Oya Bangura

Oya Bangura is a choreographer originally from West Africa, Sierra Leone. Oya began her dance training early as a scholarship student with Jacques d’Amboise at his National Dance Institute. She has appeared at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center’s Outdoor Festivals, American Ballet Theatre, New York State Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Balboa Park (San Diego), NDI’s schools (Maine and New Hampshire), and performed with NDI at the Rodotto and Fenice (Venice, Italy). As a member of Tap Kids USA she appeared with the Pointer Sisters for Polaroid’s 50th Anniversary (Boston) and has performed and trained with Mary Tyler Moore, Ann Reinking, Cloris Leachman, Charlotte d’Amboise, Christopher d’Amboise, Judy Collins and Savion Glover. Additional training included Dance Theatre of Harlem, classes at Alvin Ailey and Broadway Dance Center.

Oya is a student of Dance, Theatre/Drama Theory, Music/Music Theory, and the Fine Arts at the Jose Feliciano School for the Performing Arts; she also studied dance and choreography at Dana Hall in Wellesley, MA. While at Boston University, she studied and prepared Street-Jazz, Hip- Hop, African, Afro-Modern, Afro Caribbean and Tap works for students as well as the Black Theatre Company at Tufts University. Oya has continued her theater and dance training at Suffolk County Community College where she became the 2013 KCATCF-National Irene Ryan’s Award Winner. Oya continued training at Long Island University - Post, classes at Broadway Dance Center, STEPS, and Nassau County Performing Arts Center (Long Island).

Oya was the Dance Coordinator for the Great South Bay Y Dance Program and continues to teach and choreograph all over Long Island at Theatre Three, Theatrics Performing Arts, Stage Door School of Dance, The Tilles Performing Arts Center’s Arts and Education program at LIU- Post (Long Island), and Jacques D’Amboise’s National Dance Institute- NYC. Oya's passion is being Co-Founder of Project MOVE, an Arts in Education organization charged with the mission of nurturing the leaders of tomorrow while bringing communities together through the Arts – making changes one heartbeat at a time.