Staff & Board

Edwardo Madril

Eddie Madril is a member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe of the Sonora Desert region. He is an active member of the Native American community and a representative of his culture through various aspects: as a dancer, singer, teacher, playwright and filmmaker. For over 35 years, his involvement and commitment to Native heritage has provided him with the opportunity to share a wealth of information amongst diverse communities. His work has included the presentation of assemblies and residencies in schools and universities across the United States, working with students and encouraging the development of appreciation and respect for American Indian dance, music, culture, and history. He is the founder of Sewam American Indian Dance, a performing arts organization dedicated to Native American arts, education and cultural exchange, bringing together both contemporary and traditional Native dance and music to produce inspiring and visually stunning presentations. As an individual artist, he was nominated for the prestigious Isadora Duncan Dance Award as a soloist for his Hoop dance presentation in the play "Sun Dagger Solstice" and was nominated with Sewam Dance for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for outstanding visual design for the groups’ presentation of “Origins”.

Currently, Eddie teaches American Indian studies and Native American studies at San Francisco State University, College of Marin, and Mills College at Northeastern. He's been invited to guest lecture at many universities across the country including Tufts University in Boston, Harvard University, Stanford University, and Bowling Green State University in Ohio, among others.

Patrick Makuakane

Kumu Patrick Makuakāne is the founder and director of Hālau Nā Lei Hulu I ka Wēkiu of San Francisco, California. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Kumu Patrick studied with several of Hawaiʻiʻs most revered hula masters, John Keola Lake, Robert Uluwehi Cazimero and Mae Kamāmalu Klein. In 2003, he received the title of Kumu Hula through a traditional ʻūniki ʻailolo ceremony curated by Mrs. Klein. While passionate preserver of traditional hula, his artistry also crafts a provocative treatment of tradition that leaps forward in surprising and meaningful ways. In 2022, Kumu Patrick was given a special Lifetime Achievement Kulia I Ka Nuʻu Award from the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce of Northern California. He currently serves as the spiritual and cultural advisor for the Native Hawaiian Religious Spiritual Group at San Quentin State Prison. Recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honors for his innovative choreography, he was most recently named a 2023 MacArthur Fellow.

Mosheh Milon

Baba Mosheh Milon is a master drummer and percussionist in Oakland, California. A “Tan-Tan Jali Ba” (keeper of the traditions of African drums and culture) he shares traditional drumming and culture with at-risk youth, adults and anyone willing to learn. He is the leader of Bantaba, an organization taking its name from a Mandingo term that describes the “community circle and gathering place for all important events”: Baba Mosheh institutes this in every class he teaches and to the communities he serves.

Suhaila Salimpour

Second-generation Middle Eastern (Kurdish, Sicilian, and Greek) American belly dancer Suhaila Salimpour is best known not only for creating the first certification program in belly dance in the world, but also for the global influence of her own format on belly dance performance and instruction. Just like her mother’s belly dance step vocabulary, the Suhaila Salimpour Format has inspired thousands of dancers around the world. Her students approach belly dancing as a performing art worthy of dedication and serious study. They train with intention to responsibly represent the dance, the music, and the culture from which it originates. Suhaila’s work has been recognized by leaders in other dance forms for its depth and innovation, preserving the essence of belly dance while bringing it into the 21st century with grace and integrity.