Tanaya Thomas is a Jamaican Creative Entreprenuer, Performer, and Teaching Artist passionate about facilitating spaces that allow people to feel present, alive, and free.

She is the co-founder of  COCO • ADO, a hub for Afro Caribbean dance classes, events, and handmade BU.DIY products that promote wellness and adornment from the inside out. Tanaya's passion for promoting arts and Caribbean culture spans over 6 years and is reflected in the community stilt walking classes, movement classes, and administrative support she has provided for a variety of arts and culture organizations. She has worked with organizations such as Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE in New York, Caribbean Community of Philadelphia, and her own personal teaching artist practice "Naya Moves". 

She studied performance at Drake University and has continued her studies at Wise Fool New Mexico, Dance & Performance Institute, Trinidad & Tobago, and Pig Iron Theatre Company. Her performance work exploring liberation and healing has been featured in Dance USA’s “Passport Travel Through Resistance”, SUPERObject’s “Birth”, and Black Quantum Futurist’s “Black Bodies as Conductors of Gravity”.