Steward, Dylan Paul
Dylan Paul established the Traditional Mas Archive in 2012 while conducting postgraduate research regarding voice and text use in Carnival, supported by a Fulbright Scholarship Research Grant. Responding to an unanticipated, clear, and continuing need to document traditional mas, he continues to conduct and support field research in Trinidad & Tobago, as well as the broader Caribbean region. He is deeply honored by the many people that have entrusted this archive with their personal histories and knowledge of mas. He is also honored by the archive’s repeated exhibition, including at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad & Tobago. As a performer, he has appeared on Broadway in Moulin Rouge the Musical and Cabaret as well as being a resident company member of Oregon Shakespeare Festival and American Shakespeare Center. Additional information at dylanpaul.net.
Senior Field Researcher, Marcus Waldron
A graduate of the University of the West Indies and a recipient of Yale special directing fellowship. Cory Marcus Waldron is a Artist and entrepreneur interested in connecting emerging technology and Caribbean culture. His theatre work clashes Caribbean carnival form and traditions with more formal western theatre practices. His entrepreneurial pursuits focuses on building hardware and software solution for local festivals. He dreams of creating more equitable spaces in performance and business for disadvantaged people to actualize their own freedom.
Researcher, Antonia Thomas
Bio coming soon.
Contributing Artist, Rubariri Victor
Rubadiri Victor is a multimedia artist and cultural activist in Trinidad and Tobago, featured in dozens of publications on traditional mas and art. As a cultural activist and scholar, he has an ongoing interest in contemporary cultural theory.
Contributing Artist, Alysha Higgins
California, USA born with Trini roots, Alysha Higgins is a dancer, cultural artist, Fulbright scholar, UC Berkeley alum, and new filmmaker. Her focus is in Indian, African, and Modern dance forms, and she is specifically pursuing Classical Odissi dance and the Silvestre Technique. She has performed around the world, throughout the U.S., to the shores of Brazil and Trinidad. Alysha is also director of “All Ah We Is One Productions.” Through cultural exchange workshops, documentary video, photography, music videos, and choreographic dance work, “All Ah We Is One” Productions helps to strengthen mutual understanding between international borders, create cultural exchange, and support cultural evolution/revolution. She is now working on an independent documentary film, “All Ah We Is One,” which explores Indian and African diasporic dance, culture, and spirituality in Trinidad and Tobago. http://triniriddim.tumblr.com
Contributing Artist, Matt Fung
Matthew Fung was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. His first solo exhibition took place in March of 2012 in Toronto with his series Eyes Open. Matthew has had two highly successful exhibitions as part of the CONTACT Photography Festival in Toronto in 2009 and 2012 with his series Window Shopping and Invisible Cities.
Matthew’s work with the Blue Devils of Paramin was done in conjunction with film director and sister Janine Fung for the feature film The Odyssey of Hope. This was his first opportunity to work in Trinidad and on set of a feature film. Matthew has currently one project on the go titled Life Series, which focus the connections with landscapes that which go beyond simply physical beauty. This connection allows us to see the landscape like a portrait, revealing a personality and story that which we can identify with.
Matthew’s interest in photography and the fine arts stems from his experience traveling as well as from his students at a high school in Markham, Ontario who consistently push him to explore and combine different realms of the visual arts world. Matthew’s photography continues to push boundaries with line, frame and angle, connecting people’s stories to their environment through his wildly honest and stunning photography. He simply asks questions that need to be seen.
Contributing Artist, Janine Fung
Janine Fung was born in Trinidad and grew up in Toronto. Fung’s first feature documentary, LA GAITA won the People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary at TTFF in 2012. Her films LEFTOVERS (1994) and 4AM (2010) were officially selected for the Toronto International Film Festival, where they had their World Premiere. Her films have been internationally screened in Toronto, LA, New York, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, London and Montreal.
In production, Fung has two feature scripts: BASEMENT TRANSFER and JEAN MILES, a period piece loosely based on the true story of civil worker Jean Miles who was murdered after blowing the whistle on the Trinidadian government in 1963. An avid story teller, Fung is currently producing two documentaries, the BLUE DEVILS OF PARAMIN (2013) and DANCE (2015), the story of Trinidadian ballerina Dai Ailian, China’s Mother of Dance, the first person to bring Western Ballet to China in 1940. Dai Ailian cofounded the National Ballet of China and the Beijing Dance Academy.
Contributing Editor, Renee Francois
Cultural Advisor, Jamie Bagoo
Contributing Artist, Maria Nunes