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African Diaspora Roots Culture
MusicDance
SpiritualityEducationSolidarity
Community-Building
Our vision is that every youth and adult of African Diaspora heritage will be
well-versed in at least one cultural arts tradition of his or her heritage and wield
their cultural art for personal wellness, community building, and social change.
Established 2005www.thelegacycircle.org 646-924-7187 All Rights Reserved.
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The Legacy Circle
c/o Manuela Arciniegas, 74 West 92 St. #14B, New York, NY 10025, Tel:
646.924.7187 Email: [email protected]:
www.thelegacycircle.org
Peace and Blessings be With You!
My name is Manuela Arciniegas, and I am the founder and director of The Legacy Circle,
an award winning cultural arts non-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the cultural
and artistic work of artists and educators from the African Diaspora. Founded in 2006
through a prestigious social justice fellowship from the NYU school of public leadership,
we provide healing and wellness opportunities, leadership development, and creative
expression through an exploration of African diaspora culture and art.
We are currently inviting collaborations for a variety of our programs, including
bookings for performances, workshops, teaching artist residencies, our adult Tuesday drum and
dance class, and our monthly womens drum circles. Our programs are run by professional and
top-level Afro-Caribbean performance companies and artists. Our vast network includes award-winning artists specializing in Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena, Haitian roots music, Dominican
Palos and Congos, Hip Hop, R&B and Soul singers, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and
much more.
Our educators and performers are highly trained traditional musicians and dancers
who've worked with youth in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the 5 boroughs.
They hold more than 10 years experience working with youth and adults in the most diverse
communities of New York and have been extremely successful in helping people grow
artistically, culturally, academically, and socially. Our approach is to help youth and adults learn
about the contributions of Afro-Latino, African, and African-American culture in the Americas,
help audiences and participants identify their talents and aspirations, and enjoy learning and
performing the vibrant music and dance forms of our cultural heritage.Enclosed are presskits for our womens drum band, as well as the flyer for the monthly
drum cyphers and for our co-ed, Tuesday evening adult drum and dance classes. Please print
and share the attached flyer with your networks. In addition, we are currently booking
educational programs, workshops and performances with schools, non-profit organizations,
libraries, public and for-profit groups who welcome a fun and educational opportunity to
participate in our vibrant cultural arts. Whether you're looking to celebrate Black History or
Women's History Month, celebrate a birthday party, wedding, or staff party, please do not
hesitate to call.
Please let me know if you are interested or would like to connect us with someone who might be
interested in our work.
In art and spirit!
Manuela Arciniegas
Founder & Director,
PhD. Candidate in Ethnomusicology, City University of New York/The Graduate Center
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Table of Contents
1. About The Legacy Circle: pp.4
Mission, Strategy, Goals, Valuespp.5
2. Our Programs: pp.6
Teaching & Performance Artist Programs
Womens Monthly Drum Cypherspp.8
Sankofa Saturdayspp.9
Spirit Circlepp.10
Adult Drum & Dance Classespp.11
3. Staff Biographies: pp.12
Performance Groups15
To learn more about our programs,become a member, contact Manuela
Arciniegas, Director at:
Tel: 646-924-7187,
Join our Group Page, The Legacy Circle,
on Facebook, or visit our website:
www.thelegacycircle.org
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About The Legacy Circle
MissionThe Legacy Circle isdedicated to empowering African Diaspora youth and adults in New
York City through cultural arts education. Our goal is to awaken young people and
adults to their identity as African descendants and their legacy as leaders.
Our Strategy involves Education, Art, Community Building, and
Activism.
We provide workshops, organize events,
lectures and presentations on Afro-Caribbean
traditional music & dance that bring artists,
youth and community members together to
learn, practice, and honor our ancestral
cultural legacy. Our workshops are aimed at
helping people gain knowledge of themselves
and tap into their personal power to heal
themselves and others.
Our Annual Goals are to:1) Build a new cadre of practitioners of
traditional music,
2) Build solidarity & sense of community
between people of African descent
3) Build skills and knowledge ofparticipants to heal ourselves and take
care of each other through our culture and
spirit.
Our Organizational StructureWe are a series of collectively run Circles
headed by Chiefs who manage and
support volunteers to enact our mission and fulfill our goals.
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Our Values
1. Spirit- Everything is connected and everything has an innate life force. Our spiritual
belief systems honor and protect our interconnectedness. We honor our ancestors and
their spiritual and medicinal practices because they fought to protect our traditions and
ensure our survival. We believe in putting spirit at the forefront of our work and our
actions.
2. Community: We value community and resist isolation and individualism.Culture
brings people together and can teach us how to take care of each other. Our community
celebrates our interconnectedness and cooperative work.
3. Creativity & Art: Our creativity is our stamp of uniqueness and divinity.
Unleashing our creative force allows us to strengthen our intuition. Creativity also
allows us to heal from the silence and violence we have faced, rediscover joy and
expression, and articulate new solutions.
4. People Development: We support the development
of all people, including youth and women, because we
recognize that the most marginalized voices are needed to
lead our community.
5. Resistance: We believe in our legacy as warriors and
our power to resist domination, colonialism, capitalism,
racism, sexism, and all forms of oppression. We resist
through continuing to practice our culture even if our
environment may be at times hostile to it.
6. Leadership: We believe in women-centered
leadership, youth-centered leadership, and the leadership
of upstanding, honorable, humble and humane men of
color. We believe that by developing practitioners who become future teachers of our
tradition, our culture will never die.
7. Culture: Our culture allows us to teach the values and practice the behaviors that
can create a healthier, more humane, more harmonious world. Through our culture we
create a sense of belonging, of interconnectedness to each other, and a way of being thatrestores vitality to our spirit and well-being to our community.
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Our Programs
Educational Programs
The Legacy Circle
collaborates with schools
and after-school
programs to educate
youth about the music,
dance, and visual arts of
the African Diaspora.
Our organization is
committed to helping
youth and adults unleash
their latent talents
through exploring their
culture of origin and theleadership and
contributions of people
of African descent in the
Americas.
Our educators are highly trained traditional musicians and dancers who've worked with
youth in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the 5 boroughs. They hold
more than 10 years experience working with youth in the most under-served
communities and have been extremely successful in helping the youth grow artistically
and socially, which has in turn supported their academic growth. Our approach is to
help young people identify their talents and aspirations, and connect to the history of
inspirational leaders of their respective cultural backgrounds.
Teaching Artist Residencies and Workshops
The Legacy Circle provides workshops to
youth, parents, and teachers during daytime,
afterschool and evening programs by
collaborating with service providers and
public and private schools and organizations.
Our cultural arts education work explores the
connections between African Americans and
Latinos, our legacy as leaders and positive
contributors to our community, increased
self-esteem and positive youth development
through the arts.
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The academic benefits of our cultural arts programs are expansive. Our tailor-made
curriculums integrate Social Studies/World History, English Language Arts/English
Language Learners, and Spanish academic subjects. Our past collaborators include
Middle School 8 in Jamaica, Queens, P.S. 62 in the Bronx, Validus Prep, Bronx Charter
School for the Arts, Urban Assembly Academy, Eagle Academy, and various others. The
New York State Council of the Arts has recognized and awarded our educational work,
as have various principles and organizations who have seen first-hand the power andvalue of our educational work. To see a video of our educational programs, please visit:
Performances for youth, adults, and families
Whether its a celebration for Black History or Hispanic Heritage Month, an interactive
discussion and demonstration on the connections between African American and Latino
youth, an exploration of African Diaspora Culture in the Americas, or birthday
celebration or a holiday staff party, our educational and entertaining performances
always bring joy to a variety of audiences. We are a not-for-profit 502 (c )-3 organization
and can be hired through a licensed Department of Education vendor.
Whether at a cultural festival, a professional performance at Lincoln Center, or a private
birthday party, our diverse artists and performers quickly move any crowd to learn,
celebrate, sing and dance in our interactive and ancestral drumming and dance.
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Monthly Womens Drum Cyphers
Every month, women of African descent gather in a female-only, safe and relaxing space
where they share resources, to make music, dance, meditate, and put their collective
energies to solving urgent problems they face as women in this society. Our monthly
revitalizing drum cyphers are meant to foster continued growth and leadership of
women, cultivating their power as leaders, their connection to community and eachother, and their access to traditional roots culture. Hosted on the second Saturday of the
month at the Dominican Womens Development Center at 609 West 179th Street from 3-
5pm, women and girls are all welcome!
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Sankofa Saturdays: Monthly Educational Event & Concert
Hosted at the avant-garde Bruckner Art Gallery in the South Bronx, Sankofa
Saturdays presents workshops, film screenings, and concerts by contemporary and roots
emerging and established artists from the African Diaspora. Dedicated to helping
promote solidarity between people of African descent, the event encourages us to all
Sankofa, the Akan word from Ghana encouraging us to go back (into the past) and getit. Usually a magical night featuring a film screening, a lecture or workshop, followed by
an electrifying performance, Sankofa Saturdays have featured New York Citys best
conscious and inspiring roots and contemporary performers. Past artists include
Mahina Movement, The Welfare Poets, Alkebulan, Storm, Alma Moyo, Kalunga Neg
Mawon, Kumba Carey, Bodoma Garifuna, 809 ladies, and many others.
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Spirituality Circle
Our spirituality circle seeks to introduce & educate people of African descent about
African Diaspora traditional belief systems and their historical contributions to the
Americas. Every year we host an educational conference entitled Mayombe: Which Craft?The goal of
the event is to highlight the nourishing cultural and spiritual elements ofPalo Mayombe,
Santeria, Vodoun, and other sacred African Diaspora traditions. The discussion will take adeep look at the role and responsibilities of thePalero healer in our society. It will also spark a
more critical conversation about witchcraft (wanga) and the power of a Palero. Panelists will
challenge the bias and myths aroundPalo Mayombe as purely a religion of negative magic. We
aim to foster increased awareness around Bantu-Kongo traditional teachings and their potential
to heal community while restoring human balance to each other and mother nature. Presenters
have included the world's leading scholar on Bantu Kongo philosophy, Tata Fukiau Bunseki,
and New York Citys legendaryPalero (a traditional healer/priest knowledgeable in the ways of
plants and herbs from the Cuban-Kongo derivedPalo Mayombe tradition)--Florencio Miguel
Garzon, otherwise known as Loanganga Bejuco Nfinda. world famous drummerAnthony
Carrillo, and high priestAlexander LaSalle.
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Adult Ancestral Dance/Drum Classes on Tuesday Nights
For the past 4 years, The Legacy Circle has been cultivating the next generation of
drummers and dancers of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba and Afro-Dominican palos, salves,
congos, and Haitian rara. Our weekly adult drum and dance classes include hands-on
instruction in the sacred roots traditions essential to our culture, and they also include
discussions on the philosophical and historical components of these sacred traditions.Classes are offered at affordable fees and they are open to adults and teens.
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Staff Biographies
Manuela Arciniegas (drummer, dancer, founder,
director) founded The Legacy Circle in 2005 through the
Social Justice Fellowship awarded to her by NYUs
Wagner School of Public Leadership. She is a PhD
candidate for Ethnomusicology at the City University of
New Yorks Graduate Center. Manuela graduated from
Harvard University in 2001 and since then has been
working in education, cultural arts, and community
organizing. She was the former director of Education for
the Caribbean Cultural Center/African Diaspora
Institute, where she coordinated over 100 arts education
programs citywide managing a budget of close to
$500,000. Manuela has been performing and teaching
Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Dominican music with various troupes around New York City, including Yaya
All-Womens Drumming Troupe, Alma Moyo, La 21
Division, Kumba Carey, Grupo Kalunga Neg Mawon,
Nchila Ngoma, William Cepedas Afro-Boricua, and
many others. Manuela has worked as a foundation officer
with the Active Element Foundation, a community organizer with Sustainable South Bronx, and
a school business manager with the NYC Department of Education alternative school district
79s Suspensions Program.
Alexander LaSalle, (singer, drummer) is the
founder/director of Alma Moyo, a music and danceensemble dedicated to the preservation and continuation
of Puerto Ricos artistic and cultural heritage , especially
Bomba. He is one of the best young drummers and
singers in the Bomba tradition. In addition, LaSalle is
considered one of the top young scholars/historians of
the musical traditions of the Caribbean and United
States, as well as Kongo traditions in the Americas. He
has presented at lectures and demonstrations at Yale
University, Columbia University, New York University,
Lincoln Center, Heritage Jazz Center in New Orleans.
Alex has been a teaching artist since 2001, working
through arts education organizations such as Harlem
School of the Arts, Caribbean Cultural Center, Citylore,
Free Arts NYC, and has taught children grades K-12 at
over 25 public schools in the Bronx, Queens, and
Manhattan.
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Julia Gutierrez-Rivera, (dancer, drummer) is
one of New York Citys premier Bomba and Plena
dance instructors, performing and teaching with
Grammy Nominated group Los Pleneros de la 21,
Inc. in New York City, Puerto Rico, Texas, Berlin,
and various other locations. She has been teaching
since with Alma Moyo and Los Pleneros de la 21, Inc,
and performing with groups such as Bambula, Papo
Vazquez and Los Piratas, and William Cepedas Afro-
Boricua, Citylore, Caribbean Cultural Center/African
Diaspora Institute, Arts Horizon, at P.S. 11, P.S. 62,
P.S. 78, and JHS 008. Julia has been performing
since she was a child and is a candidate for a Masters
from the Milano School of Non-Profit Management.
Julia was the former director of Association of
Hispanic Arts and is currently the program
coordinator for Los Pleneros de la 21, Inc.
Genaro Ozuna was an integral member of the prestigious
Dominican National Ballet Company founded by Fradique
Lizardo, specializing in the traditional music and dance of
Dominican Republic. He studied dramatic arts in the Bellas
Artes School, and graduated from the University of Artes
Plasticas of Puerto Rico with a specialization in Arts Education.
Genaro has been teaching students grades K-12 in NYC public
schools through the National School and Community Forum and
the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute at P.S.
152, PS 210/21st Century Academy, New Day Academy,
Hermanas Mirabal Community School, and various others. He
has performed dance with all of New Yorks Afro-Dominican
musical groups including Grupo Kalunga Neg Mawon, Kumba
Carey, La 21 Division, Asa Dife, and various others.
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Performance Group Biographies
The Legacy Circle Women's DrumCypher is an all-women's traditional musicalgroup rooted in Afro-Dominican and Afro-Puerto Rican traditions. Our women are the
next generation of NYC's most gifteddrummers, singers, and dancers of Afro-Caribbean music, including Palos, Congos, Salves, Bomba and Plena, the Afro-Indigenous roots music of the Caribbean. Ourgroup makes music that celebrates the fiery,nurturing, defiant, yet wise touch thatmujeres (women) have. We recognize that wepossess feminine power that holds up ourcommunity, and honor the immensecontributions women make everyday. Our
performances are only part of our process of building sisterhood with each other andimbuing our audiences with joy and strength. Featuring original and traditional songs,our sultry and booming vocals, precision drumming and expressive dance encourageseveryone to raise their voice and celebrate our heritage!
809 Ladies was founded by Mireya Ramos, a gifted violinist and vocalist hailing from Puerto Rico withMexican and Dominican Roots. The band features adiverse group of women who are on the cutting edge of
fusing original songs with the traditional rhythms of LaBella Quisqueya, including Bachata, Merengue, and salsaas well. They have performed at Havana Room, 809 Bar,and various venues throughout New York.
Alma Moyo Afro-Puerto Rican Music Group was bornin 2002 at a lively drum jam session at La Casita deChema, a community garden in the South Bronx.Founded by Alex LaSalle from Moca, Puerto Rico, AlmaMoyo is an intergenerational crew of Puerto Ricans andDominicans who promote the diverse regional drum andvocal styles of Bomba with a Caribbean-blues sentiment.Illegal throughout parts of Puerto Rico as recently as the1940s, Alma Moyos Bomba is laden with revolutionarydefiance, sorrowful lament, and therapeutic chanting.Alma Moyo pays homage to the rich contributions of Ayitito BOMBA and to Africans in the Americas.
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Grupo Kalunga Neg Mawon is amusical dance ensemble that consists ofmembers who have spent most of theirlives researching and studying Africanculture in the Americas. Their aim is topreserve aspects of African tradition and
identity existing in QuisqueyaAyiti,known today as the Dominican Republicand The Republic of Haiti. They use thename Kalunga to highlight the Congolesecultural aspects retained inDominican/Haitian culture andthroughout the African Diaspora of thewestern hemisphere, such as Cuba, PuertoRico, etc. Kalunga is a Goddess of theCongolese people known also as theMuntu-Bantu or Bakongo. She is the
universal cosmos, the great bang from which all life originated, including thedepths of the seas and the oceans. Kalunga also represents a time when Congoleseculture was dominated by a matriarchal system where women played a prominent rolein society. Neg Mawon translates into Black Maroonsthose who fought against slavery,many of whom were Congolese descendants like Sebastian Lemba. They use the termNeg Mawon to symbolize our resistance against slavery and colonialism in a struggle tomaintain and develop our African identity against overwhelming odds.
Bodoma Garifuna Band Speaking of Carlos
Norales; is speaking of a humble, simple andtalented young singer and drummer crihoyoGarifuna culture, which through his music, connectsthe youth with the ancestral and beyond. He wasborn in November 1974, on a ship named Kety SantaFe, which was facing the Bay of La Ceiba and wasfull of passengers including his mother who wastraveling from Puerto Cortes to Santa Fe Colon inHonduras. Their music is a testament to the richand healing African drums of the Garifuna people.
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