RICARDO SARMIENTO SAMÍREZ (he/him, they/them) is a Cuban author, performer, director, and filmmaker whose work explores themes of identity, migration, public interventions, and artivism. With a focus on literature, theater, and movement, their diverse body of work has been showcased at major festivals and venues worldwide, including the New Media Festival (Miami), Theater Festival (Havana), and Casa de América (Madrid). Their international collaborations often blur the lines between performing arts and activism, using their art as a tool for social reflection.
Ricardo holds a Master’s in Spatial Strategies from Weissensee Kunsthochschule Berlin (2024) and a Bachelor’s in Dramaturgy and Performing Arts from the University of Arts of Cuba (2018). Their accolades include the First Theater Prize from Fundación Casa de Teatro (2020) for their book “No dirás la verdad” and numerous scholarships, including one from Panorama Sur in Buenos Aires (2017). Among their notable works are “Qué bolero o En tiempos de inseguridad nacional”, an internationally toured production created with Colectivo Malasangre, and “Mund Auf”, a project on migration and sex work in Berlin. Their publications span multiple languages and platforms, and his works are part of influential global art movements.
WILLIAM RUIZ MORALES is a Los Angeles-based Cuban dramaturg who writes on, curates and creates performances. His practice manifests in research-based experimental collaborative projects such as Restless (2022) with composer Nina Fukuoka and Derrotero (2021) with Gabriela Burdsall. williamruizmorales.com
GABRIELA BURDSALL is a Cuban-born dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Los Angeles. Gabriela creates multi-process work integrating dance, performance, family archives, and sound compositions to explore themes of body memory and Caribbean identity. A graduate of the University of the Arts in Cuba, she worked with the national dance company Danza Contemporánea de Cuba from 2007 to 2015. Through her artistic endeavors, she develops immersive and evocative living systems to explore movement, ancestry, and the transformative power of narrative. gabrielaburdsall.com