Event Producer

Onca founded these events and continues to direct them as Future of Tradition Productions.

TribOriginal: Tribal Dance, Music & Culture Camp: 2006 - 2010. TribO is a national, four-day, family-friendly, full-service, total immersion arts camp held annually in the mounatins of western North Carolina. This event was nominated for Best Event in the 2007 National Golden Belly Awards. www.triboriginal.org

Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival: 2007 - 2010. ABSfest offers three days of quality performance, workshops, vending and netowrking for national Neo-Burlesque and circus artists in historic Asheville, the Old Paris of the South. Fifteen hundred enthusiastic people have attended ABSfest events to date. Voted 3rd best dance event in Asheville’s Mountain Xpress readers pole. www.sideshowburlesque.org

Ongoing Local & Regional Events. Mardi Gras Moulin: Annual variety showcase. Bellydance Asheville Showcases: held four times annually.
Movement, Culture & Stagecraft workshops held throughout the year, 1999-2009. Dozens of events to date; highlights include hosting the Yard Dogs Traveling Road Show, Brazilian martial arts masters, Le Serpent Rouge, master drummers from West Africa, fetish events, and providing facilities for the Asheville Circus School.

Entertainer

Singer, dancer, mistress of ceremonies, fire-eater, stage character.

Accidental Circus: 2002-present. Ensemble performance on the vanguard of the Neo-Vaudeville Revival, under the direction of the Official Jester of England, Paolo Garbanzo. www.garbanzojuggling.com

The Mezmer Society: Luscious Cabaret and Balkan Ruckus.
2007-present. Tours nationally to teach and perform soulful Eastern European party music in a spicy roulade of goodwill and bad behavior. www.mezmersociety.com

Circus (r)Evolution: 2009-present. Presented as a featured artist in Big Top Magazine's traveling ensemble shows, under the co-direction of famed compere Armitage Shanks, of Circus Contraption, and Akarimorph Productions. Armitage Shanks

Onça was the featured dancer for January 2010 at Under the Sun Light Belly Dance Bazaar.

Instructor

Baraka Mundi, the Bandit Queens of Bellydance: 2000-2009. Baraka Mundi Live Music & Dance Ensemble pioneered tribal bellydance in the Carolinas and have taught and performed for thousands. Nominated for Best Kept Secret in the National Golden Belly Awards. Baraka Mundi has a cd 'World Spirit Melody' and a perfomance dvd of full-length narrative theatre dance production 'The Secret of Ashes'. In 2008-2009, Baraka Mundi offered 'performance in the Park' through a grant from Arts2People.

World Spirit Studio: 2008-present. Onca directed the Future of Tradition Center for Folkoric Arts, a cornerstone presence in the developing River Arts District of Asheville, for seven years before opening World Spirit Studio, which is now home to Baraka Mundi's ongoing classes.

Guest Instruction: Onca has taught bellydance in a broad variety of community settings from pre-schools to senior centers. She has taught and performed in many academic environments, including Isaac Dickson Elementary, Marion County Arts Association, Claxton School for the Humanities, Transylvania County Middle and High Schools, Canton High School, Artspace Charter School, UNC-Asheville, Clemson University, Western Carolina University, Warren Wilson College, AB Tech, Mars Hill College, Davidson College, and Wake Forest University.

Illustrator & Author

World Spirit Tarot: Published in both English and Spanish 1999 by Llewelyn Worldwide. Described as 'an instant classic' upon release. Illustrated and co-authoured by Lauren O'Leary, with Jessica Godino. See them here. Numerous illustration cover credits through Llewellyn and related publications from 1999-present.

Numerous articles published in genre publications, including Tribal UK magazine, Big Top, and Zaghareet Magazine.