The Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton wrote, “Poetry, like bread, is for everyone.” Though the mainstream art world has recently embraced the term “social practice,” this ethos was instilled in me while working in socially conscious hip-hop communities in DC and New York and continues to inform my work and my community involvement. 

My primary mediums are performance art, poetry and dance, but my work also includes video, photographs, audio recordings and installations. I create solo and ensemble performances with professional collaborators as well as public art happenings with untrained community members. My background in journalism influences the way I research and investigate the subjects that drive my artistic practice.

As a teaching artist, I offer workshops nationally and internationally and run a program for adjudicated youth in DC. My work explores the unspoken and invisible social codes surrounding gender, class and race. In my performances, I often include a tangible exchange with the viewer, usually of money, words or physical touch. Through art, I hope to celebrate what makes us alike without diminishing what makes us different.

My mission is to create worthwhile art experiences and continually expand my aesthetic. I strive to produce compelling work that challenges and disrupts business as usual while highlighting shared human connections. As a cultural activist, I seek to change our understanding of art’s value and purpose in our society. As a working artist, I embrace the creative economy model which views artists as vital and active contributors to their communities. As an invested member of my community, I believe it is possible to forge a life of purpose and beauty no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves.