CYPHER SERIES
Welcome to Cypher Series, which highlights the rare and private collections of local, national and international Artists in Residence (AIR's) Throughout a two-year period, AIR's serve on an advisory committee where they review, discuss, and advise on the presentation of materials related to their region. They also provide archival materials for Cypher Series, which includes choreographic works, photographs, articles, mission and artistic statements, history and origin stories. AIR's are also invited to share any additional materials that they wish to include, such as: costumes; lighting; music; set design; exclusive recordings of rehearsals, interviews, behind the scenes and more; pre-recorded classes or series; public and personal photos such as family photo albums; essays; bibliographies, books or chapters featuring the AIR(s); mixtapes; awards; citations; acknowledgments; artwork by or for the AIR; interviews on philosophy and history, or anything unique that hasn’t been shared before.
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS FROM ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Akim Funk Buddha
Akim is a multi-faceted performance artist with talents ranging from high-energy Classic Hip Hop rhymes, beat-boxing and Mongolian throat-singing, to body-balancing, martial arts, tap dance, and circus arts, Akim creates borderless performance art fusing sounds and movements.
Princess Lockerooo
Born and raised in New York City, Samara Cohen-O’Neal, professionally known as Princess Lockerooo, is a dancer, director, choreographer, producer, educator, and cultural leader whose work has reshaped the world’s understanding of Waacking—the queer, expressive dance style born in the underground clubs of the 1970s.
FAYZO
Fayzo, a creative and meticulous dancer from San Francisco's Fillmore District, is the Director, Chief Choreographer, and founding member of the legendary dance group Medea Sirkas. He is a pioneer of Strutting and the Fillmore dance style; he has been dancing since 1972 and continues to perform, judge dance contests, speak on the history of dance and teach on a regular basis throughout the world.
Raphael Xavier - spotlight-
Raphael is an award-winning artist and alumnus of the world renowned Hip Hop dance company, Rennie Harris Puremovement. He is a 2013 Pew Fellow, 2014 MacDowell Fellow, 2016 Guggenheim Fellow and 2016 United States Artist Fellow as well as many others. Xavier has been working in a variety of fields over the course of his career including photography, visual arts, filmmaking and music production.
