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Meet the Cast of the 2010
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Ashley Bouder |
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Darius Crenshaw Born in Detroit and raised in Cincinnati I grew up in a musical family with jazz and gospel roots. I attended The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). After graduating high school I moved to New York to attend the School of American Ballet, under the tutelage of Stanley Williams, Andre Kramarevsky, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Peter Martins. I received the coveted Mae L. Wien Award and subsequently joined New York City Ballet where I was a member for eight years. I have also been a soloist with Cincinnati Ballet, and principal dancer with Los Angeles Ballet. On the stage and screen I have performed in the film King Bolden with choreographer Hinton Battle, Los Angeles Opera ,The Color Purple on Broadway, and Porgy and Bess. |
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Marshall L. Davis, Jr. was born in Miami Beach, Florida. He began tap dancing at the age of 10 at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. By the age of 11, he was a finalist in the Philip Michael Thomas “Rising Star” Competition and was the 1989 Florida winner for the Tri-Star Pictures Tap Day contest, a promotion for the movie “Tap” starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. At age 13, he accepted a check from Ed McMahon for winning the coveted 1991 Star Search Teen Dance Champion. Since winning, he has performed throughout Europe, Japan and the United States. Marshall's dancing is most heavily influenced by his mentor, the late Steve Condos of the "Condos Brothers". He has also received guidance from James “Buster” Brown, Edwin Holland, Paul Kennedy, Ted Levy, Lavaughn Robinson and Sam Weber. He performed in the Tony award-winning Broadway and international touring production of Bring in Da' Noise Bring in Da' Funk starring and choreographed by Savion Glover. Prior to Noise/Funk he had the honor of performing with Harold “Stumpy” Cromer at the Guthrie Theater as Pocket in the musical Babes in Arms directed by Garland Wright. Named "Most Unusual Dance Soloist" by The Miami Herald for his rendition of the Morton Gould Tap Concerto, Marshall is also the recipient of Isaac Hayes’ “Breaking the Barrier” award for his achievements at such an early age. Most recently the adjunct professor of tap at Queens College is currently in the process of writing Cholly. A musical based on the life of famed dancer and choreographer Cholly Atkins. |
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Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines Bahiyah received her early and most influential training at the Baltimore School for the Arts. While attending The Juilliard School, she performed with artists including Jamel Gaines and Kevin Jeff, as well as with Donald Byrd/The Group and Complexions – A Concept in Dance. After receiving her B.F.A. degree in dance from Julliard, she joined the Frankfurt Ballet under the direction of William Forsythe. In 1998, she became a principal dancer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has performed principle roles with Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn and The Deutshe Opera. Bahiyah made her Broadway debut in the theatrical musical, “The Color Purple”, followed by “The Little Mermaid,” “Pal Joey,” and currently you can catch her on Broadway in “Rock of Ages.” One of her most proud moments is the birth of her son Soleil, 4 years old, who is the sunshine in her life. Creative Outlet Original. Joined in 1994. |
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Olivia Bowman Jackson graduated from LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. She received scholarships from North Carolina School of the Arts and was a fellowship student at The Ailey School. Mrs. Jackson was a member of Donald Byrd/The Group and Complexions. She joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2001. |
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Diana Catalina Gomez A native of Cali, Colombia, she was a principal dancer with Ballet Gamoret Company in Miami from 2005-2009. She has danced principal roles in Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Paquita, Raymonda, Grand Pas Classique, and Coppelia. Her repertory also includes contemporary ballets Nous Sommes, Aureole, and a mi lado. She was awarded First Place in World Ballet Competition in Orlando, Florida 2008. She was a finalist in New York International Ballet Competition in 2009. She has participated in many international dance festivals throughout the world |
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NaTalia Johnson began her classical ballet training at the age of 8 at Ballet Lubbock. Following national auditions, NaTalia was recognized by Arthur Mitchell as a burgeoning talent, and invited her to study at the Dance Theater of Harlem School Summer Program. She was immediately taken in to the DTH Ensemble. After only a few weeks, NaTalia was cast in the title role of Debbie Allenʼs musical theater production of “Pearl” in Los Angeles. After a successful run of the show, NaTalia returned to New York to rejoin DTH and was promoted to an apprentice in the DTH Company, where she has toured in Greece, the US and UK extensively. Although the company is on hiatus, NaTaliaʼs dance career continue to thrive. She is a Principal Dancer with Ballet Noir in NYC, as well as Urban Ballet Theater. She has performed at the White House with Grammy winner LeAnne Rimes on national television in 2006. Following her performance in Urban Ballet Theaterʼs production of “The Nutcracker”, Metro New York News review read: “The climatic Grand Pas de Deux shows off the refined classical lines of NaTalia Johnson, a young African-American Ballerina, the likes of which ABTand City Ballet would do well to cultivate.” |
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Brookyln Mack was born in Elgin, South Carolina where he enjoyed playing basketball, football and European football. He began his dance training at the age of 12 with the Pavlovich Dance School under Radenko Pavlovich and Milena Leben. After two years at PDS, Mr. Mack was awarded full scholarship to attend the prestigious Kirov Academy of Ballet by Madame Vinogradova, where he studied primarily with Anatoli Kucheruk and Vladimir Djouloukhadze. Mr. Mack spent three years at the Kirov Academy, and, after graduating, he signed a contract as an apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Mr. Mack spent one year with the Joffrey Ballet, and subsequently joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company. Mr. Mack danced many roles with ABT’s Studio Company in such ballets as, The Night Before and Tea in Temptation, choreographed by Brian Reeder, Don Quixote, Capriccio by Benjamin Millipied, and Aria in which a solo was choreographed on him by Sean Curran. Mr. Mack received the Kirsti Paakenen Encouragement Prize at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland in 2005, the Silver Medal at the 2006 Jackson International Ballet Competition in Mississippi and a Princess Grace Fellowship Award in 2007. Mr. Mack then joined the Orlando Ballet. There, Mr. Mack was featured as Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lead in Allegro Brillante, The Cavalier in The Nutcracker, The Lead in Who Cares?, The Lead in Serenade, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Crassus in Spartacus, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty, Basilio/Espada in Don Quixote and many other roles. Mr. Mack has performed internationally as a guest artist and in galas at Ballet Clasico de Camara with Nina Novak in Venezuela, Latvian National Ballet, NBA Ballet Company in Japan and many others. In 2009, Mr. Mack won the silver prize at the 2009 Helsinki International Ballet competition. This is his first season with The Washington Ballet. |
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Akua Parker Akua Parker began her ballet training at age three. In 2000, she joined Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she danced lead roles in Giselle, Agon and The Four Temperaments. Thereafter she danced with Cincinnati Ballet and Ballet San Jose. Ms. Parker has had the opportunity to perform around the world and had the pleasure of working with legendary icons Fredric Franklin and Geoffrey Holder. She joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2008. |
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Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hee Seo began her ballet training in her hometown at the Sun-hwa Arts Middle School. She was awarded a three-year full scholarship to continue her training at the Universal Ballet Academy in Washington, D. C. In 2003, Seo won a scholarship to train at the John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart. She is the recipient of the 2003 Prix de Laus and thanne Awarde 2003 Grand Prix at the Youth American Grand Prix in New York. Seo joined the ABT Studio Company (now ABT II) in 2004, the main Company as an apprentice in May 2005 and the corps de ballet in March 2006. Her repertoire with the Company includes the Lead D’Jampe and a Shade in La Bayadère, Zulma in Giselle, Natalia in On the Dnieper, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, the Fairy of Sincerity and Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty, the pas de trois, the Polish Princess and a big swan in Swan Lake, the Sylph in La Sylphide, Ceres in Sylvia and roles in Ballo della Regina, Dark Elegies, From Here On Out, The Leaves Are Fading, Overgrown Path and Seven Sonatas. |
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Leyland Simmons Leyland Simmons began his formal dance training with Barbara Devereaux and the Royal Academy School of Dance in Anchorage, Alaska, at age seven. He later studied at Interlochen Arts Academy, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Miami City Ballet, The School of American Ballet, Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, The Ailey School, Ballet Divertimento, and the Professional Performing Arts High School. Mr. Simmons is a former member of Ailey 2 and Complexions Contemporary Ballet and has appeared in productions with the Peridance Ensemble, Forces of Nature Dance Theater, Nathan Triceʼs/Rituals, George Faison, Ballet X, and both the Moscow and Miami International Ballet Festivals. Leyland is a highly respected teacher and imparts the knowledge of his outstanding dance pedigree both nationally and internationally. Mr. Simmonʼs talents are not restricted the stage. His appearances in film, television, and print media include the History Channel's “Honor Deferred”, Augustine Productionsʼ "The Audition," Vh-1's "The Upper Crest," ABC's "Cashmere Mafia", Law and Order, Al Sharpton's "Sharp Talk", the Judge David Young and Maria Lopez Shows, YRB magazine, and Getty/Corbis Images. He is proud to be the Co-Artistic Director of Ballet Noir with long time friend Corey Baker. |
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Cory Stearns Born on Long Island, New York, Cory Stearns began his classical training at Seiskaya Ballet with Mme. Valia Seiskaya. At fifteen, he participated in the Youth America Grand Prix and was offered a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London. During his training there, he performed in Madrid, Moscow, Milan and Germany. His principal roles included principal roles in Mark Annear’s Mendelssohn Concerto, Kenneth Macmillan’s Concerto, Kirk Peterson’s Eyes That Gently Touch, Robert Hill’s Piano Concerto #2, and Barry Moreland’s Fearful Symmetries. In March 2004, Stearns appeared with Kylie Minogue in her music video Chocolate. Upon graduating from the Royal Ballet School with honors, he received, for the second year, the Dame Ruth Railton Award for excellence in dance. Stearns joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in September 2004, the main Company as an apprentice in January 2005 and as a member of the corps de ballet in January 2006. He was appointed a Soloist in January 2009. Stearns repertory with the Company includes a featured role in Brief Fling, Conrad in Le Corsaire, a leading role in Études, Her Lover in Jardin aux Lilas, a Carnival Dancer in Othello, Romeo and Paris in Romeo and Juliet, the Celtic Prince and a Fairy Knight in The Sleeping Beauty, Rothbart in Swan Lake, Act III, James in La Sylphide, Orion and Apollo in Sylvia, leading roles in Allegro Brillante and Études and roles in Citizen, Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Everything Doesn't Happen at Once, The Leaves Are Fading, Overgrown Path and Rabbit and Rogue. Stearns created roles in From Here On Out and One of Three. Stearns won the 2009 Erik Bruhn Prize for best male dancer. |
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Corey Baker, Ballet Noir Co-Founder, Artistic Director Corey Baker was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and began performing with Complexion Contemporary Ballet, Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn, Forces of Nature Dance Theater, Ballet X and as a principal dancer with Philadanco. Choreographers such as Katherine Dunham, George Faison, Shirley Black Brown, Obediah Wright and Bill T. Jones have recognized his enormous gift and provided outstanding opportunities around the country. Mr Bakerʼs own choreographic expression has been presented at the Montreal Fringe Festival, The Toronto Street Festival, “Now Dance Festival” at The Riverside Church, Eleone Dance Theater, Ballet Creole, and Philadelphia International Records. He is the Co-founder of An Evening of Artistic Empowerment in Toronto through New World Dance. His work “Colors on a Canvas” was showcased at the African American Burial Grounds Ceremony in October 2007, produced by Mayor Bloomberg and The Schomburg Center for Research and Culture. Mr. Baker made his Broadway debut as a featured performer in the Tony™ nominated musical “Fela!” directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones. Mr. Baker takes great pride and conviction in Ballet Noir, where he is the resident choreographer and Co-Artistic Director with longtime friend, Leyland Simmons. |
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Jamel Gaines, Founder of Creative Outlet and Artistic Director of its Company, Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, started dancing under the direction of Diane and Adrian Brown, when he was ten years old. His choreographic career began while he was a student at Purchase University Conservatory of Dance. There he received the Harry Belafonte and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center Scholarships in Dance, prior to graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance. As a young artist he was a member of JUBILATION! Dance Company. Under the tutelage of the company’s Artistic Director Kevin Jeff, Gaines was able to develop his skills as a professional artist and his own style as a choreographer. Over the past 14 years, he has choreographed and staged over 35 repertory and concert productions for The Actors Theater Workshop, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, The Martha Graham School, La Guardia Performing Arts School, Julliard School, Purchase University, DanceAfrica and The Seattle Theatre Group. He has taught and choreographed dance for productions in Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Spain, Germany, Canada, The American Black Film Festival, IABD, “Black Nativity”, for which he won an Obie Award. Gaines’ “He Got Up” and “The Maafa Suite” are performed annually at St. Paul’s Community Baptist Church, in Brooklyn. As an arts educator he is known for his nurturing approach in teaching students what might be termed, the “Gaines’ technique.” In 2004 Jamel appeared on Public Television’s “American Talent” in which he was presented The Teacher Recognition Award, during the Presidential Scholars in the Arts Committee at The Kennedy Center, and has been featured in Essence Magazine, The New York Times and The Daily News. Jamel Gaines is dedicated to asserting the prominence of the arts in America and committed to promoting the significance of dance seen through the lens of the African American experience, as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and boldly reaching into the future. “Dance Theatre of Brooklyn oscillates between sacred and secular, ballet and street — bridging, not blurring the distinctions…” The Village Voice |
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Abdur-Rahim Jackson (Philadelphia, PA) For the first eight years of Abdur's life, Arabic was his only language and the fluidity of its sounds and lettering define how he sees and creates movement. His vast array of training, ranging from musical theater and African dance in Philadelphia to receiving a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School and performing around the world with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for the past decade, has transformed and refined his choreographic voice. He has set works on The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. "The intricacy of the human body and spirit is my canvas. I create movements that challenge physical and emotional possibilities. A body of work that dances into audiences souls" -Abdur-Rahim Jackson |
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