Tamara “Ṣàngóbámikẹ́” Williams – Dance/USA Artist Fellow

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Image Description: A Black woman with long dark brown locs with small dangling red earrings, stands indoors with her eyes gently closed, appearing in a moment of movement. She wears a sleeveless white top with a sheer patterned neckline and a flowing teal bottom. The background is softly lit with blurred ceiling lights. Photo by B.T. Twitty.

Tamara “Ṣàngóbámikẹ” Williams

she/her

Charlotte, NC | Land of the Catawba, Sugaree, Cherokee, Coharie and Lumbee nations & Salvador, Bahia, Brazil | Tupi-Guarani Land

Tamara Ṣàngóbánke Williams is a choreographer, scholar, and educator dedicated to preserving and elevating African Diaspora dance traditions. She earned her BFA from Florida State University and MFA from Hollins University in partnership with The American Dance Festival, The Forsythe Company, and Frankfurt University. As founder of Moving Spirits, Inc., her choreography has been presented nationally and internationally in Brazil, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Benin, Germany, Switzerland, and Serbia. Her publications include “Reviving Culture through Ring Shout” in The Dancer-Citizen Journal; “Living the Movement: An exploration of dance in Òrìṣà, Orixá, and Orisha cultures” in the Jonkonnu Arts Journal; the chapter, “Dance: A Catalyst for Spiritual Transcendence” in the manuscript, Fire Under My Feet;  her book Giving Life to Movement was published by McFarland & Co. in 2021; and her forthcoming manuscript, The African Diaspora and Civic Responsibility, will be published in late 2025.

Williams was commissioned by Kaatsbaan International Dance Center to create a new work for Moving Spirits, Inc.; she has received multiple grants from the Mecklenburg County Arts & Science Council (ASC), including support for free African diaspora dance workshops in Charlotte and for the annual African-Brazilian LAVAGEM Festival. She was awarded the 2019–2020 UNC Charlotte Board of Governors Teaching Award, a 2020 commission from the National Center for Choreography (NCCAkron), and the 2021 ASC Emerging Creative Fellowship. In 2022, she received the NC Dance Festival’s Jan Van Dyke Legacy Award. In 2025, she was awarded the Harvey B. Gantt Center’s Black Artist Residency.

In 2023, Williams co-created the Benin Movement Research and Exchange in Cotonou and Ouidah, Benin, focusing on African diaspora dance and music in dialogue with Beninese traditions. In 2024, she launched the first bi-annual International African Diaspora Dance Traditions Conference in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, gathering scholars and artists from across the globe.

Learn more about Tamara “Ṣàngóbámikẹ” Williams:

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Image Description: A Black woman with long locs leaps across the floor, captured mid-air with her skirt flowing and hair fanning outward. She wears a sleeveless dark top, magenta skirt, and leggings. One leg lifts high behind her while her arms extend outward, her expression focused with intensity. A drummer plays in the foreground, while another dancer watches in the background. Photo by B.T. Twitty.
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Image Description: A group of dancers move energetically under a wooden pavilion, following the rhythm of live drumming. At the front, a Black woman with long braids wears a black T-shirt reading “I AM” and a flowing magenta skirt, extending her arm forward with focus and joy. Other dancers in colorful attire mirror the movement behind her, while a large conga drum sits prominently in the foreground. Photo by B.T. Twitty.
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Image Description: A Black woman with long locs leaps powerfully above the water, captured mid-air with droplets splashing around her feet. She wears a sleeveless black outfit and a bracelet on her ankle. Her arms cross firmly in front of her chest, and her focused expression conveys strength and intensity. The background shows a calm body of water and a clear sky. Photo by B.T. Twitty.
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Image Description: Three women dance in flowing white skirts move in a circle across a dark stage, illuminated by warm and cool lighting. The central dancer bends low, gripping her skirt as it flares outward, while the others extend their arms in different directions. Their movements convey fluidity, strength, and ritualistic energy, set against a softly glowing backdrop. Photo by Jess Cavender/Ohio Dance.

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