer code. People find
her at miserychick.net, where she rants on various topics and exposes
private life on a daily basis. Currently a graduate student at the Interactive
Telecommunications Program at Tisch/NYU, Ann plans to integrate new media
and other technical mumbo jumbo into theater performance. She lives in
New York City and hardly ever sleeps. Ann dedicates everything she does
to her mother, even if she doesn't understand them.
Emily Chi-hua Chang is a performance artist,
writer, and musician who currently resides in New York City. A masters
student in performance studies at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, she
also comprises one-quarter of the Chicago-based panAsian spoken word group,
I Was Born With Two Tongues, which was recently named in A. Magazine's
"A List" of 2001's top 25 most influential Asian Americans.
Her writing has appeared in Blu Magazine, the Columbia Poetry
Review, A. Magazine, and Asianweek.com; and her
voice has appeared in several spoken word/music albums, including Broken
Speak and hip hop albums, Typical Cats and Denizen Kane's
Tree City Legends. Recently seen at The Kitchen (NY) in Fred
Ho's avant-garde jazz opera, Warrior Sisters: Adventures of Asian
and African Womyn Warriors, she was also co-writer/director of Mangoes,
Cigarettes, and My Mama's Hands, the first Mango Tribe production,
and the 2002 production of Sisters in the Smoke at Chicago's
Vittum Theater.
Gina Bustos Obstaculo Magsombol was born and
raised in Chicago and received a Bachelors of Arts in architecture. She
is currently continuing in the field of architecture while simultaneously
pursuing a passion for the art of spoken word: working to feed the stomach,
while performing to feed the soul. Deemed as the "filipina liberation
poet", she tackles issues with both insight and a vicious tongue on being
a brown female in a not-so-brown world. She was a recent winner of the
Steven's Point Slam competition. Her past features include Ladyfest Midwest-Chicago,
League of Filipino Students Kultural Night of Resistance, Mental Graffiti,
and the Univ. of Chicago's Translations: Celebration of Chinese New
Year. Gina was also a cohort in the previously produced: Mangoes,
Cigarettes, and My Mama's Hands.
Jennifer Cendaøa Armas is a teaching artist
and activist from New York City. A poet, dancer, singer, actor, and writer,
she can be seen in the The Vengeance of Mami Wata an African
folktale developed by Ivory Coast legend Rose Marie Guirivoirve. Look
closely cause she gets around. Among her teachers she has studied tap
with Savion Glover, Charles Goddertz, Jason Samuels Smith, Bakaari Wilder,
and Omar Edwards. Her activist work focuses on youth communities of color.
Jennifer is the NY chapter's Program Coordinator for the Blackout Arts
Collective family. She has taught arts and activist workshops nationwide,
including New York's East Harlem Tutorial Program and a public school
in the L.E.S and developed the curriculum for the Women's Prison Association's
Young Women's Program at Rikers Island. She loves her kids and dedicates
her work to them.
Jill M. Morada Aguado is a Filipina American,
with bright eyes and a hopeful spirit. She is currently at a transitional
crux in her life, hoping to continue creating community here in Chicago.
As she enters “the real world,” Jill is blessed to be surrounded
by the fierce tribe of Mango femme Wu-Tang Clan members. She is a recent
graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was active
with many political orgs- but she attributes her higher learning to the
post-suburban Chicago community she has come into since joining the Asian
American Artists Collective. In between daydreams of going back to the
Philippines this fall, she aspires to remain involved in the social justice
field. She can be found itching to travel with her best friends, swapping
dirty jokes with her grandparents, and goofing off with students as a
Teaching Assistant for the Young Asians With Power (YAWP!) program. She
is grateful to her fam and friends for all their support.
Jona Mercado was born on the southside of
Chicago twenty-eight years ago, raised in "da sticks," and higher-learned
on the northside at Loyola University of Chicago. After selling-out to
the corporate game for the mere bribe of a promotion, she actually finds
self and smiles in her work as manager/mama to Chicago-based groups I
Was Born With Two Tongues, the PACIFICS, Typical Cats and Mango Tribe.
She has spent a good amount of time frolicking about the country for gigs
and with the YellowTechnicolor and Urban Architecture 606 Tours. During
the week, she can be found at her dayjob, subT, in the stands at dodgeball
or runnin shit at her Tambayan monthly set. As an independent pinay constantly
surrounded by the testosteroni of hip hop, she treasures the sistahood
and balance of the mangoes.
Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai is the daughter of Chinese
and Taiwanese immigrants. Born and raised in the Chicago area, she has
been lucky enough to be woman warrior with Sirenz (a multi-ethnic women's
spoken word group), Mango Tribe (an APIA women's performance group), and
Women Outloud (Chicago's longest running all-female open mic). A poet,
dancer, and activist, she is a board member for the Asian American Artists
Collective Chicago, co-organizer for the Nat'l APIA Spoken Word Summit
2003, and slammaster for the Asian American Slam at the Nat'l Poetry Slam
2003. She has been featured at cultural, political, and slam venues all
across Chicago and the U.S. Currently, she works with youth to develop
cross-cultural communication and leadership. Contact her at: kelly@mangotribe.com.
Lani T. Montreal is a writer/performer/activist
who's known to kick ass in Scrabble. She has penned four plays including
"Sister OutLaw," a romantic comedy with a gender and immigration
twist which premiered in December 2001 and toured at universities in Chicago
and the midwest. Her writings have been published in Canada (Peace Magazine,
The ACTivist, Brownscene, Storefront), in the US (Riksha, Bloodstone,
Filipinas) and the Philippines (Tibok: Anthology of Filipino Lesbian Writing,
Sunday Inquirer
Magazine). Her essay, "Poetry and Bonesetting" has been recently
included in "Pinoy Poetics," said to be the first international
poetics anthology of Filipino English-language poets to be published by
Meritage Press. She received the 2001 Samuel Ostrowsky Award for her memoir,
"Summer Rain." Lani is currently working on a collection of
fiction for her MFA in Creative Writing titled "Fiercely Femme, Fiercely
Filipina."
Marian Yalini Thambynayagam is a queer sri
lankan tamil woman livin in brooklyn by way of texas. Sick of bouncin'
between in betweens, she lives in the borderlands where poetry is theater
is love is movement is song is prayer is rebellion. She looks to reshape
reality seeking peace through justice in the lands of earth, psyche, spirit,
and dream. She thanx n sends much luv to all those who feed her inspiration
and help her unlearn her education.
Michelle Alba is an artist who is currently dedicating
whatever time/space/money/braincells that haven't been sucked in by the
9-5 to her love of photography. A jill-of-all-trades, Michelle has contributed
drawings, photographs and paintings to the literary journal and various
shows of the Asian American Artists Collective since 1995, co-edited MONSOON
in 1998, performed in the Collective's Re: 911 show this past February,
and is happily giving props and snapping away backstage for Mango Tribe.
Michelle is also proud to be a creative mentor in the Redmoon Theater's
Dramagirls program, where the girls seem to "school" her more
than she does them.
Micole Los Baøes was born on the West side
of Chicago and raised in the midst of Little Italy and Maxwell Street.
Falling victim to the CPS system- and what higher learning has not taught
her about her Asian-American culture- at 23 years old, she can finally
say that her big brown almond shaped eyes have been opened up with the
help of her Mango Tribe womyn warriors, fellow members of the Asian American
Artists Collective-Chicago, and their friends and family. This experience
has brought her closer to her own family and helped her realize that the
Rizal Street blood does flow in her system. As a true Filipina at heart-with
a hint of flava n' soul, Micole has a strong sense of spirituality. She
hopes that she can share her personal experiences and struggles with others
to help provide guidance and courage for other young women. She is currently
in limbo deciding which career path to choose and is blessed that she
is supported by her loved ones, whether the choice be pharmacy or nursing.
You can catch her TA'ing for an Asian-American youth writing program,
YAWP! (Young Asians With Power), at your local pharmacy, chatting with
her sekkret society, or hookin' up her friends and fam at the pizza joint
on the corner. Stop in and say WUDDUP!
Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan is the co-founder/director
of Diaspora Flow a non-profit arts organization dedicated to providing
a forum for artists of color and facilitating connections between artists
and youth. She has also a danced with Women in Motion and has debuted
solo work in New York and Minneapolis. She has been involved as an intern
with Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and Little Earth Residents Association.
She graduated from University of Minnesota in 2000. She is currently working
with youth focusing on Art and Actvism in the Twin Cities.
San Tong San Tong is an artist and documentarian
currently living in New York City. She is part of several art collectives
and likes the communities she has found in New York. She stage-managed
a play called "Cowboy Mouth" written by Sam Sheppard and Patti Smith that
performed at the CBGB Lounge and Surf Reality. She was also stage manager
for a multimedia production called "The Bigger Thing" at the Red Room
Theater. Her visual art includes an origami mobile and 2 video/film installations
for different artshows with Working Artist Meeting Point (WAMP). She has
also done various projects with a film group called Reel Sweet Betty and
her video short "Brooklyn Cityscape" was part of a show organized by AVIATE.
Lately, video has been a medium through which she's been able to do activist
work. She was part of the "OpenHumanMinds" crew that did "How the WEF
was Won" a documentary about the protests against the World Economic Forum.
Currently she works with the 5th Night Screenplay and Short Film Series
at the Nuyorican Poets Cafi and she is also working on a documentary about
women in prison. She will be part of the production crew for a feature
length film called "El Segundo" (where she lost her wallet.) She likes
fiery dragons.
Sarwat Rumi is a bilingual Bengali American
Muslim who has been writing since she could read. She has a B.A. in South
Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Sarwat
is blessed with a challenging life in which her art, employment, activism,
and spirituality merge into a single web-worked path. By day, Sarwat battles
domestic violence through Apna Ghar, an agency which services the Asian
community; by night, she is a vigilante spoken word artist; and really
late night she casts her witchy superpowers to bind oppressive forces.
Through Mango Tribe she has found a space in which to nurture sisterhood,
community, creativity and healing; as the singer for Serpent Feline, she
is figuring out how to collaborate with a couple of talented brothers.
Sarwat resides in Chicago with her feline familiar, Indigo, and a whole
crew of faeries who watch over them both.
Sharmili Majmudar is a Chicago-based South
Asian writer and social justice activist, the daughter of Gujarati Indian
immigrants. Her writing has been published in Contours of the Heart:
South Asians Map North America, Shakti Kee Awaaz: Voices of Strength
and Riksha. She has frequently been caught poetizing and rabble-rousing
with Mango Tribe, the Asian American Artists Collective Chicago (AAAC)
and other fierce wordsmiths at venues in Chicago and across the U.S.,
including Los Angeles’ ArtWallah Festival. Sharmili serves on the
board of directors of AAAC and of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's
Network, teaches/learns with YAWP! (Young Asians With Power) and is a
proud founding member of Khuli Zaban, a South Asian/West Asian lesbian/
bisexual/ transgender women's organization. For her day job, Sharmili
coordinates programs for survivors of domestic violence and children affected
by trauma. She’s happily traveling to Lutsen, Minnesota later this
summer where she has been awarded a residency at the Norcroft Writing
Retreat for Women.
Vanessa De Guia rebels against the miseducation
of all children of color. As a teaching artist for Young Asians With Power
(YAWP), Vanessa is at heart a community server and advocate for women
and children in Chicago. She is a certified medical advocate for rape
victims and serves on the board of the Asian American Artists Collective-Chicago.
Recently she finished her first year of teaching at Hope College Prep
in Englewood and is one year closer to obtaining her MEd in Curriculum/Instruction
at National-Louis University. She believes that commitment to love and
spiritual fulfillment is the key to freedom and peace of mind. She was
last seen in Pintig's musical, "Dreamweavers."
Vivienne Diawara Tan is a filipinachinese
american post- post- post- post-feminism feminist born in Chicago, raised
on hip hop and adobo, living for herself and her peoples. When she’s
not trying to sneak back into the world of higher education, viv masters
the of art of escapism through painting, writing, soulsearching, head
nodding, selective hearing, jasmine incense burning and Mango Tribe conspiring.
vivienne has recently been sighted kicking ass as stage manager and performer
for the Chicago premiere of Mango Tribe’s “Sisters In The
Smoke” as well as the collaborative multimedia project “Register
THIS!” for the Asian American Artists Collective-Chicago.
Yasmeen Shorish is an Afghan-American woman
who enjoys getting paid for playing with pretty lights. This is the second
time that Yasmeen has designed for Mango Tribe and she's very excited
to come out to NYC to do it. Besides actually using her BFA in theatrical
lighting design, she also speaks as a representative of the Women's Alliance
for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan and she is Asst. Executive Director
for the American Society of Afghan Professionals in Chicago. She is very
thankful to be a part of the intelligent and brave group of women who
are Mango Tribe. For her day job, Yasmeen works for a lighting production
company.
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