Allyssa & Raven

Raven Bright is an Indigenous contemporary artist that resides in the occupied Tewa land of ABQ NM. Raven’s main focus is that of Breaking and teaching. Raven has a background experience of 15 years with the art of Breaking and Hip-Hop culture. Along the way, he has picked a multitude of skills and experiences through culture and community that have helped define his style of movement and given him the tools to express himself through dance. He is a mix of Diné and Irish descent and grew up in the small border town of Gallup NM. Disconnected from his culture Raven slowly regained the knowledge of his people and where he comes from through movement. Raven is claimed by the Dibéłizhiní (Black Sheep Clan) of the Diné people. Raven creates a connection to land, culture, and its people through the movement he offers. “Every step you take on the dance floor is a deep heartbeat of your people. The steps ahead are already imprinted and it’s your destiny to follow and build upon them”. Along with Breaking he also has a number of other styles he has built over the years including Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Capoeira, Popping, Locking, Waving, Tutting, and House. He’s also had to build skills in relation to acting, painting, and writing.  

 

Raven is also part of a professional company called Dancing Earth based out of Santa Fe New Mexico. He has been a part of the company for 5 years and has helped him rise up to a higher level of artistry through the teachings from the creative director, Rulan Tangen, and the many beautiful humans that work with the group. Raven has performed at many places across the United States with DE including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The ASU Gammage, LuLu Washington, the Mission Theater & Presidio Theater in San Francisco, and A&M Theater in Texas. Along with this Raven also has built his skill set to work outside of the company to perform solo works at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon. He is also a performer for hire that has done work through Meow Wolf as an actor in the space, a Breaker at public events like United games in ABQ, and also even performed on stage at the Santa Fe Opera in the legendary piece “Carmen”. Along with using a multitude of skills he also shares them with his community by teaching classes in the ABQ and the surrounding area. He has taught for over 10 years of his life starting at his studio of origin in Gallup NM called “Foundations of Freedom Performing Arts”, in 2012. Through trial and error, he learned how to teach from ages 3 to beyond. He now has taught at Mountain Mahogany Charter School, Avix School for the Arts, NDI Highland, Harwood Art Institute, Santa Fe Indian School, Navajo Prep, Poeh Cultural Center, Nambe Pueblo Wellness Center, and Alonzo King Lines Ballet.