Angelica Cardona: Celebrating Afro-Latin Music & Dance

Angelica Cardona was born and raised in San Diego, California, the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and granddaughter of native Californios. Her love for dance and performance began in childhood with San Diego’s Ballet Folklórico Mexicano under the direction of Guadalupe Murguia, where she performed at cultural events throughout the region. She later made her debut as a gospel singer with St. Rita’s Gospel Choir, directed by Randy Glover, and went on to be featured as a lead soloist with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir of San Diego, directed by Ken Anderson. Her theatrical talents were also showcased as a singer in UMOJA Theatre Company’s production of The Wiz.

Angelica continued to explore her musical journey as the lead vocalist for Omo Aché Afro-Cuban Music & Dance Company, directed by master Afro-Cuban artist Juan Carlos Blanco. At UCLA’s Department of World Arts & Cultures, she studied Afro-Cuban dance, further deepening her understanding through field studies in Bahia, Brazil with UCLA and ACBEU (the Brazil-United States Cultural Association), and in Havana, Cuba with master Afro-Cuban artists in dance and ethnomusicology.

For over 23 years, Angelica has devoted herself to studying and performing Afro-Cuban music and dance, sharing her passion with audiences across California in schools, universities, and theaters. She currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer for Omo Aché Cuban Cultural Arts.

Her creative pursuits extending beyond Afro-Cuban traditions, Angelica has performed as a lead vocalist with the Cuban band Saoco Son and as a member of the Hip-Hop/Reggaeton duo In-Flow. She has also appeared as a percussionist and lead vocalist in A Cuban Christmas Carol at OnStage Playhouse and The High Table at Diversionary Theatre. At UC San Diego, she served as a vocal coach for the production of In the Red and Brown Water and is currently a percussionist dance classes in the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

Most recently, Angelica is a teaching artist with the Center for World Music’s World Music in the Schools program, where she teaches Afro-Cuban dance, drumming, and Spanish-language songs to students. In 2025, she earned a 60-hour Expressive Arts Educator Certificate through the VAPA Foundation’s SPARX Expressive Arts Initiative.

Angelica is passionate about using expressive arts to spark joy, foster cultural appreciation, and celebrate the richness of shared human experiences through the universal language of music and dance.