We appreciate our teachers here at Mi Chantli, they are some of the nicest, coolest and most talented people that you can find. We hope that you get to learn a lot from them and don’t forget to show support by telling your friends about them.
Changa
Co-Owner
Changa is a Mexico born performance artist, community organizer and friend in the Boulder and Denver area. Changa started as a b-boy at the age of 12 and now he’s an administrator and owner at a dance studio called Mi Chantli. Mi Chantli is a community space located in Boulder and Changa was one of the many that built the space and has been helping out for 8 years now.
Changa is now mainly a poet that always brings humor, rhymes and all kinds of stories to the mic. You can also find him hosting the weekly poetry slam at The Mercury Cafe and Changa is also one of the organizers for a weekly poetry workshop called Writer’s Block. Lastly, Changa is always doing his best.
Mario Jose Olvera
Co-Owner
My name is Mario Jose Olvera, aka Mister Mario. a local artist out of Longmont Colorado, originally from Houston Texas. I am a father/teacher of two beautiful kids that have been and continue to homeschool thus far. My family and I are danzantes de la cultura Mexica and share dance, song and Mexica traditions with other families here in the Colorado area. I am a visual artist, beat maker, poet, instructor and facilitator, (depending on the day). My partner is a wonderful midwife in Longmont and Boulder community. We continue to help each others work, creativity, medicines and passions.
My passion for hip hop came at an early age while exploring the love and interest for urban calligraphy, graffiti. Since then, Hip Hop has been a huge influence in my life. As a poet, mover, writer, musician, visual artist. It has given me many great tools and experiences that involve positivity, community and social justice. I feel so blessed and privileged to have such a powerful culture at our fingertips to share with one another. I aim to learn and grow with all of you and also share that creativity and inspiration that has help me and my path.
Mario also teaches a calligraphy class and holds the art party sessions! His love and appreciation of art began at the age of 13 when he discovered the craft of lettering. His skill and admiration continued to grow through his involvement with an art warehouse cooperative, experimenting with a plethora of art forms such as painting, music and dance, while exploring the pen, brush, clay and spray can painting.
Mario’s artistic lens has become an inseparable part of both his professional and personal life, beautifully woven into his endeavors as an educator, youth mentor, Aztec dancer, and father. Using art as a vessel to foster self acceptance and respect among marginalized populations, Mario has become an influential teacher in the Longmont and Boulder community. He is currently working on the greatest creation of his life, his kids.
Peace and much love!
MJO
Nathan Bala
Studio Manager
Nathan grew up in Colorado. Started dancing when he was 19. Received a BA in Dance at the University of Colorado Boulder. Fell in love with Breaking when he first came to Mi Chantli. Nathan loves the community at Mi Chantli, and you’ll find him there at all the events.
Bobby Chan
With over 15 years of experience in breaking, Bobby loves keeping it funky fresh on the floor using creative movements to any beat. He started dancing with the CU Boulder Breakin’ Club in 2005. Representing Worm Tank Crew and Blowup Kingz, he strives to become a better dancer through consistent training and keeping an open mind. He loves flowing in the cyphers and getting down in battles. He shares his passion and experience with others as a mentor, instructor, director, performer, and competitor.
Cara Leone
Cara is a mover, mom, physical therapist and so much more with enthusiasm and love for all things movement, nerding out about the human body and having fun!
Originally from the Boston, MA area, Cara has lived in Boulder since 2016, with her husband and 2 children.
Cara is also an ambassador for Physiology First University, bringing body based education to kids through playful movement to support youth mental health and help them develop skills for resiliency.
She was a competitive gymnast in her earlier years and now dabbles in many different types of movement (mountain biking, climbing, dance, running, strength training, capoeira, etc). She worked in a rehabilitation setting for ~10 years with people with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, stroke and many other neurological and orthopedic injuries. Since moving to CO she has taken a deep dive into respiratory (breathing) & gait (walking) mechanics and the autonomic nervous system and their role in complex movement and resilience. She is also certified as a postpartum corrective exercise specialist and loves working with all bodies on optimizing how they move and feel in their bodies.
She is passionate about people and helping facilitate safety and joy within our own bodies through body awareness, breath, intentional movement and play.
Cara welcomes any and all people to her classes, and truly believes there is no being “good” or “bad” at something, but rather being where you are in YOUR process. Her hope is that people will feel welcome and have fun, while learning about themselves and growing as individuals and a community.
Elise Silva
Elise Silva started her dance career as a teenager, practicing salsa and other Latin dances socially and competitively. Along the way, she fell into breaking and has been bgirling since 2007. That same year, she moved to New York City and, while living there, was introduced to a range of funk and club styles, including waacking and house. She continues to study, train, and enjoy each of these styles today, and for her, they inform one another. Currently, she lives in Longmont, Colorado and reps Street Stylez Crew as well as Queenz of Hip-Hop.
Gina Medina
Gina was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. She’s been dancing since the age of five, training in many different styles and studios through out her life. Growing up, she had many different opportunities in training and especially with teaching. She has been teaching for almost five years and has fallen in love with it more and more through the years. Teaching camps, classes and workshops, Gina has gained most of her connection with her students through experience. She’s built a lot of her confidence as a dancer through her crew, Academy of Raw. As a member of AOR, she has become one of the main choreographers of the crew and has traveled and met many other dancers that have helped blossom her into who she is now.
Gina’s style of dance comes from several different instructors and a variety of styles such as Hip Hop, African, Latin, Waacking/Vogue and House. She has been drawn to Waacking and Latin dance for most of her life, adapting the styles to different songs and movements. Gina is a super bubbly person and loves to take people out of their boxes to form a strong character. Her classes are meant for building confidence and passion out of a place of comfort. Gina believes a person is free in their own skin and that nothing can stop them from their achievements except for themselves. She also believes in being fierce and loving yourself in the sexiest form as well as the ugliest.
Juliet Seskind
Juliet Seskind launched Ayre in 2012, and has been teaching dance movement classes for over twenty years. Juliet has a formal background in dance, having been a member of the Boulder ballet community for many years. Her original choreography draws from world, hip hop, disco, jazz, ballet, contemporary and martial arts.
Kylie Lemonade
As an adult Kylie immersed herself in the club industry and is now a standing member of Hard Candy Dancers. She grew up competing for over a decade in companies across Southern California and Northern Arizona. This allowed her to train in an array of styles that she still uses to this day. Kylie is now inspired by and has worked with many sex workers across Denver making her textures and concepts unique. She has performed venues such as Summit Music Hall, Temple Denver, and Clayton Members Hotel.
Larry Love
Larry Southall was born in the Bronx, NY where he began dancing hip-hop forms in the early eighties. He received an MFA from the University of Colorado Boulder. He has worked with many companies including Boulder Ballet, Harambee African Dance Ensemble, Blue Moon, Motion Underground, Longmont Symphony and Dance Theatre, and Steamboat Springs Dance Theatre.
Larry has worked as a master teacher at Dance Place in Washington, D.C., at Slippery Rock University and for the American College Dance Festival. He has choreographed for the Native Tongue Dance Theatre, Skeleton Dance Project, the Black College Dance Exchange and the “Legacies” concert of the American College Dance Festival in Boulder. Larry teaches traditional hip-hop and is an established and well respected teacher. He currently teaches hip-hop at several locations including University of Colorado Boulder and Mi Chantli.
Lauren Beale
Lauren Beale is a performing artist, choreographer, improviser, contemplative teacher and yoga instructor. She holds an MFA in Dance from The University of Colorado Boulder with an emphasis in collaborative, interdisciplinary performance. Lauren has performed nationally and internationally with Colorado based companies Michelle Ellsworth Performance, Gesel Mason Performance Projects, Helander Dance Theater, 3rd Law Dance/Theatre, David Capps/Dances, Interweave Dance Theater, Kim Olson/Sweet Edge, New York City companies Curt Haworth and Dancers, Ellis Wood Dance and Peter Sciscioli, and Seattle based Wade Madsen. Lauren has co-created and collaborated on interdisciplinary performances with Brooke McNamara, Ondine Geary, Kate Speer, Mark McCoin, Jessica Hendricks, and Amanda Leise. Her creative work has been presented in Colorado, New York City, Costa Rica, Mexico and Hungary. She has been on faculty at the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop, the University of Colorado-Boulder and facilitates dance and movement classes nationally and internationally. Lauren co-founded Eunice Embodiment, with Brooke McNamara, an umbrella organization engaging performance, movement education, and mentorship to unlock creative capacity and source our fundamental human aliveness. Their CULTIVATE~ Creative Practice series are regularly offered to a growing community of badass artists and creative thinkers.
Sara Swain
Sara Swain is a dancer, zinester, and activist born and raised in Colorado. Sara is passionate about hip hop, house, and hip hop storytelling. Sara provides accessible hip hop history materials in her classes to emphasize the impact and artistry of women in hip hop. Sara has had the honor to learn from many mentors including Rennie Harris, Larry Southall, Vivian Kim, Danyel Moulton, and Jillian Amadi Roberts. Mi Chantli feels like her home and she is honored to have the opportunity to teach and train at this art sanctuary.
Taino Postigo-Hassin
Taino is a bboy from Colorado. Competes competitively across the nation. And wants to teach your kiddos how to become beasts!
Tiana Kara
With over 10 years of experience, Tiana specializes in hip hop freestyle and choreography. She also has experience with intermediate modern/contemporary styles. She is a skilled choreographer with a talent for improvisation. Adaptable and versatile, with proven track record of creativity and performance excellence.
Tiana completed a comprehensive work-study program at KreativMndz Dance Studio and has trained under choreographers in Los Angeles across multiple styles including hip hop, jazz, heels, Afro, and popping. Through her training she has gained expertise in pick-up, retention, class and rehearsal etiquette and camera readiness.
Additionally, she trained intensively for four years at California State University, Northridge, where she also contributed choreography to various performances within the dance department. Skilled in hip hop freestyle with extensive experience in improvisation and competes in freestyle battles.