Mahina Movement

Mahina taken from the Tongan word, Moon and from the Spanish word, ImagÌne, Mahina Movement (Gabriella Callender, Erica DeLaRosa and vaimoana litia makakaufaki niumeitolu) is a trinity who hail from Hollis, Queens, New York; San Antonio,Texas and Provo/Orem, Utah of North America. Their Cultures (African American, Chicana, Tongan) and communities inspire them to create songs, (music that fuses folk, blues and Hip Hop) poems, dances and/or movement and paintings (sometimes live!) to raise awareness and visibility around political and social injustices, to celebrate and encourage a consciousness, and most definitely, to Represent!

Born and based in New York City in the Summer of 2000, Mahina Movement has consistently performed all over New York City and the Nation, from one point to the other: San Francisco, California to San Antonio, Texas to Detroit, Michigan to Boston, Massachusetts. We have performed and facilitated workshops at Colleges and Universities including: New York University, North Eastern University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Barnard College, Rutgers University, Hunter College, Manhattan College, Sarah Lawrence College, The New School University, Vassar College, Dartmouth College and many others. We have performed at the following venues in New York City: Joe's Pub, SOB's, CB's Gallery,The Knitting Factory, Asian American Writers Workshop, Black Spectrum Theatre, Downtime, Bar 13, Clemente Soto Velez Center, Chashama Theatre, Galapagos, North Six, Brecht Forum and have been featured on a number of cable access programs in Brooklyn, Manhattan & New Jersey.

Our theatrical shows have been seen at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Dixon Place, The Bowery Poetry Club and the The Culture Project, 45 Bleeker Theater in NYC, The Point in the Bronx and at La Luna /Sol Gallery in San Antonio, Texas.

Currently we are raising funds for our first tour across the U.S.A, South Africa and Guatemala called the Front Lines Tour. The Front Lines Tour is an artists’ run initiative to reconnect the severed edges of our community. Although we are at war abroad we are also at war with ourselves here at home. Whether it be at war with Poverty, the Environment, Racism or Just Plain Ignorance ; the continuation of social disparity has become more and more prevalent amongst us all. Our communities have become more condensed, thoroughly separated and structurally divided. The Front Lines Tour will be traveling around the Nation for 7 weeks with a crew of 8 artists, 2 camera people, 1 photographer and 1 journalist. They will visit America’s most destitute and disenfranchised neighborhoods, towns and cities where a series of Music, Workshops, Block Parties and Community Action will be conducted in attempt to help reconnect the strains of communication. The Front Lines Tour is not just a musical tour; it is a tour for change and unity. As artists we feel that it is our social responsibility to provide information about the most current issues to the people who need it the most in the most creative way possible. Please follow us along our journey as we will be updating everyone periodically via email. Also, if you know of anyone who would like us to visit their location as a stop on the tour then please let us know now.