Mayolina Seguy
Co-Founder & Director Mayolina is the co-founder and administrator at Aashka Company. She is a youth engagement professional with 10+ years of program management and development and educational instruction. She is recognized for developing and executing innovative programs that create social awareness, promote self-esteem, and build a sense of community in the Boston area. |
Noel Staples Freeman
African Dance Teacher Noel Staples Freeman is a resident of Pittsfield, MA. She was raised in Dorchester, MA. She is a 1987 graduate of Emerson College holding a B.S. in Children's Theatre/Performing Arts and Dance. Sis. Noel has been teaching and performing in the community and abroad for over 40 years in the Boston and Lowell Public Schools. She also served as an advocate and liaison for students and parents in alternative middle school settings in Dorchester in the 90s. Sis. Noel's formal training started at age 11 at The Billie Pope School of Dance in Roxbury followed by The Boston Conservatory of Music, The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, The Art of Black Dance and Music and Koumpo West African Dance Company. In 2022 Sis. Noel served as a community panelist for the webinar From Racism to Covid-19: Black Women in Community for the Ongoing Public Health Crises Program at Harvard Medical School. For the webinar, she represented Common Good Co-operative, an urban farm in Dorchester, founded by Kafi Dixon. Sis. Noel graduated in 2023 from the Community Health Workers Engaging in Integrated Care (COHERE) program at Tufts University School of Medicine. |
Julia Jean-Baptiste
Hip-Hop & Afro Beats Dance Teacher Julia Jean-Baptiste was a student at Aashka from the very beginning up until she graduated high school. As a veteran member of the performance team, it is her honor to be able to coach the team now and give back to the company that she grew up with. She takes pride in passing on what I’ve learned over the years, and she enjoys molding the students into great dancers as she sees so much of herself in them at every practice. |
Harolyn Bowden
African & Modern Dance Teacher Harolyn Bowden was an educator in Boston Public Schools for over 30 years, serving as a teacher and principal. She has studied modern, jazz, Haitian, Brazilian, African and sabar dance. She has performed and trained with the following dance companies and directors: Cle’Douglas Dance Theatre, Patrick LaCroix Dance Company, the Art of Black Dance and Music (DeAma Battle), Troupe Sewa (Joh Camara), Silimbo (Fatou N’Diaye), and presently is with Uprising Dance Theatre (Noel Staples). She’s taught dance at Simmons College, Massasoit College, Paige Academy, Freedom School, and to her BPS students. |
Helena Dworak
Contemporary, Ballet, & Jazz Teacher Helena Dworak is originally from San Francisco and currently resides in Brighton. She is a San Francisco Ballet School trained artist who has performed with ballet companies around the country and world. She served on Northeastern University Dance Company's executive board from 2018 - 2021 and is an active member of the Danceworks Boston Project. Her choreographic repertoire is extensive with focus in classic ballet and contemporary ballet. She has been teaching at Aashka since 2017. |
Renande Loayza
Board Member Renande Loayza is a Community Activist with over 20 years of experience supporting families in low status communities. She has worked as a Legislative Aide and a Community Liaison helping to provide resources and support to families who are in the Boston Metropolitan area as well as the South Shore. Currently, Renande is a Senior Academic Coordinator at Bentley University supporting Faculty Senate, the Research Council and the Learning and Teaching Council in the Provost. She is also the Staff Advisor to the National Association of Black Accounts (NABA) student group. She volunteers her time consulting non-profit organizations and assisting them in program development and fundraising. She currently is the Chair of the Newton Ward 3 Democrat Committee and sits on the Board of Directors to Newton Community Pride, an organization focused on the beautification and arts & culture in the city of Newton. She is also the founder of the Juneteenth celebration in the city of Newton. |
Valine Valbrun
Board Member Valine Valbrun is a fundraising coordinator at Aashka Company. She started as a parent liaison and quickly developed a passion for helping organize small events at the dance school. Valine’s desire to help her community and youth started at a very young age and since then she has been trying to find the right niche to share her ideas and get her hands dirty. Valine also volunteers in different organizations in the Boston community. Her dream is to help small organizations grow using strong fundraising ideas. |