Victor Onyango Odhiambo is a community organizer, dancer, yoga practitioner, arts activist, and youth development professional from the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2010, Victor founded the nonprofit organization Kibera Social Arts (KSA) as an artistic resource to support youth in the community following Kenya’s 2007 post-election violence. KSA’s mission is to promote peaceful coexistence, positivity, therapeutic healing and wellness and capacity building among youth in Kibera. The organization’s flagship program – Slum Dance Africa – has become an important cultural institution throughout East Africa through their regional breakdance “eliminations,” which bring Victor and his team to numerous East African countries every year to host a series of competitions. Finalists of the eliminations are invited to an all-expense paid trip to Nairobi to participate in a series of workshops with an international dancer/artist, yoga, capoiera and they compete in the Slum Dance Africa final competition, which is held at the Nairobi National Theater. Slum Dance Africa has had a critical role in establishing breakdance culture in East Africa and using art as a healing modality in the Kibera community.
Nicole Cardoza is an entrepreneur, investor, writer and public speaker. Her work focuses on increasing access to health and equity through representation, redistributing capital, and building innovative solutions for commitment and accountability. She is the founder of Yoga Foster, Reclamation Ventures, and the co-founder of the Mental Health League. Nicole also organizes the Anti-Racism Daily, a daily newsletter to dismantle white supremacy. Learn more about her work at nicoleacardoza.com and @nicoleacardoza on Instagram.
John is the owner and founder of the business Life is Hard. Fighting is Easy, LLC. His passions includes martial arts, boxing, yoga, fitness, and wellness. John has been in martial arts since he was about 7-years-old having studied several different types including Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA and Muay Thai. He has been practicing yoga for about 10 years and teaching for about two. His mission is to provide a healthy outlet for people to improve their quality of life through the use of these arts.
Abril Santana (Prana Abril) lives in beautiful Guadalajara, México. Prana Abril has been meditating her whole life and began yoga at the age of 25. She believes that working on the mind and the body is very important. Abril has been actively teaching yoga for a few years with the belief that in times where health is at greater risk and the mind is under greater stress—yoga is a powerful tool to understand yourself and counter these issues.
Saulo was a dynamic young person that had a passion for sports. This passion led him to becoming a functional coach at 20 years old. At the age of 22, he discovered yoga and meditation and decided to become a meditation guide to share his knowledge. Saulo participated in yoga teacher training in Peru, and today, focuses on combining the path of meditation and the practice of Asana as a yoga teacher.