Esther M. Baker-TarpagaEsther M. Baker-Tarpaga CV Choreographer, dancer and filmmaker, has a B.A. from Bowdoin College in French and Anthropology and an M.A. in Dance and M.F.A. in Choreography from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures Dept. She was recently commissioned to set new choreographic work on Djoliba National Ballet in Conakry, Guinea and a dance theatre piece on students at Cal State University Los Angeles. Her solo “Abre D’Adaptation” won best choreography for the Los Angeles Emerging Above Ground Festival in April 2007. In 2006 she was invited as a Cultural Envoy through the U.S. State Department to teach and perform in South Africa (Heart of the Arts), Botswana (Maitisong Festival), and Burkina Faso (Dialogue De Corps). She is co-founder of Baker & Tarpaga Dance Project, which has performed and taught throughout the USA, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Senegal and South Korea. She has worked with Senegal-based artists such as Compagnie Kakat’Art, Compagnie 1ere Temps, and hip hop artist Keyti of Dakar All Stars. Her dance films have screened at numerous festivals and she co-produced United Nations of Hip Hop, which screened at AFI International and NYC Pan African Film Festival. She has performed in the work of Deborah Slater Dance Theater, Victoria Marks and is currently dancing for David Rousseve/REALITY. She implemented and led UCLA’s first summer study abroad program in Senegal at Germaine Acogny’s Ecole de Sables and is the recipient of a Jacob K. Javits Fellowship.
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