Staff Bios

Annie Jupiter-Jones, Executive Director

Nkeiruka Oruche, Program Director

Nkeiruka's love for the performing arts and youth development-tied with her work in social justice, public health and community action-drew her to Loco Bloco as a volunteer, participant, dance instructor and now Program Manager. She has worked with and/or performed with groups such as Dance Mission Theater, Youth Speaks & the Brass Liberation Orchestra. She is a Co-founder of One3snapshot.com, a community-oriented art and graphic design collective and Director of D-fuse an Afro-urban dance performance group. She holds a Bachelors' in Community Public Health Education from San Francisco State University. Loco Bloco as a tool, she is committed to helping youth bridge the gap between creative expression and health outcomes.
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Heather Watkins, Artistic Director

Loco Bloco's Artistic Director Heather Watkins is a master dancer/choreographer and accomplished percussionist who has performed with Fogo Na Roupa, Escola Nova do Samba, Bale Saba, Ceedo Senegalese Dance Company, and Mingus Amongus. She directs the artistic components of Loco Bloco's dance and music performances, develops choreography for the performing ensemble year-round and directs Loco Bloco's teaching model and overall artistic vision of all of our performing arts classes. Heather Watkins is also a gifted visual artist, excelling in the collage, painting, installation art and large-scale visual art for processions.  [back]

Pedro Gomez, Musical Director

Pedro Gomez joined Loco Bloco in 1994 when he was 12 years old and founded his own Latin ensemble, Mala Fama, in 1999.  In 2001, he led a combined performance of Mala Fama and Loco Bloco at the Tito Puente Tribute at Bill Graham Auditorium, and in 2002 he appeared with Rebecca Mauleon at Yerba Buena Center.  He has performed in two plays by Cherrie Moraga, "Heroes and Saints" and "Watsonville".  Gomez has studied Afro-Cuban bata and comparsa with John Santos in Cuba, and he visited the state of Bahía, Brazil in 2002 to study Carnaval music. Gomez also designed the costumes and wrote the musical compositions for Loco Bloco's 2002 Carnaval contingent, which won the overall Grand First Prize.  Gomez has recently completed a CD of his original compositions. Pedro is currently our percussion instructor for our Bayview sites and TEC and is the co-musical director for our annual events. [back]

Jasmine McClain, Dance Instructor

Jasmine McClain, a Bay Area native, is a dancer, percussionist and artist. Raised in a family of artists and teachers who respect and appreciate cultural diversity, she has been exposed to a broad spectrum of art forms and developed a strong interest in Brazilian culture. She has studied Afro Brazilian dance and percussion with Carlos Aceituno founder of Fogo Na Roupa, Regina Calloway, Julio Remelexo of Ile Aiye , Sonja Travick and Heather Watkins. She currently teaches after school dance classes for Oakland Leaf After School Program, Oakland Tech High School and Loco Bloco. She is also a Loco Bloco performing member, co-director of TEC and Carnaval dance instructor. She choreographs and co leads the Loco Bloco Carnaval contingent which includes over 100 dancers of all ages. She has designed costumes, t-shirts and coordinated craft making sessions for several years. She also is the founder of Beja Designs, a design company that specializes in handcrafted items, wearable art and graphic design. [back]

Lorena Silverman, Stilt Instructor

Lorena Silverman, Stilt Instructor, has been with Loco for almost a year. Sid teaches stilt walking in the Bayview and currently teaches circus and gymnastics at Head Over Heels in Oakland as an instructor for Splash Circus in Emoryville. She began her career working with the Carpet Bag Brigade giving adult acrobatic workshops. She has a degree in American sign language. Her circus skills involve partner acrobatics and aerial work.[back]