Cleonice Fonseca
Cleonice Fonseca, a Brazilian from Salvador -Bahia, began her career in the dance group of the Colégio Central da Bahia participating in projects and shows produced there. She learned her first African dance techniques, folk, religious dances (orixás) and African contemporary with renouned teachers such as Raimundo Tição, Raimundo King, Raimunda Sena, Tania Bishop, Nildinha Fonseca and José Ricardo Santos.
As a member of SESC Dance Group for 10 years, she participated in several shows produced by the entity for the promotion of African dance and Brazilian folklore, including taking the show to other cities in Brazil and Santiago, Chile as the first international trip for cultural exchange.
As a dancer, she participated in other projects, dance groups and musical bands such as Banda Motumba, Dia e Noite (the state government project), Lagobada Group, Artists Meeting project (acting in the area of production).
She participated in African dance workshops conducted by the Bale Folklorico da Bahia, and African dance by Professor Oshuntiye Brown (USA).
Since June 2014, she has been living in Philadelphia where she teaches weekly Afro Brazilian dance workshops in collaboration with Mamadêlê Productions and Ascab Capoeira. She also performs with Ologunde and Alo Brazil and teaches at an arts education program in South Philly coordinated by educator Howard Tucker.
Awarded Grants
2015
Art and Change Grant (ACG)
Related grantees
Overview
Cleonice will offer an Afro-Brazilian dance residency program at Northeast High School. Using dance as an abstract yet supremely powerful medium, Cleonice, who was born in Salvador, Bahia, will work with American-born, Brazilian youth to connect them with their African origins. In biweekly sessions, she will help students recognize their cultural history and celebrate their Afro-Brazilian identities and heritage – with the project culminating in a final, public performance for the community. Cleonice hopes to reach the hearts and minds of youth and change their perceptions of who they are and who they can become both in the U.S. and Brazil.