Joya Powell (born January 15, 1979 in Manhattan), also known as Joya
Powell-Goldstein, is a Bessie Award-winning choreographer, educator,
and activist. As the founding artistic director of Movement of the
People Dance Company, she is known for creating politically scorching
dance-theatre that confronts issues of race and justice.Powell was
born to a Jamaican mother and Jewish father in Manhattan, where she
was raised in Harlem. In her youth, she studied violin at The Harlem
School of The Arts and dance at Dance Theatre of Harlem. After
graduating from LaGuardia High School with a concentration in Theatre,
Powell received her BA from Columbia University in Latin American
Studies and Creative Writing and her MA from NYU Steinhardt School in
Dance Education.While at Columbia, Powell spent two years studying
abroad in Salvador Bahia, Brazil to expand her cultural awareness.
After graduating from Columbia she returned to Bahia for 2 more years
before enrolling at NYU. During this period she was the house
translator, photographer, archivist, and international representative
of the Afro-Brazilian Carnival group, Ilê Aiyê, whose teachers
taught her Samba Afro, dances of the Orixás, art as activism, and
drumming. She also studied at Fundação Cultural da Bahia where she
deepened her knowledge in contemporary dance, baile folclorico do
Brasil, and additional dances of the Orixás. While at NYU, Powell
studied the Argentine peaceful protest movement, Las Madres de La
Playa de Mayo, which inspired her to found the activist dance company,
Movement of the People Dance Company (MOPDC). Through MOPDC, Powell
would develop dance-theatre that unearths the stories of people
without "the outlet or privilege to get their work out there."Though
hailed as a "radiant performer", Powell forwent a career directed by
others to create socially charged work of her own. Returning to New
York, she set about building her company and presenting her
choreography at numerous acclaimed venues including, BAAD!, Webster
Hall, Bryant Park, chashama, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Summerstage,
University Settlement, and Lincoln Center.
Powell-Goldstein, is a Bessie Award-winning choreographer, educator,
and activist. As the founding artistic director of Movement of the
People Dance Company, she is known for creating politically scorching
dance-theatre that confronts issues of race and justice.Powell was
born to a Jamaican mother and Jewish father in Manhattan, where she
was raised in Harlem. In her youth, she studied violin at The Harlem
School of The Arts and dance at Dance Theatre of Harlem. After
graduating from LaGuardia High School with a concentration in Theatre,
Powell received her BA from Columbia University in Latin American
Studies and Creative Writing and her MA from NYU Steinhardt School in
Dance Education.While at Columbia, Powell spent two years studying
abroad in Salvador Bahia, Brazil to expand her cultural awareness.
After graduating from Columbia she returned to Bahia for 2 more years
before enrolling at NYU. During this period she was the house
translator, photographer, archivist, and international representative
of the Afro-Brazilian Carnival group, Ilê Aiyê, whose teachers
taught her Samba Afro, dances of the Orixás, art as activism, and
drumming. She also studied at Fundação Cultural da Bahia where she
deepened her knowledge in contemporary dance, baile folclorico do
Brasil, and additional dances of the Orixás. While at NYU, Powell
studied the Argentine peaceful protest movement, Las Madres de La
Playa de Mayo, which inspired her to found the activist dance company,
Movement of the People Dance Company (MOPDC). Through MOPDC, Powell
would develop dance-theatre that unearths the stories of people
without "the outlet or privilege to get their work out there."Though
hailed as a "radiant performer", Powell forwent a career directed by
others to create socially charged work of her own. Returning to New
York, she set about building her company and presenting her
choreography at numerous acclaimed venues including, BAAD!, Webster
Hall, Bryant Park, chashama, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Summerstage,
University Settlement, and Lincoln Center.
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