Circus 617 ~Photo by Mark Lewis

On Friday, April 10, 2026, GLOWBALL will transform the Armory Performance Hall into an immersive Glow-in-the-Dark Rave created by DJ WhySham with hypnotic visuals by Jay Medina, all in support of The Center for Arts at the Armory.

GLOWBALL is an anti-gala–there will be no speeches, formal presentations or auction. There will be pop-up performances by AfroFuture fashion portal The House of Nahdra, Sean Bjerke and RHOUSE Dancers, and Circus 617. GLOWBALL tickets include complimentary international bites, and glow in the dark accessories, face painting and styling by The House of Nahdra.

This year Arts at the Armory will be honoring three outstanding individuals connected to the arts in Somerville:

Lifetime Achievement: Ellen Waylonis

Outstanding Artist: Wendy Jehlen

Community Arts Advocate: Willie Burnley Jr.

GLOWBALL promises to be Somerville’s most illuminating party of the year in support of advancing Arts at the Armory’s mission to provide an inclusive and accessible venue that creates opportunities for artists and cultural workers, brings diverse audiences together, enriches and transforms lives, and promotes the creative economy.

Tickets are available on our platform. VIP Lounge tickets (7pm start) are $100 and include an opening reception; “sponsor an artist” tickets are $100; general admission tickets (8pm start) are $40.

Promo video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NS4_My5QJ9A

GLOWBALL Sponsors are being accepted through the event date.

The Center for Arts at the Armory is located at 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143. To learn more please visit our website, https://artsatthearmory.org/, our Facebook page, and follow us on Instagram at @ArtsattheArmory.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Ellen Waylonis

Ellen Waylonis (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, director, producer, and cultural organizer who has spent nearly two decades shaping and sustaining the contemporary circus ecosystem in Greater Boston and beyond.

Ellen is Co-Founder and CEO of Esh Circus Arts, a Somerville-based circus school dedicated to helping people of all ages and backgrounds find joy through expressive movement since 2010. Esh acts as both an inclusive community for all, and as a vital resource for professional circus artists, providing low- and no-cost training space to support working artists and foster the development of original work. She co-directs Esh’s Professional Preparatory Program, which since 2015 has served as a launchpad for emerging circus artists entering the professional field.

Ellen is a co-founder of the contemporary circus company Circus 617, a founding member of the Boston Circus Guild, and was part of the founding team of Commonwealth Circus Center in Jamaica Plain. Through these organizations, she has helped create opportunities for artists to make, show, and sustain work locally and nationally.

As a creator and collaborator, Ellen’s artistic practice centers interdisciplinary performance and cross-sector collaboration. She is the co-creator of Arias Aloft, an ongoing collaboration between Circus 617 and Opera Untapped that brings together circus and opera artists and is now in its fourth year. She is a 2025 Next Steps for Boston Dance grantee, a 2024 Creative and Independent Producers Association fellow, and a 2021 Live Arts Boston grantee with Circus 617. Her work as a performer, producer, and director reflects a belief in circus as a contemporary art form that belongs within a vibrant, interconnected performing arts ecosystem.

Community Arts Advocate Award: Willie Burnley Jr

Willie Burnley Jr (he/him) is a writer, community organizer, and former At-Large City Councilor and Mayoral candidate. Originally from sunny San Diego, Willie moved to Boston to attend Emerson College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing before becoming an adopted son of Somerville. As a councilor, Willie championed groundbreaking policies and passed over a dozen laws that expanded tenant protections, supported marginalized communities, and lowered costs for small businesses. However, while pursuing legislative justice, he never forgot the important role that artists play in creating social change and continued to advocate for a vibrant arts ecosystem in Somerville. As an advisor on the Creative Displacement Task Force, Willie pushed for legislative and policy recommendations that would put money in the hands of local artists. As a mayoral candidate, he ensured that the concerns of artists being pushed out of our community were at the forefront of our civic discussion and would be included in mayoral administrations moving forward. As a friend to artists of all kinds, Willie knows that in addition to becoming a community that strives to meet everyone’s basic needs, Somerville can work to nourish the souls of all our neighbors through culturally-relevant and revelatory arts.

Outstanding Artist Award: Wendy Jehlen

Wendy Jehlen is the Artistic Director of ANIKAYA Dance Theater. Her career has been marked by international explorations, study and creative collaboration. She received her Bachelor’s degree in ritual and performance from Brown University and her Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on performance and religion in the former Persian world. Her unique approach to choreography incorporates elements of Bharata Natyam, Odissi, Capoeira, Kalaripayattu, West African dance, Butoh, and a wide-range of Contemporary movement forms. Her emotionally powerful choreography has been created and performed in the US, Canada, France, Italy, India, Japan, Benin, Brazil, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa, Palestine and Turkey. Works include The Women Gather (2022), a post-modern ritual movement opera developed exclusively with women-identifying artists; Breath(less) (2021), a solo for two dancers; Conference of the Birds (2018) a multimedia dance theater work created in collaboration with artists from 10 countries and Migrations (2019), a companion piece to Conference of the Birds re-created in communities on tour; Delicateness in Times of Brutality (2017), an evolving duet with Japanese Deaf Butoh artist Dakei; Entangling (2015), a duet with Burkinabe choreographer Lacina Coulibaly inspired by Quantum Entanglement; The Deep (2015), a work for 25 dancers created in São Paulo, Brazil, Lilith (2013), a solo on the first woman; The Knocking Within (2012), an evening-length duet on a disintegrating relationship; Forest (2010), a journey through the archetypal forest; He Who Burns (2006), a trio on the figure of Iblis (Satan); Breathing Space (2003), a collaboration with Japanese choreographer Hikari Baba in Tokyo; Crane (2002), based on images from Japanese Buddhist poetry; and Haaaa (2002), inspired by the experience of childbirth. Jehlen has received support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Theater Communications Group, the Japan Foundation, the Boston Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, Network of Ensemble Theaters, National Performance Network, Boston Center for the Arts., Massachusetts Cultural Council, Somerville Arts Council, Cambridge Arts Council, Boston Cultural Council, the American Institute of Indian Studies, Boston Dance Alliance, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the National Endowment for the Arts, US Embassies in Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India Japan, Mexico, Rwanda and South Africa among others. She is an Arts Envoy of the US Department of State, a Fulbright Scholar and former Fulbright Specialist and is on the Speaker Roster of African Regional Services.

DJ WhySham

DJ WhySham is a Boston-based DJ, multimedia curator, and community powerhouse known for bringing infectious energy and intentional sound to every stage she touches. A Dorchester native and founder of Boston Got Next Entertainment, she blends crowd-moving mixes with a deep commitment to culture and connection.

WhySham is a 5× Boston Music Award nominee, a Grammy Recording Academy Voting Member (Class of ’23), and a trusted voice in multimedia and music culture while serving as SparkFM Online Community Liaison. Her work spans DJ performances, event curation, radio hosting, artist collaboration, consulting, and community programming.

As an on-air personality for SparkFM Online’s Lunch Is Ova, WhySham champions local artists, meaningful conversations, and cultural connectivity through music and media. She’s built bridges for artists and athletes by connecting them with resources like marketing support, visual merchandising, and performance opportunities — making her as much a community advocate as a creator.

WhySham has performed at marquee events including the NBA Celtics Championship celebrations, Boston Pride, Boston Calling, BAMS Fest, and First Night Boston — and continues to uplift Greater Boston’s music and cultural landscape.