Home Page of Imani Portales Torres

biography Imani Portales Torres is a multi-discipline performing artist.

A former Foster Child and unable to train in her youth, Imani began her formal training in Modern Dance during college, where she went on to receive a BFA.

Imani's journey of faith and grit is a keystone to her work. Her path from less than ideal circumstances has given her a great desire to not give on her greatest vision -- and to help others not give up either!

Believing strongly that with faith and persistence, all difficult circumstances can work to the benefit of herself and others, Imani has persisted in her mission to continue development after many others have quit.

Moving to NYC after college, Imani has been super blessed!

She has been fortunate to work with such companies as The Metropolitan Opera, Vissi Dance Theatre, Underground Dance Project, The Lady Dames, Urban Bush Women, The Mozambique National Dance Company, Open World Dance Foundation, and Laura Alonso Ballet.

She has also performed her own solo choreography in conjunction with The Angel Orensanz Foundation, The International Flute Festival and Baryshnikov Arts Center.

Imani is a represented artist of AGMA - The American Guild of Musical Artists, a Union for performing artists in Musical Theaters in the United States.

In 2021, Imani ventured into Dance Film. Her very first short dance film MUJER NOIRE was selected by Film at Lincoln Center and premiered at the 2021 Dance On Camera Festival. It was also selected as a Featured Short at the Seoul Dance Film Festival in Seoul, Korea that fall.

Her burgeoning interest in videography led to a collaboration with Tara Howse Dance for UNFOLD which premiered in Moraga, California in 2022.

She is now in pre-production for DREAM ON! -- a documentary on the challenges faced by those in the government foster care system, and the role of prayer, faith, determination and the arts for healing!

Imani also has interests in singing, acting, photography, installation, visual arts, writing and political activism.

She is currently pursuing an MFA in Dance and Creative Practice at St. Marys's College of California and will graduate Summer of 2024.

_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited_edit

the soulworks mission

Imani created Soulworks as a multi-genre company.

Performance initiatives include re-staging classical and modern works as well as the creation and commissioning of new choreographies. Our visual arts initiatives include creating public installations, films and community events as a means to engage in performance & art making in both traditional and non-traditional settings.

gratitude & service

The creative arts provide a crucial resource for those facing challenging personal circumstances, and have been integral to Imani in her own path.

Seeking to use performance & artmaking as service and advocacy for those in similar circumstances, our FOSTER ARTS programming serve children with histories of displacement and family trauma, as well as young adults who have aged out of the Social Service System.

!yay! ballet

IMANI LOVES BALLET! Imani credits ballet for saving her life during a dark & depressing moment in childhood.

Entering into a full blown love affair with Classical Ballet from watching The Nutcracker on PBS, Imani speaks to the moment when a lightbulb went off for a vision that of her life that wouldn't come into fruition until decades later.

Unable to attend classes during the study of videos and books. chidlhood, Imani pursued

her passion through videos and books procured at the library.

Then years later, Imani took her first official ballet class during her freshman year of college as an elective course, but still didn't begin her professional journey in ballet until much later - - after injury in Contemporary Dance.

After frustration with injury and trying other fields of interest, Imani was dragged to a recreational class by a friend. Reigniting her passion, she then began an intensive journey for training, with her first real opportunity being presented through her acceptance into the ABT Summer Intensive for professional ballet in New York.

It was after this intensive experience that Imani began to search for more professional classes outside of those offered recreationally.

After turning over every stone and nearly giving up, an opportunity of a lifetime dropped into her lap to enter into a mentorship with revered Russian pedagogue V. Semenov. Given imani's love of Russian Ballet this was a dram come true and a clear sign that she was on the right path. A few years later she was then given full scholarship in connection with Open World Dance Foundation / Baryshnikov Arts to study Russian Classical Ballet and Vaganova Pedagogy with Ludmila Safronova, Irina Kolpakova and others who were direct pupils of Agrippina Vaganova.

Concurrently, Imani began visiting Havana, Cuba where she began investigating the Cuban Classical Ballet system, which hosts the largest state-supported training school in the world. In Havana Imani has been honored to study with Ballet Nacional de Cuba and Prodanza, among other master teachers in Havana.

Imani made her debut in Classical Ballet at Teatro Nacional in Havana with the Laura Alonso Ballet.

The journey in ballet continues for Imani with her long term goals to reach a professional level.

Inspired by the path of Anna Pavlova, Imani seeks to perform as a means to raise monies and awareness towards her mission for foster children, orphans and others suffering the effects of family displacement.