Mi Pret'i Wowo

Junadry Leocaria (Willemstad, 1985) is a striking presence in Dutch urban dance theater. Her professional dance career began at the age of 18 with ISH Dance Collective. Leocaria then went on to Don't Hit Mama, where she spent eight years cultivating her skills.

In developing her distinctive style, Leocaria's knowledge of Curaçao's intangible heritage is influential. This is reflected in her award-winning short film Imprenta (2021) and her performances Sugar Coated (2017), Ta(m)bu (2018) and Mi Alma (2023) all made in collaboration with Korzo, The Hague.

Since delving into the cultural heritage of Curaçao, its roots, the history of slavery, connection, healing, ancient dance traditions and rituals, she has set herself the goal of liberating the audience (and herself) through dance. This deepening of her work resulted in special collaborations with museums such as the Mauritshuis, Rijksmuseum, Dutch Photo Museum and Museum Rembrandthuis, among others.

Junadry is a raw, pure creator, who like no other makes dance the stakes of emotion. With her unique style she is an authentic addition to the Dutch dance scene.

Candido Maduro, better known as Junny Maduro (1963) is a born entertainer. He started dancing at 15 with Ballet and Dance School ‘Les Sylphides’ and with Ballet School Ecole danse. After that, he was part of dance group The Dance Heritage. With The Dance Heritage, he did various performances in Hotels and Theatres on the Island of Curaçao, including a tribute to Sam Cook and several performances with Daddy Brokke & Tony Sherman of the Sherman brothers. In the early 1980s, they represented Curaçao in New York City (Radio City Music Hall), Rome (Italy) and twice at the World Fair dance festival in Nashville and Knoxville in Tennessee.

Maduro was also part of grupo Folklorico Kreativo with which he represented Curaçao In Venezuela, Aruba, Bonaire and the Windward Islands. In 1984, they were invited by Stichting Culturele Samenwerking (NL) and toured the Netherlands with their show.

From 1988, Maduro was a member of several dance groups, including Afro-Caribbean they did several performances for Kas di Korsow (Curacao House) in theatres and hotels in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Besides performing dancer and model, Junny was active for years as a dance teacher in the Netherlands at Tropical Swing (16 Years), Swing Latino and Latin Spirit events, among others. A highly motivated, talented and dedicated teacher, he managed to attract many students with his passion and enthusiasm, his classes were always full. Many company parties were started on a merry note by his infectious dance workshops. He also regularly organised dance workshops as an extension of a communication course or as a cheerful encore in this context. Like no other, Junny knows how to convey the joy of dancing to people.In 2009, he was forced to stop because of his sudden illness. A sadness that was felt by all the dance schools and companies he worked for.

Junny Candido Maduro has entertained, inspired and trained many for decades. With his passion and love for dance, he meant a lot to the Afro-Caribbean/Latin dance community and made a valuable contribution to the spread of dance. His way of movement and transmission was unique and unparalleled.

After years of rehabilitation, Maduro is putting his dancing shoes back on.

Arnhem-based artist and curator Richard Kofi (b 1988) examines unfinished histories and gives them speculative futures. His approach links present, past and future. Kofi mainly makes drawings and collages - he was, among other things, Amsterdam's city artist - but also puts together interdisciplinary art projects. The projects stem from Kofi's interest in Afrofuturism and the concept of Astro-Blackness, in which Black Consciousness moves beyond Eurocentrism and whiteness, seeking an original, authentic positioning in relation to nature, the cosmos, mythology, technology and science.

He makes these themes discussable in his podcast Project Wiaspora, which he makes in collaboration with publicist Simone Zeefuik and Arnhem-based production house La Fam. On social media, Kofi is visible and outspoken about the themes in his work, frequently sharing his drawings and paintings, knowledge and experiences with his followers.

The interviews that take place during Junadry's research trips as well as the follow-up interviews are processed into podcasts. These episodes will be published on the podcast platform "Project Wiaspora." You can listen the podcasts here: https://www.richardkofi.com/projectwiaspora