04/16/2024
Meet the Artists!
Jonathan Michael Mercado’s (he/him) style of movement and dance is rooted in his lived experiences as a Filipino American within the Philippine cultural arts diaspora. As a practitioner of Philippine folkloric movement, he channels the warrior spirit to deepen his exploration of performance and healing through the Sagayan, a Maguindanao indigenous warrior dance from the island of Mindanao that predates the island’s colonial and Islamic influences. Jonathan is also an emerging artist in mixed martial arts and actively trains in boxing, Muay Thai, and the Visayan Style Corto Kadena under the instruction of G**o Jasper Pugao of Oakland. For over a decade, Jonathan has collaborated with and instructed many Filipino/a/x arts organizations such as the Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) of SFSU and Kasamahan of USF, and most recently performed in KULARTS projects such as Nursing These Wounds and Man@ng is Deity, and in the SF Ethnic Dance Festival with Parangal Dance Company.
Herna Cruz-Louie (she/siya) the Executive Director of
KULARTS and Co-Founder of their Agos Youth Program (formerly the American Center of Philippine Arts). For 26 years, Herna has taught Filipino dance, music and its origins to provide a safe space and engagement opportunities for people who identify with the Filipino/a/x American experience. Herna approaches cultural arts work with indigenous belief systems and related cultural practices such as weaving and farming to highlight the history of colonialism, immigration, cultural and racial equity issues impacting Filipino/a/x Americans. Herna intertwines art and history to expand ideas around healing our generational trauma and belonging, informed by traditional practice. Herna is the VP of Operations at Equity in the Center, the Vice Board Chair of World Arts West, and was awarded one of Filipina Womens Network’s 100 Most Influential Filipinas in 2011.
Full bios and ticket link in bio - We’re excited to see you on May 11 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center!
