Coco Collective serves as a multidisciplinary group of intergenerational artists, based in Ontario, Canada, who specialize in African and Caribbean arts. This team socially responds with art-based projects to serve priority groups, specifically addressing a lack of culturally relevant programming in specific neighbourhoods and regions for cultural literacy. This group consists of Black professional artists who are visual artists, dance choreographers, percussionists and storytellers.
MISSION: To connect with organizations that support intercultural learning among multicultural audiences and service generations of children and youth from African, Caribbean, Black and racialized communities.
OUR VISION: To ensure indigenous origins, narratives and artistic experiences of African and Caribbean culture are shared to many generations of children, youth and adults across Canada.
WHAT WE OFFER:
If you are an agency, organization or school that seeks cultural arts for a single-event, series of interactive activities or a long-term project, Coco Collective is experienced in the following services:
See below for our past and current projects! Click on the social media icons for more activity. Contact our Artistic Director for bookings!
MISSION: To connect with organizations that support intercultural learning among multicultural audiences and service generations of children and youth from African, Caribbean, Black and racialized communities.
OUR VISION: To ensure indigenous origins, narratives and artistic experiences of African and Caribbean culture are shared to many generations of children, youth and adults across Canada.
WHAT WE OFFER:
If you are an agency, organization or school that seeks cultural arts for a single-event, series of interactive activities or a long-term project, Coco Collective is experienced in the following services:
- A space for artistic exchange, cultural reclamation for Black youth and emerging artists
- Dance mentorship and dance training for emerging Black artists
- After-school series of African/Caribbean arts for communities
- Cultural arts programming in schools
- Performance
See below for our past and current projects! Click on the social media icons for more activity. Contact our Artistic Director for bookings!
PAST PROJECTS:
- KASSA: Celebrate Harvest with Coco, Kwanza & Kenneth (August 2015) funded by East End Arts: to animate Dawes Crossing in Scarborough
- West African Dance with Miss Coco: journey of body, rhythm and environment (August 2016) funded by Animate the Waterfront Toronto project
- Coco Cultural Arts Academy (January - August 2017) funded by Toronto Arts Council: a 8- month program for children to experience cultural arts across African/Caribbean countries.
- Journey through Diasporas (September 2017 - December 2018) funded by Ontario Arts Council : a 14-month program supporting racialized participants in child welfare agencies
- Voices of Amesbury (April - June 2018) funded by Ontario Ministry of Education: a 2.5 month program tackling anti-oppression through the arts within a TDSB middle school
- Amesbury Cultural Experience (January - June 2019) - funded by Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council as a culturally responsive after-school series in partnership with Amesbury Middle School in Toronto.
- AFRODANCE 101 - a Cultural Hotspot SPARK project in partnership with the City of Toronto (May to July 2019): 12-week teen dance mentorship connecting traditional West African to today's Afrobeats (Lead Mentor: Miss Coco)
- Coco Collective dance mentorship (2018 and 2019) with A Different Booklist's Window of Opportunity program (funded by Ontario Black Youth Action Plan)
- Voices of Brookvew 2020 - postponed due to COVID-19
PAST Project: Coco Cultural Arts Academy
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Description: This integrated cultural arts program used artistic mediums of storytelling, rhythm, dance and visual arts each session. With specialized units, participants benefited from the cultural education provided by our inter-generational, professional team of artists. This program launched in January 2017 in North Etobicoke (Rexdale) and ended successfully in August 2017. We thank the Toronto Arts Council for its funding contribution.
We would like to thank The Black Experience Project for visiting. They captured our program activities, as a form of positive identity affirmation and lived experience. Click here to view the video. The cultural program was an excellent blend. I wanted my daughter to be proud of heritage and of her ancestors. This program has taught my daughter so much, but it has also reaffirmed the pride I have for where I come from.
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