Team

Martha is an award-winning arts educator (Brooklyn Arts Exchange BAXten Award 2002, NYC Education Chancellor Rudolph Crew’s Community Caring Award 1999). After studying under Bessie Schonberg at Sarah Lawrence College, she formed her company, Martha Bowers Dance/Theatre/Etcetera. In New York, her work has been presented at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, DTW’s Bessie Schonberg Theater( now New York Live Arts), PS 122, St. Mark’s Church, Central Park Summerstage, amongst many other venues. She is a recipient of choreographic fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (`84, `88, `96), the New Jersey State Council for the Arts (`84), and the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art, and has received commissions for new works from the Jerome Foundation (through DTW’s “First Light” program), the Maine Festival, Mayfair, Dancing in the Streets, the Gowanus Arts Exchange and the Wagon Train Project, among others. Since 1994, Ms. Bowers has focused her work on the creation of large-scale site-specific events, and is noted for her 20 years of work as an artist and educator in Red Hook, Brooklyn. From the mussel boats of Wexford, Ireland to the train yards of Nebraska, her performance events have brought a prismatic view to locations and ways of life that challenge audiences to uncover latent meaning in familiar surroundings. Her site-specific performance work Angels and Accordions designed for Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery was selected by the Municipal Arts Society NYC 2010 Annual Awards Committee to receive a Certificate of Merit that recognizes “people, places, organizations and momentous events that have, in our view, made an exceptional contribution to the life of New York City.” Ms. Bowers has worked extensively in the field of arts education and community arts since 1981. From 1982-2002, she made annual visits to Ireland to work as a community dance artist, creating choreography for a variety of groups in both the north and south. From 2003-2005, she was an Education Consultant for The Kitchen. Currently, she teaches courses on Site-Specific Art/Performance as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study and at the Tisch School of the Arts. As a Teaching Artist and Arts Education consultant, Martha has designed, implemented and taught in arts education programs throughout the New York City public school system for Dancing in the Streets, the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, the Lincoln Center Institute and Dance Theatre Etcetera. From 2006-2007, she also structured the Third Millennium Foundation’s Dance for Tolerance project launch, which brought together marginalized youth from Colombia, Brazil and Brooklyn to showcase innovative global programs that use dance as a means of tolerance education here in New York City. A frequent guest artist, Martha has taught choreography and community arts at many colleges and universities including Rutgers, Cornell, Trinity College, Queens College, Antioch, and Colorado College among others. Ms. Bowers has been honored with a 2002 BAXten Award in Arts Education, Chancellor Rudolph Crew’s 1999 Community Caring Award and six New York Foundation for the Arts Artist in the School Community grants. She continues to work in collaboration with Dance Theatre Etcetera’s many non-profit partners on programs and cultural events that serve the community of Red Hook.

Leslie Trotter is an artist and entrepreneur, who produces global content, products and immersive experiences, rooted in transformation design. Her work seeks to dismantle colonial perceptions of communities of color using art as the catalyst for change.
She is a Pratt Institute Fellow and holds an MFA in Communication Design from Pratt Institute. Leslie is a Pharrell Williams Black Ambition Award Winner for her social impact startup which connects highly skilled, untapped artists to the global market through strategic product development partnerships.

Justin A. Brown is a NYC based writer and filmmaker. Justin studied Film/Video at the High School of Art & Design and holds a bachelor’s in Media, Society and the Arts with a minor in Screenwriting from SUNY Purchase.
Storytelling remains Justin’s preferred art form which he has demonstrated range in with short stories such as, Coco Cherry Mango Rembo and Liminal, Lucid and Lovely; and with such poems as Sunspot and Useless. While contributing to Hook Arts Media’s initiatives to encourage expression and skill building in the arts, he also develops his own skills and passions with his magazine, ‘The Signature Reader’.

Jasmine is a queer artist-activist and communal storyteller based on unceded Lenape land in Brooklyn, NY, devoted to unearthing varied perspectives of what it is to be human. Jasmine strives to center joy, liberation, healing, and a reclamation of our relationship to the land in their collaborations.

Cornelio Joseph is also known as OmgCornelio because he never cease to impress. He’s 27 years old, from Brooklyn New York and raised in Panama. A phenomenal drummer, tap dancer, and host, Cornelio’s starred in Stomp NYC and DJ’d and drummed for artists we listen to daily. After meeting Barack Obama, his love for music transitioned into being a great teacher. You can now find him at East Brooklyn Community High School and in the Toronto Raptors “6ixsticks” drumline.

Born in Queens, NY. Raised in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Based in Brooklyn, NY. Selena Tornez is a professional latin dance performer and choreographer specializing in Salsa, Bachata & Latin Hustle.

Her love for dance is limitless and she’s also trained in various forms of dance such as Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Afro Cuban, Hip-Hop, & Mexican Folklore.
Selena has performed and choreographed internationally in countries such as France, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Panama & more.
She was a dancer in the movie “In The Heights” by Lin Manuel Miranda- Dir. John Chu. Production by “Warner Bros”.

Gil Rios is a highly acclaimed filmmaker, director, and video editor known for his exceptional ability to bring captivating stories to life through his videos. Gil Rios is an Award winning Filmmaker adding recognition to his name, including the coveted Best Web Series award at the Hip-Hop Film Festival, Gil is widely regarded as one of the most talented and innovative creators in the industry today.

Throughout his career, Gil has collaborated with a wide range of clients and partners, including major publications such as The Rolling Stone, The Source Magazine, Hot 97, and Fox 5 News, among others. His work has been featured on a variety of platforms, He has also taught film for one of the most popular non for profit organizations in the world which is Lincoln Center, and he has gained a large and enthusiastic following for his unique approach to storytelling and his unwavering commitment to quality and excellence.

Looking ahead, Gil is committed to continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of film and video, and to making an enduring impact on the industry as a whole. Whether working on large-scale productions or small-scale passion projects, he brings his trademark energy, passion, and creativity to every project he undertakes, and he is regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative voices in the world of film today.