Awilda Sterling Duprey

Awilda Sterling-Duprey is an interdisciplinary artist. She holds a BA in Humanities from the University of Puerto Rico, a BA in Painting from the School of Visual Arts, San Juan, and M F A, in Studio Art from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. She has exhibited mostly in the Island and collectively, in Italy and the USA. She is a key figure in Puerto Rico's contemporary art scene, having influenced younger generations into experimenting and validating their Afro Caribbean identity. She is a member of the first group of experimental dancers in her country that traveled widely using their creative approach to theater and dance. Ms. Sterling has been director of various artistic projects and chief consultant on cultural affairs for numerous educational institutions. Directed BALLET FOLKLóRICO CONTEMPORáNEO de CAGUAS and choreographed SHANGO: TALES OF THE ORISHAS, a major theater play produced by the Festival Center for the Creative Arts, at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad/Tobago. This, she considers to be one of her greatest achievement in her choreographic career. She has received various grants and fellowships for individual work from NEA, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Instituto de Puerto Rico en Nueva York and Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y El Caribe, among others. She actively teaches and performs, has been a Visiting Instructor at Smith, Mount Holyoke and New Hampshire Colleges and Choreographer- in- Residence at the Ethel Walker Performing Arts School in CT. In NYC she works as Teaching Artist with the Joyce Theater Education Program, as Activities Therapist at Sylvia del Villard CDTP; as Adjunct assistant professor at the Sociology/Anthropology Dept., LIU, Brooklyn Campus and at the Puerto Rico and Latino Studies, Brooklyn College. She has designed the following dance workshops and classes: DEL ORISHA A LA ORILLA...SANTOS EN SALSA, where she traces the origins of 1960's Salsa in the NYC, EXPERIENTIAL DANCE & MOVEVEMENT FORUM to teach her own technique and A BAILAR MI BOMBA! a class dedicated to this Afro Puerto Rican dance form