OUR STORY 

URBAN/TRIBE was founded by Mathew James Talaugon as a way to build an artistic community rooted in principles and values of tribal life. Mathew James is an enrolled member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, a tribe located in Santa Ynez, CA. He has been heavily influenced by the tribal elements of inclusion, community, teamwork, cooperation, and contribution, which play a vital role in the creative process. These values are integral and potent within the mission of URBAN/TRIBE. Each is essential to UBAn/TRIBE’s Function and success. URBAN/TRIBE creates work saturated in cultural, societal, and political notions that mimics everyday life. Thoughtful research and discussion is paired with physically and emotionally charged kinetic. personal anecdotes, improvisation, and many other creative devices are used as a means to build art that is deeply personal and intrinsically connective.

As a queer and Native artist, Mathew James draws upon his complex identity, ancestry, and heritage to investigate contemporary culture through his unique life perspective. By galvanizing the body’s potential, Mathew crafts cinematic experiences through valorous physicality and visceral emotional grit.

Mathew holds a Master's of Fine Arts from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and a Bachelor’s from Loyola Marymount University. Mathew has performed works by notable artists including: Barak Marshall and Lillian Barbeito, Co-­Artistic Director of BODYTRAFFIC, Bill T. Jones, Shannon Gillen of VIM VIGOR, Felipe Barrueto of Joe Good Performance Group, former NYC Ballet Soloist Nolan T’sani, Kevin Williamson, and Lauren Adams. He has performed professionally with Red Bucket Dance Theatre, Nickerson­Rossi Dance, Los Angeles Movement Arts. More recently, Mathew has worked with the creative team, Sonya Tayeh, The Bengsons, and Joe Lampert on the development of the off-Broadway production, The Lucky Ones.

In 2013 Mathew established URBAN / TRIBE and had led as the Artistic Director and Choreographer. URBAN / TRIBE presented their first evening-length work, Hostage in Sovereignty in its founding year in Lost Angeles, CA. In 2015, URBAN / TRIBE was invited to present an evening-length work for the Jewish Community Center: Manhattan. To date, URBAN / TRIBE has also presented work at Stub Theater in Los Angeles; The Jack Crystal Theater and Access Theater, Green Space, and Salvatore Capezio Theatre in New York City; The Dance Theater Lab in Purchase, NY. Most notably, URBAN / TRIBE was invited to present a new full-length creation at the iconic Bryan Park in the summer of 2019.

Since 2017, Mathew has served as a Faculty Member at Peridance Center where he teaches contemporary technique, performance skills, and improvisation. Mathew also created and led the Peridance Plunge Performance Seminar Program — an international contemporary dance training program that culminates in a performance every three months.