About Tonia

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Some PERFORMANCE and DREAM SONG TESTIMONIALS

“Tonia has the ability to hold you on the edge of your seat, to keep your attention, to want to hear more. Her use of language and the emotion with which she tells her story is a divine talent. Tonia is a person of depth, who has much experience to offer others and can do so with passion and thoughtfulness. She’s a great singer too! One must truly admire her talents.” — Liz D’Angelo, Ph.D., President, Serra Associates LLC

“Tonia is a natural storyteller with a profound, uniquely American story to tell... She is inspiring and natural." — Tyler Mathisen, Anchor, Business News, CNBC

“The Dream Song brought me to tears because you touched the soul in me. It was like singing a lullaby to my soul and it hit a part of me that knew that what you were singing was true. Also, not just the words but the sound, it was healing sound. It was like the song was from Home and I was safe. I felt my soul was being seen, recognized, validated.” -- Su E., Somerville MA

“I was amazed by your power, creativity, and beautiful voice. The experience itself was so powerful for me that I keep replaying it in my head. You are so talented. I will share more after I listen to the tape and do my journal write-up per your instructions.” -- Darlene S., Arlington MA

“The song caused a subtle but profound shift in me. The day you sang it, I felt my doubts clear away inside and my power grow stronger. Listening to the recording the next day reinforced that feeling. The song seems to have planted my life dream more deeply inside me, where it can more easily be nurtured. Thank you for this wonderful gift.” – Lawrence K., Arlington MA

“While attending a holistic event, I was very drawn to Tonia's beautiful and gentle smile. I had a strong desire to chat with her and touch her. Upon touching her shoulder, I had an overwhelming feeling of emotion come over me. As I started to cry, I walked away not sure of what was happening to me. After I gathered my thoughts and composure I returned for a Dream Song. I told Tonia what happened and when she embraced me, I felt this total wave of love and compassion come through her to me. After sharing my dream with Tonia, we began my healing Dream Song. A wave of energy came through me as she sang my song. I felt my heart opening as she sang and that a cleansing was occurring for me. After the tears, came an uplifting that had eluded me for a very long time. I was willing to open to the healing that was being offered to me through her. It was a most profound experience and I feel honored to have felt this with her. I will never forget it. I feel so very blessed for having the opportunity to have met Tonia and experience her work. She is definitely a blessing to all who have contact with her. I bless her and thank her for coming into my life and for the work she is offering to humanity.” — Sharyn Flesher, R.N., Craryville, NY

About Tonia

Tonia Pinheiro is a diverse and dynamic performer and facilitator with a wide range of creative expressions. She is involved in social change and social healing by performing improvisational theater and music, teaching improv and playback theatre, and facilitating communication and understanding within and between groups. Tonia is a Boston native currently residing in Randolph MA.

PERFORMANCE: Tonia is an improvisational actor, singer, and performance artist. She has studied improvisational acting with Daena Giardella, has received vocal instruction from Pamela Wood and improvisational singing instruction from Rhiannon and Joey Blake (soloists and members of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra and SoVoSo).

Vocalist - Tonia’s singing career began with The Indigos, a 4 singer, 6 musician pop and R&B band that performed in Greater Boston and Washington D.C. area night clubs, and at colleges throughout New England and New York. The Indigos recorded “Taboo” on Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s label, shared billing with [Patti] LaBelle, opened for the Count Basie Orchestra, The Four Tops, The Shirelles, and Chuck Berry, and performed on the PBS (WGBH-TV) show Say Brother. Later in her singing career Tonia sang with a’capella singing group Goddess Gospel, and the Temple of Wisdom’s Choir, Concert Choir and Cosmic Cabaret. She has performed with vocalist Brian Rawson; guitarist Carl Phillips as the duo Two Much; and with MaSuMa and Root-Wing-Ecstasy as a vocalist and percussionist. She co-founded, improv music ensemble Improvelocity and her latest music and social healing project is East Coast Chant.

Improv and Performance Artist - Tonia is a principal and actor with True Story Theater performing in over 100 shows since 2003. She has performed in the shows Love: Not So Plain and Simple; Earth My Body; Heart and Soul; Inner Roads; Spirits of the Garden 2004 and 2005; the Mystical Art and Talent Show 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008; and in Townville: Forbidden Voices in 2005. Tonia offered Dream Songs, labyrinth walks, and improvisational storytelling at the Healing and Expressive Arts Festival in Glens Falls NY in July and October 2005. Voiceover credits include the narration of a video documentary entitled Women in Prison: a History of Framingham State Prison, an audio tape compilation of short stories entitled Tunneling, and an audio tape of Quan Yin’s Magnified Healing process. She also teaches improvisational theater skills to prisoners and youth.

DREAMKEEPER/DREAMSINGER: For more than 25 years Tonia has created and led numerous workshops, ceremonies, talks, study groups, and retreats to explore dreaming, personal growth and awareness, and spiritual development with both large audiences and small groups. Depending on the assignment or project she sometimes incorporates character and vocal improvisation, singing, storytelling, poetry, shadow work, humor, listening, intuitive and learned healing modalities in the events and ceremonies she leads. Learning the ways of the Dreaming Path from her mother and the teachings of Carl Jung, Tonia has been a DreamKeeper since 1991. She was a keynote presenter and workshop leader at a national conference and symposium of Native American Women at Hartford Seminary. In 2005, Dream Songs emerged as another offering to individuals who want deeper insight into their night dreams or dreams for their life.

WAKE UP! ARTIST (sm): A Wake-Up Artist (sm) uses his or her work or art as a catalyst for inner change, discovery and revelation of the inner truths that lay dormant within each person. Tonia coined the term Wake Up! Artist in 1997 and founded The Wake Up! Company in 2003 as a vehicle to share her extensive professional experience, education, knowledge and insights with organizations and groups. She focuses on staff development and group communications where she uses customized facilitation and coaching methods and there is always audience/participant involvement. The Wake Up! Company also offers instruction and facilitation to develop other Wake Up! Artists (sm).