Julia Jaskwhich graduated from the College of Charleston in 2002 where she majored in Anthropology and Latin American and Caribbean studies. She currently attends the Medical University of South Carolina where she is pursuing a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner degree. She is fluent in Spanish and has traveled extensively in Latin America, as well as Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean. She has studied dance in West Africa and Cuba, and continues to study Afro-Cuban dance in Miami under the tutelage of Caridad Herrera, a practitioner of Afro-Cuban religion and a well-respected dancer and choreographer. She is a lead dancer and choreographer in the West African dance company Kambiri and teaches African and Latin dance classes in Charleston.
Vandana Hoolasie is a native of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and has been in the US since 2006. She has been dancing since she was 11 and has performed and choreographed classical Indian dance as was as Chutney style dance. She plans to study veterinary medicine after graduating high school. She can cook typical West Indian style curried chicken and goat over dumplings and loves to cook for friends and family. She is a brilliant choreographer and has a great eye for innovative steps and patterns of dance.
Julio Garrido is a native of Peru and grew up dancing folk dances native to his country. His passion, elegance and agility for dancing made him grasp and understand different dances from different cultures at an early age. As a child he classified several times to the national finals, and was ranked among the top eight nationwide. He joined several dance teams in Peru and danced Negroide, Spanish dances and foreign dances from Russia and Middle East.Julio is a Computer Science major with a minor in Mechanic Engineering from Piura, Peru.In January, after graduating, he moved to Charleston, SC to work as a Computer Programmer. Julio has studied with renowned dancers and began studying Afro-Cuban dance guided by Ana Llorente, an award winning dancer from Cuba.
Luis Sanchez is a native of Chignahuapan, Mexico and has been in the US since 2002. A carpenter by trade, he specializes in the restoration of historic homes in downtown Charleston. An excellent Latin dancer, he is a popular face among salseros in charleston and was the winner of the salsa competition at Charleston’s annual Hispanic festival in 2005.
Oneil Abercrombie is a native of South Carolina and attends the College of Charleston majoring in Communications. Of mixed Scotch, African, and Native American ancestry, she easily relates to all ethnicities and has a gift for bringing diverse groups of people together. With a background in acting, she easily takes to the stage and has danced with the West African Company Kambiri since 2006. Her vivacious personality makes her a star in any crowd.
Luis Boria is a native of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico and has been living in the US since 2000. A Latin dancer since childhood, he has a natural feel for Caribbean rhythms and movement. He has a passion for the visual arts and plans to study architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design in 2008. He hopes to study international architecture in Europe and Asia after completing his degree.
Faith Noelle Ezekiel is a student at the College of Charleston and a Special Education major. Faith grew up in Saudi Arabia and has a deep respect and knowledge about Middle Eastern culture. Half black and half white, she understands the intricacies of race relations and brings a special perspective to the group. Her experiences as a biracial person enrich those that know her. Faith has an interest in the arts and she enjoys drawing and practices yoga. Her decision to start dancing was based on the fact that she wanted to form a new circle of friends and become a more adept social dancer.Currently she is very involved in the dance company activities and hopes to continue to develop more dancing skills and coordination to different rhythms and beats.
Emrys Jaskwhich is a native of South Carolina and attends the College of Charleston majoring in Latin American and Caribbean studies and History. She traveled to West Africa in 2004 and 2006 to study Guinean style dance, and studied in Cuba for a semester where she was exposed first hand to Afro-Cuban culture and dance. Fluent in Spanish and with some command of French and Portuguese, she is at ease among people of diverse cultures and languages. Emrys also dances in the West African dance company Kambiri.
Melissa Walker-Dushak, although having lived in various parts of the country, is a Charleston native, having grown up in Mt. Pleasant. She is currently a senior at the College of Charleston majoring in Communication. After taking an African dance class at the College, where she met Julia, she danced with the renowned Adande West African dance company. Melissa works as a dental hygienist and is also a clarinet player in the 108th Division Army Reserve Band. Melissa stars as "la Jaba" in one of Buen Ache's dances about overcoming racism, "la Habana".
Nicole Connor is a native of Philadelphia and obtained a bachelor’s degree in French and History from the University of Delaware in 2006. Fluent in French, she lived for a time in Paris and traveled extensively around Western Europe. Dance is her supreme passion in life. She is classically trained in ballet but enjoys all styles of dance, including modern, jazz, hip-hop, West African and Afro-Cuban.
Chernor Sulayman Bah was born in the West African country of Liberia but has lived most of his life in the US, taking yearly trips to the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia to visit family. He is a student at the College of Charleston. He speaks his native language of Pulaar as well as French, Arabic and Krio (the indigenous language of Sierra Leone). He loves Latin style dance and is a regular face at salsa parties in Charleston.
Born not too far from the Latin streets of New York, Eddy Sanders developed a passion for music and dance at the age of 6. Fueled by Latin blood and African heritage, Eddy hopes to become professional in dance and acting. At the age of 14, Eddy developed a strong interest in many different artistic skills such as hip-hop hype dance, acting and directing, break dancing, singing, and a passion for the alto saxophone. Ed’s either popping and locking or gliding across the floor. Not only is Eddy Sanders a dancer, but a soldier as well and serves in the United States Coast Guard since 2006.
Samantha Test, or La Samantita, is from Baltimore, Maryland and is of Mexican descent. Her racially mixed background and extensive international traveling have integrated her into many diverse cultures and styles of dance. She has performed salsa with Charleston's Latin Groove in Piccolo Spoleto and is thrilled to incorporate the Afro-Latino element into her varied Latin dance repertoire with Buen Ache. While living in Sevilla, Spain she was also exposed to Flamenco and the regional folk dance Sevillanas - a colorful and vibrant dance of many turns and flaunting skirts. Dance is only one of her passions, though. She played Division 1 soccer for the College of Charleston, where she also earned a BA in Communications and another BA in Spanish. She has a lot of experience writing, in Public Relations and editing the fashion and sports sections for the bilingual AVANCE Magazine. She now works in Marketing at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, does freelance writing on the side and is involved in many events in the community, including the Cinco de Mayo festival.
