Oluyinka Akinjiola Is a Portland based artist and educator originally from New York State. After receiving her MFA in Dance Choreography & Performance she founded Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater in 2014 with the support of New Expressive Works Artist Residency (Subashini Ganesan) and Performance Works NW’s Alembic Co-Production series(Linda Austin). Rejoice was built as a platform to create Black contemporary dance work with movement foundations from Africa and the African-Diaspora. Her choreography focuses on the complex identities, histories and futures of Black communities.
Oluyinka is an Educator and curriculum builder with Portland Public Schools at Harriet Tubman Middle School and Faubion K-8. Prior to PPS, Oluyinka was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Reed College and SUNY The College at Brockport, a three year guest artist for the Sankofa African Drum & Dance Ensemble; her work was featured in the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference (Washington D.C. and Los Angeles), Carnaval 2014 (Salvador, BA, Brazil), TEDxMtHood, and Newmark Theater among others. Most recently, Oluyinka received the Oregon Dance Education Organization’s teacher of the year award in 2020.
Before graduate studies, Oluyinka focused her research in the geography of dance and cultural migrations. Dance was the catalyst for international studies in Nigeria, Cuba and Brazil. In addition to following her own cultural roots, Oluyinka focused on the Yoruba Diaspora from southwestern Nigeria to Bahia, Brazil and western Cuba. While traveling through out the United States and abroad, Oluyinka trained professionally with Nildinha Fonseca of Bale Folclorico da Bahia, Rosangela Silvestre and Vera Passos, Vania Oliveira of Ile Aiye, Dolores Perez of Grupo Afro-Cuba de Matanzas, Donna Oefinger of Axe Dide, and at the Garth Fagan School.
She has performed and toured with Mounafanyi, Pan-African ensemble (Rochester, NY), Axé Didé, Afro-Cuban-Afro-Brazilian dance company (Portland, OR), Sambamore world drum and dance ensemble(Arcata, CA), and Guinea Gbe all-female African drum & dance ensemble (Arcata, CA). Oluyinka has performed works by Zelma Badu-Young, Yesutor Kotoka, Clyde Morgan, Karl Rogers, Maija Garcia, and Susana Arenas.
While living in Portland, Oregon, Oluyinka worked as a community organizer and project coordinator for immigrant and refugee social justice non-for-profit organizations, including the Center for Intercultural Organizing and African Woman's coalition. Through her experience in community organizing, Oluyinka decided to focus her teaching and choreography as a means to make community and build intercultural solidarity.
While pursing graduate studies at Brockport, Oluyinka received a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and the Graduate Diversity Fellowship to contribute to the diversity of the campus. Oluyinka has been a consistent guest artist for the Sankofa African drum &
dance concert at the College at Brockport, and her research of the Yoruba Diaspora came to life in choreography featured at the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference (Washington D.C.), DanceStrasser (Brockport, NY), Carnaval 2014 (Salvador, BA, Brazil),The College at Brockport Diversity Conference and International Festival. The College at Brockport also funded Oluyinka's continued research in Matanzas, Cuba and Salvador Brazil with travel grants, Monseratt award in dance, Distinguished Professor's award and Graduate Professional development grant. Her research has been presented at conferences at UC Riverside,(Riverside, CA) St. John Fisher's College(Rochester, NY), York University (Toronto, ON),Fundacao Cultural do Estado da Bahia (Salvador, BA), and the College at Brockport(Brockport, NY).She has recently returned from a 3 month stay in the State of Bahia, Brazil researching and performing Afro-Brazilian dances ranging from Silvestre Technique to Carnaval dances of Blocos Afros.
Currently Oluyinka is the Artistic Director and choreographer for Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater in Portland, Oregon and teaching for the Right Brain Initiative, and Young Audiences.
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Oluyinka is an Educator and curriculum builder with Portland Public Schools at Harriet Tubman Middle School and Faubion K-8. Prior to PPS, Oluyinka was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Reed College and SUNY The College at Brockport, a three year guest artist for the Sankofa African Drum & Dance Ensemble; her work was featured in the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference (Washington D.C. and Los Angeles), Carnaval 2014 (Salvador, BA, Brazil), TEDxMtHood, and Newmark Theater among others. Most recently, Oluyinka received the Oregon Dance Education Organization’s teacher of the year award in 2020.
Before graduate studies, Oluyinka focused her research in the geography of dance and cultural migrations. Dance was the catalyst for international studies in Nigeria, Cuba and Brazil. In addition to following her own cultural roots, Oluyinka focused on the Yoruba Diaspora from southwestern Nigeria to Bahia, Brazil and western Cuba. While traveling through out the United States and abroad, Oluyinka trained professionally with Nildinha Fonseca of Bale Folclorico da Bahia, Rosangela Silvestre and Vera Passos, Vania Oliveira of Ile Aiye, Dolores Perez of Grupo Afro-Cuba de Matanzas, Donna Oefinger of Axe Dide, and at the Garth Fagan School.
She has performed and toured with Mounafanyi, Pan-African ensemble (Rochester, NY), Axé Didé, Afro-Cuban-Afro-Brazilian dance company (Portland, OR), Sambamore world drum and dance ensemble(Arcata, CA), and Guinea Gbe all-female African drum & dance ensemble (Arcata, CA). Oluyinka has performed works by Zelma Badu-Young, Yesutor Kotoka, Clyde Morgan, Karl Rogers, Maija Garcia, and Susana Arenas.
While living in Portland, Oregon, Oluyinka worked as a community organizer and project coordinator for immigrant and refugee social justice non-for-profit organizations, including the Center for Intercultural Organizing and African Woman's coalition. Through her experience in community organizing, Oluyinka decided to focus her teaching and choreography as a means to make community and build intercultural solidarity.
While pursing graduate studies at Brockport, Oluyinka received a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and the Graduate Diversity Fellowship to contribute to the diversity of the campus. Oluyinka has been a consistent guest artist for the Sankofa African drum &
dance concert at the College at Brockport, and her research of the Yoruba Diaspora came to life in choreography featured at the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference (Washington D.C.), DanceStrasser (Brockport, NY), Carnaval 2014 (Salvador, BA, Brazil),The College at Brockport Diversity Conference and International Festival. The College at Brockport also funded Oluyinka's continued research in Matanzas, Cuba and Salvador Brazil with travel grants, Monseratt award in dance, Distinguished Professor's award and Graduate Professional development grant. Her research has been presented at conferences at UC Riverside,(Riverside, CA) St. John Fisher's College(Rochester, NY), York University (Toronto, ON),Fundacao Cultural do Estado da Bahia (Salvador, BA), and the College at Brockport(Brockport, NY).She has recently returned from a 3 month stay in the State of Bahia, Brazil researching and performing Afro-Brazilian dances ranging from Silvestre Technique to Carnaval dances of Blocos Afros.
Currently Oluyinka is the Artistic Director and choreographer for Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater in Portland, Oregon and teaching for the Right Brain Initiative, and Young Audiences.
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