MUSIC / DANCE
In harmony with my scholarly and visual art work,
I also perform
My musical alter ego is Gringo Magia. Gringo Magia creates universal Black music you might call afro-future-funk-samba. It’s about being yourself. Accepting and celebrating exactly who you are. Finding and working your MAGIC.
Choreography
Look Out, Hold On, Let Go!
2025
Original multimedia performance created as part of Liberation Dance Academy, led by Sarah Crowell, Kara Mack, and Bongo Sidibe in association with Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco, CA.
Look Out, Hold On, Let Go!
Choreographer: Umi Vaughan
Dancers: Umi Vaughan (solo), Full Cast
Music: City of Dope by Too $hort, La Vuelta Al Mundo by Alexander Abreu, Havana D’Primera, Nanette Ada by Yousou N’Dour, Ilê Aiyê by Ilê Aiyê, Ole Man River by Dennis Brown (dubplate version), Dog Eat Dog by Fela Kuti
Drummer: Bongo Sidibe
Video backdrops created by Sarah Crowell w/ Umi Vaughan
Umi dances the journey of his life, grapples with discouragement and despair, and gives thanks for joy. Look Out shows him reacting to unforeseen life challenges that threaten to break his groove. Hold On is a battle against the gatekeeper called NO, an ode to excess, and a ritual of atonement. In Let Go! Umi finds peace and dances himself to himself, the ancestors, and the universe. This creation honors his mother Deborah Vaughan and thanks her for the sweet, mighty gift of dance. Kick High, Turn Fast!
DANCE
The Town On Notice
2016
The Town On Notice is an experimental dance film based on the original stage production by Dimensions Dance Theater. Visions of Oakland, California, dynamic choreography, and touches of abstraction combine to show our city’s profound, unique flavor. Diana Cordero, Sonia D. Pina, and Umi Vaughan created this work supported by the Oakland Cultural Funding Program.