Morning Stretch and Movement II

By Nana Malaya Rucker-Oparabea

Start your day with an energizing session designed to awaken the body, focus the mind, and prepare you for a full day of festival activities. Through guided stretching, gentle movement, and breathwork, participants will increase flexibility, improve mobility, and release tension while cultivating a greater sense of balance and well-being.

Open to all experience levels, this welcoming session offers an opportunity to reconnect with your body, build community, and begin the day feeling refreshed and renewed.

Thursday, July 30, 8:00am – 8:45am
Salem 1 A/B, Benton Convention Center

Nana Malaya Rucker-Oparabea is a performer, educator, cultural ambassador, and arts advocate whose career spans dance, theatre, music, and public speaking. A former member of August Wilson’s first professional theatre company, The Black Horizon Theatre, she has performed and taught around the world, earning the title “The Dancing Diplomat.” Her work has been featured at renowned venues including The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Smithsonian Institution, and she has shared stages with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Miriam Makeba, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Common. Through performance and education, she inspires audiences across generations and cultures.