Theresa Ruth Howard is the founder and curator of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet (MoBBallet.org) a digital platform that preserves, presents, and promotes the Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet. The online archive and educational resource houses a Roll Call of over 600 professional Black Ballet Dancer, an animated Timeline and the Constellation Project which was created in partnership with Williams College and Princeton University.

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Denise Saunders Thompson (Co-Curator) is a creative arts administrator, producer, presenter, funder, and has extensive experience in non-profit and for-profit, established or start-up organizations. She has advised organizations on administrative, programmatic, and fundraising issues including strategic plans, policy and procedures, communications programs, budgeting and contracts.

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Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra Conductor Leslie B. Dunner maintains an active performance life. He has had numerous engagements with major orchestras including the Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras, in addition to his many years with the Detroit Symphony. 

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With her distinctive voice as maestra, speaker, and poet, critics praise Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell as “one of the brightest stars in classical music.” (Channel 3 News, Connecticut). Named a 2022-2024 Award Recipient of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, Bovell’s singular imprint on the arts distills into two values: community engagement and musical excellence. 

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Soprano Kishna Davis Fowler has won wide critical and audience acclaim throughout the United States and Europe for her deeply intimate artistry, commanding vocal ability, and versatile stage presence.

Recently, Ms. Davis Fowler delivered a stellar performance in Nkeiru Okoye’s inspiring “Songs of Harriet Tubman- 4 Arias” at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in March 2022.

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Originally from Up-State NY, Pamela Hobson found her passion for the Theatre at her beloved Howard University. Over the past 35 years, she has had the privilege of designing lights for The Boys Choir of Harlem, Rennie Harris PureMovement, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO), Suor Angelica, The Devil and Daniel Webster, special events at the Kimmel Center, Faye Snow, Vivian Green, and Patti LaBelle to name a few.

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Virginia Johnson (Artistic Director). A founding member of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Virginia Johnson was one of its principal ballerinas over a career that spanned nearly 30 years. After retiring in 1997, Johnson went on to found Pointe Magazine and was editor-in chief for 10 years. A native of Washington, D.C., Johnson began her training with Therrell Smith. She studied with Mary Day at the Washington School of Ballet and graduated from the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet and went on to be a University Scholar in the School of the Arts at New York University before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem. 

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Arthur Mitchell (Co-Founder). Arthur Mitchell was known around the world for creating and sustaining the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the internationally acclaimed ballet company he co-founded with Karel Shook in 1969. Following a brilliant career as a principal artist with the New York City Ballet, Mitchell dedicated his life to changing perceptions and advancing the art form of ballet through the first permanently established African American and racially diverse ballet company.

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Karel Shook played a key role as teacher and mentor to African American dance artists in New York in the 1950s. In addition to cofounding Dance Theatre of Harlem with Arthur Mitchell in 1969, he also was a ballet master, choreographer, and author. Born in 1920, Shook was a native of Renton, Washington. Encouraged to study ballet, at age 13 he was a protégé of Nellie Cornish and received a scholarship to the Cornish School of Allied Arts in Seattle. While his performance career was brief, he appeared on Broadway and danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and New York City Ballet.

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Anna Glass (Executive Director). Anna Glass has been involved in the performing arts as both an artist and arts administrator for over twenty years. She produced Carmen de Lavallade’s solo show, As I Remember It, an intimate portrait of this legendary artist. Anna previously served as the Managing Director of 651 ARTS, a presenting/producing arts organization dedicated to celebrating contemporary performing arts of the African Diaspora. While at 651 ARTS, she co-produced numerous projects, including the highly regarded national tour of FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance.

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Robert Garland was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company achieving the rank of principal dancer.  After creating a work for the DTH School Ensemble, Arthur Mitchell invited Robert Garland to create a work for The Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and appointed him the organization’s first Resident Choreographer. He is Director of the DTH school. In addition to choreographing several ballets for DTH, Garland has also created works for New York City Ballet, Britain's Royal Ballet, Oakland Ballet and many others.

His commercial work has included music videos, commercials and short films, including the children’s television show Sesame Street, a Nike commercial featuring New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the NAACP Image Awards, a short film for designer Donna Karan, and the “Charmin Cha-Cha” for Proctor and Gamble.​ Garland holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Juilliard School in New York City.

Nena Gilreath is the Cofounding Director of Ballethnic Dance Company, along with her Husband Waverly T. Lucas II. Ballethnic is 32-year-old Dance organization headquartered in East Point Georgia.

She also serves as the Facility and Program Supervisor of the East Athens Educational Dance Center and as a guest Ballet Professor at the University of Georgia Dance Department.

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Lucas attended Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, where he conceived the concept and name for Ballethnic Dance Company. After careers with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Atlanta Ballet, he joined The Heartstrings National Tour. Lucas created more than 40 ballets, including four full-length ballets—Urban Nutcracker, The Leopard Tale, A Jazzy Sleeping Beauty, Flyin’ West…the ballet (based off of the Pearl Cleage play), and an opera: Aida for the Atlanta Opera—after co-founding BDC with his wife Nena Gilreath in 1990. 

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L. Gerard Reid is back as Musical Director and Sound Designer for Ballethnic Dance Company’s performance of The Leopard Tale. Reid is a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and alumni of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied percussion performance, composition and conducting. With over 50 years of musical experience throughout the world Reid’s stage repertoire spans from the Symphonic & Theater Orchestra to Classic Jazz & Big Band to R&B.

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With a captivating personality, unyielding stage presence and an incredible voice, Adam L. McKnight, opens his heart and soul in song!!  Performing all styles of music, from R&B to Gospel, Pop and even Opera, McKnight amazes and astounds audiences with his natural ability to sing. Performing on-stage in bands since age 13, McKnight has settled in comfortably as not just a singer, but also an entertainer, putting his heart and soul into every song he sings and enjoying the experience.

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Kevin Thomas began his dance training with Ecole Superieure de Danse du Quebec in Montreal, Canada, and has danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Cleveland/San Jose Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) in New York City. He joined DTH in 1995 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1999. With DTH, Thomas' credits include leading roles in The Prodigal Son, Dialogues, The Four Temperaments, Othello, Adrian (Angel on Earth), A Song for Dead Warriors, Troy Games, Equuis and Dougla.

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Marcellus Harper has an expansive background in project management. He has worked as a Program Analyst for the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He was among the first seven employees of the TSA Taskforce mandated by Congress to create and develop the agency and federalize our nation’s transportation security infrastructures.

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Donald Byrd is the Artistic Director of the Seattle-based Spectrum Dance Theater, a Tony^® nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer. He has created works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, and The Joffrey Ballet among others; and worked extensively in theater and opera including The New York Public Theater, The 5th Avenue Theater, CenterStage (Baltimore), Seattle Opera, Dutch National Opera, The Atlanta Opera, The Israeli Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera.

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Carlos Simon (Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence) is a native of Atlanta, Georgia whose music ranges from concert music for large and small ensembles to film scores with influences of jazz, gospel, and neo-romanticism.

Simon was named as one of the recipients for the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. The Sphinx Medal of Excellence is the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, recognizing extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians.

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Born: Chicago, IL and raised in Holland, MI. Training: Grand Rapids Ballet School, Interlochen Arts Academy, Ballet West and Pennsylvania Ballet Summer Intensives. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fourth season), Cincinnati Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet.  Repertoire includes works by Claudia Schreier, Robert Garland, Stanton Welch, George Balanchine, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Along with DTH’s Alexandra Hutchinson, he coordinates DTH social media.

Born: Houston, TX. Training: The Dance Center of Baytown, University of Oklahoma School of Dance (BFA 2019), Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program, Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer Intensive, Texas Ballet Theater Summer Intensive. Professional Experience: Oklahoma City Ballet, Hartel Dance Group, and Dance Theatre of Harlem (first season). Repertoire includes original works by Amy Hall Garner, Trey McIntyre, Colin Connor, as well as Alejandro Cerrudo’s Lickety Split, Merce Cunningham’s How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.

Born: Oneonta, NY.  Training: Holbrook-Wade School of Dance, Fokine Ballet, New York State Summer School of the Arts with Daniel Ulbricht, NYCB, Carolyn Adams, Alvin Ailey, Nutmeg Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Alonzo King Lines, French Academie of Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Springboard Danse Montreal, 2019 Graduate of Ellison Ballet. Awards: Youth America Grand Prix in 2017 and 2018, where he and his partner won second and then first place in the contemporary Pas de Deux category. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (third season).

Born: Midland, TX. Training: A Petite Dance Studio, Midland Festival Ballet under Susan Clark. Education: cum laude graduate of Butler University, degree in Dance Arts Administration and Journalism. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (tenth season), Nashville Ballet (trainee). Repertoire includes works by Robert Garland, Nacho Duato, Ulysses Dove, George Balanchine, Donald Byrd, Elena Kunikova and Dianne McIntyre.

Born: Mariano’ La Habana, Cuba. Training: Provincial School of the Arts, National School of Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba.  Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fifth season), Connecticut Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Repertoire includes Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppélia, La Fille mal gardée, Don Quixote and works by George Balanchine, Robert Garland, Christopher Wheeldon, Darrell Grand Moultrie and Dianne McIntyre.

Born: Randallstown, MD. Training: Baltimore School for the Arts, Boston Ballet, and School of American Ballet. Professional Experience: Boston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Carolina Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem (second season). Repertoire includes ballets by Nacho Duato, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Ulysses Dove, Helen Pickett, Robert Garland, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Val Caniparoli, Alvin Ailey, Septime Webre, Nicolo Fonte, Francesca Harper, and Lynn Taylor Corbett.

Born: Wilmington, DE. Training: The Washington School of Ballet, Wilmington Academy of Dance, and summer intensives with Alvin Ailey, Alonzo King, Carolina Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and Nashville Ballet 2. Education: Bachelor of Science in Ballet, Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music.  Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fourth season), Nashville Ballet.  Repertoire includes Orange by Stanton Welch; Return and New Bach by Robert Garland; Balamouk by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; Harlem on My Mind and Vessels by Darrell Grand Moultrie; George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie, Western Symphony, Swan Lake, Concerto Barocco, Divertimento No. 15, Emeralds, Rubies, and Giselle; Paul Vasterling’s Sleeping Beauty; Septime Webre's and Michael Vernon's The Nutcracker. Hutchinson is the recipient of The Pierians Foundation Incorporated 2018 Emerging Young Artist Award, Virginia Johnson Scholar, Washington School of Ballet Professional Training Program tuition stipend, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Along with DTH’s Derek Brockington, she shares the position of DTH Social Media coordinator.

Rahway, NJ. Training: Rahway Dance Theatre by her late mother Jay Skeete-Lee, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem School.  Education: BFA in Dance, Ailey/Fordham University, and MFA from Hollins University. . Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (third season), Collage Dance Collective, Oakland Ballet, Alvin Ailey II, Black Iris Project. Repertoire includes works by Jessica Lang, Benoit Swan-Pouffer, Nicolo Fonte, Dwight Rhoden, Jennifer Archibald, George Balanchine, Amy Seiwart, Joyce Trisler, and Darrell Moultrie.

Born: East Harlem, NY.  Training: Dance Theatre of Harlem School, LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, Ballet Academy East, Boston Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fifth season), Ballet San Antonio, Los Angeles Ballet. Repertoire includes works by Robert Garland, Ulysses Dove, Darryl Grand Moultrie, Colleen Neary, Thordal Christensen, George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, Gerald Arpino, Christopher Stowell and Kitty McNamee. McDaniel r is an accomplished ballet teacher and DTH Social Media Manager.

Born: Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Training: Ballet Etudes of South Florida, Manhattan Youth Ballet, The French Académie of Ballet, Nadege Hottier, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Austin, Ballet Hispanico, Lines Ballet, and Miami City Ballet.   Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (third season), Alberta Ballet in Canada, Ballet West, Charlotte Ballet (formerly NCDT), Ballet Etudes of South Florida, Vorhees Ballet Theatre, Ballet Des Amériques, Fjkdance, Collage Dance Collective, Black Iris Dance Project, Boca Ballet Theatre, Ballet Northwest, Traverse City Dance Project, and Accent Dance. Special Honors: In commemoration of Haitian Flag Day 2018, Placide partnered with the Consulate General of Haiti in New York to organize and produce UNI, an art collective where he premiered the riveting ballet MAGA. In 2019, Placide produced Sans-Souci, the second staging in the UNI series and was honored by the Consulate General of Haiti in New York for his work in preserving Haitian culture. Repertoire includes works by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Glenn Tetley, Desmond Richardson, Robert Garland, Mark Diamond, Yukicchi Hattori, Wen Wei Wang, and  Aszure. 

Born: Los Angeles, CA. Training: Yuri Grigoriev School of Ballet, School of American Ballet. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first season). Saara is a recipient of the Grow Annenberg Fellowship and a full scholarship for the School of American Ballet.  She received the 1st place Award Training/Performance Scholarship at the 2018 Bolshoi Ballet Academy and placed 2nd in the classical category at the 2016 Youth American Grand Prix Paris, France.

Born: New York, NY. Training: Rosie’s Theatre Kids, North Carolina School of the Arts, Jacobs Pillow, Alonzo King LINES, Joffrey Ballet. Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fifth season), Kaatsbaan, Zest Collective, La Spezia Jazz Festival and Caitlin Trainor Dance. Repertoire includes Susan Jaffe's Polivestian, Doug Varone's Democracy, Christopher Wheldon's This Bitter Earth, Lucinda Child's Concerto, Ulyesses Dove's Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, Robert Garland's Return, New Bach and Braham’s Variation, Darrell Grand Moultrie's Vessels, Harlem on my Mind, Geoffrey Holder's Dougla, Paul Taylor's Esplanade, Merce Cunningham's Sounddance Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Balamouk, Stanton Welch's Orange, and Sasha Jane's Lascia la Spina.

Born: São Paulo, Brazil. Training: Centro de Artes Pavilhao D under Ricardo Scheir and Harid Conservatory. Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (eighth season), Houston Ballet trainee, Orlando Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and Paris Opera Ballet. Repertoire includes works by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Robert Garland, Ulysses Dove, and Marius Petipa.

Born: Denver, CO. Training: Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Olympic Ballet Theatre. Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fifth season), Ballet San Antonio, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet.  Repertoire includes Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Firebird, Donizetti Variations, Cinderella, The Four Temperaments, Allegro Brillante, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Serenade, Swan Lake, works by Robert Garland, Christopher Wheeldonm, and Darrell Grand Moultrie.

Born: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Training: Projeto Dan-cando Para Nao Dancar, Escola de Danca Maria Olenewa, and Centro de Movimento Debora Colker. Education: Universidade da Cidade. Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (tenth season), Grupo Corpo (apprentice), Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Dançando Para Não Dançar, Armitage Gone! Dance, and the Francesca Harper Project. Repertoire includes works by Arthur Mitchell, Donald Byrd, George Balanchine, Dianne McIntyre, John Alleyne, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Francesca Harper, Robert Garland, David Fernandez, Carol Armitage, Deborah Colker, Rodrigo Pederneiras, and Annabelle Lopez-Ocha. In 2017, Silva was the first African Brazilian to be on the cover of Pointe Magazine and appeared on the cover of Vogue Brasil November 2020. She is the Founder of EmpowHerNY & Co Founder of Blacks in Ballet.

Born: Orange County, CA. Training: Charlotte Ballet, SUNY Purchase, Joffrey Ballet School, Anaheim Ballet, Pointe of Grace, and Ballet Pacifica.  Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fifth season), Charlotte Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, and Black Iris Project.  Repertoire includes works by George Balanchine, Mark Diamond, Sasha James, Dwight Rhoden, Alonzo King, Jiri Killian, Dianne McIntyre, and Helen Pickett.

Born: San Francisco Bay area. Training: Lise la Cour's LaCademy, The Ailey School/Fordham University, and Jacob's Pillow Summer Program 2021 under the direction of Helen Pickett and Milton Myers. Professional Experience: Palm Beach Dance Festival, Dance Theatre of Harlem (first season). Repertoire includes works by Dwight Rhoden, Helen Simoneau, Yusha Marie-Sorzano, Maurya Kerr, Pedro Ruiz, and Andre Zachery. Washington is the recipient of the Alvin Ailey Artistic Scholarship.

Born: Salt Lake City, Utah. Training: Dallas Dance Academy with Lyndette Galen and Fiona Fairrie, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Springboard Danse Montreal, The Juilliard School, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, and Houston Ballet Academy. Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (12th season), The Francesca Harper Project, ARC Dance Seattle, Complexions Contemporary Dance Company, Ballet Black, and Texas Ballet Theatre. Repertoire includes works by Pam Tanowitz, Nacho Duato, Jose Limon, Helen Pickett, Arthur Mitchell, Donald Byrd, George Balanchine, John Alleyne, Dianne McIntyre, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Francesca Harper, Liam Scarlett, Robert Garland, and David Fernandez. Williams is the recipient of The Dallas Dance Council’s 2017 Natalie Skelton Award, 2013 Dance Magazine “On the Rise”, 2006 National Foundation for the Arts Award, 2006 Youth America Grand Prix finalist, Oprah Winfrey Fellowship recipient at the Ailey School, 2004 Texas Commission on the Arts Young Master.

Born: Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Training: Infiniti Performing Arts Center, Indiana Ballet Conservatory, Orlando Ballet School. Professional Experience: Orlando Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem (first season). Repertoire: Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge, Val Caniparolis’ Lamberna, Orlando Ballet’s Nutcracker, and Carmina Burana. Wright was Finalist at Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition 2019.

Karla Tyson began dancing at the age of five at Ballethnic Academy of Dance in East Point, GA under the direction of Nena and Waverly Lucas. She specializes in classical ballet, pointe, and partnering, but is also trained in jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, African, and hip hop. Tyson has performed in Ballethnic’s two main productions: The Urban Nutcracker and The Leopard Tale.

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Calvin Gentry, an Atlanta native, began his dance training at Atlanta DanceWorks in Stone Mountain, Ga. He furthered his studies on full scholarship at Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, School of American Ballet in Nyc and Houston Ballet Academy. Gentry began his professional career with Atlanta Ballet where he danced for two seasons.

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Demetrius Tucker began his dance training at the age of eighteen. In 2014, he attended The University of South Florida (USF) which gave him and eleven chosen students the opportunity as foreign exchange students to train and showcase set works in Beijing, China. The USF dance program has allowed him to work with choreographers such as Alonzo King, Robert Moses, Kara Davis, and many others.

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Beatrice Polini is Italian and Brazilian. She graduated from the National Academy of Dance in Rome (AND) in 2016 as a professional dancer in classical and modern dance. In 2019, she graduated in Chemistry at the "La Sapienza" University of Rome. In 2020, she finished my master's degree at the AND as a teacher of Modern Dance and Choreographic Techniques.

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Tyler Davilsaint was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Though he started Hip Hop and Liturgical dancing at the age of 14, his actual ballet training commenced before the start of the second semester of his high school junior year. He immediately became passionate about dance after realizing that it is another form of a euphoric escape from his normal life. Davilsaint also studied Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern/Horton Technique, Contemporary, Liturgical, African and Afro-Caribbean under the directions of Luctricia Welters, Hannah Baumgarten, Pablo Malco, Linda Jenkins, Astrid Audet, Laurie Picinich-Byrd, and Rome & Marina Saladino. He aspires to one day become as legendary as Mikhail Baryshnikov after mastering ballet at its highest level.

Ahmad Hill is from Chicago. He started dancing through the dance ministry of St. Mark Methodist Church and then trained with Russell Talbert until he was accepted to Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts). A meeting with Kevin Iega Jeff led Ahmad to the summer program with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) where he also met guest instructor Kevin Thomas who invited him to apprentice with his company, Collage Dance Collective. He also worked with Joshua Ishmon’s project-based company, Production: COLORS, before returning to DRDT were performed works such as Heaven, Church of Nations, When Men, and Flack. Hill danced for GreeneWorks Project directed by Terrence Greene. He performed the lead in Greene’s Coming of the King and assisted Greene in setting his work Empathy on Hill’s alumni school ChiArts. Hill also joined Ballet Austin II, during his time spent there, he’s performed Steven Mills’s version of the Nutcracker as the Nutcracker Prince, as well at the Lead Male in Paquita.

Maurissa Powell was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. She trained at The School of Madison Ballet under W. Earle Smith and Rachelle Butler, and summer intensive programs at The Jillana School, Ballet Chicago, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Fort Wayne Ballet.

Powell is a former Brown Girls Do Ballet ambassador and a national medalist for Ballet at NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural,  and Technological and Scientific Olympics. Powell was an apprentice artist with Madison Ballet for 2 seasons, performing in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Midsummer Night's Dream and various repertory shows, with the Ruth Page Civic Ballet in works by Nejla Yatkin, Rigo Saura, and was featured in Timothy O'Donnell's Femmes Célébrant. She most recently was a guest artist with Charlottesville Ballet in works by Brandye Lee and Keith Lee.

Saabirah Haniya Christopher is a native of Atlanta, GA. She began her dance training with Elevated Places Dance Company and transitioned to studying classical ballet at Ballethnic Dance Company.  Beginning in the Academy, Christopher has advanced to the pre-professional company, Ballethnic Youth Ensemble (BYE), and was afforded the opportunity to perform at Cardi B’s baby shower in 2018. She has performed as a member of BYE in many Ballethnic community performances including features in the Fusion Chamber Ensemble concerts and the MARTA Art bound performances. She is excited to begin her senior year of high school this fall. After graduation, she plans major in Early Childhood Education at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA.

Imani Nailah is a native of Atlanta, GA. She began her dance training at age six with Elevated Places Dance Company, under the direction of Fredrika Wilson. After many years of competitive training, she joined Ballethnic in 2015 to study classical ballet. During her senior year of high school, she was accepted into the Ballethnic Youth Ensemble, allowing her to begin training professionally and occasionally perform with the company. After graduating from high school in 2017, she became a student apprentice with Ballethnic Dance Company. She debuted as a company member in 2019. She is a Ballethnic Academy of Dance instructor. During the pandemic, she was accepted into Clark Atlanta University and is now a Sophomore majoring in Fashion Design.

Marla Majett is a freelance cellist in Atlanta, Georgia devoted to using music as a way to bring people together. This effort is most reflected through her role as Executive Director of the Kulea Music Institute which hosts lectures to bring awareness of diversity in classical music to music educators, commissions works by black composers for students, and provides educational performances throughout the state of Georgia. She has an active cello studio in Atlanta and performs in a wide variety of styles. 

Majett was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in a musical family that expanded generations of musicians. Majett started her musical studies at age 5, and earned a dual bachelor’s degrees in Music and History from Furman University. She also studied Suzuki cello pedagogy at Western Illinois University.

Majett is a passionate chamber musician and has performed with various professional orchestras and musical ensembles throughout the region. She regularly appears with the Colour of Music Festival Virtuosi—an all-female chamber orchestra of African descent. The Virtuosi have performed in various places including Texas, California, Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Tennessee. She has also appeared on stage with various artists including John Legend, Maxwell, Dianne Reeves, Common, and Michael Bearden. Majett most recently appeared as a guest soloist with the Atlanta Community String Ensemble performing a cello concerto by Antonio Vivaldi.

Dishan Harper is a professional bassist, born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. He began playing the upright bass his freshman year at North Atlanta High School Center for the Performing Arts. After high school he continued his studies at Georgia State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies under the direction of Robert Dickson (GSU bass instructor). 

In addition to his education, Harper’s passion for Jazz music stems from his family. Danny Harper, (Dishan’s father), is a professional trumpet player and composer who directs the Jazz studies program at Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama. His mother Terry Harper is a professional pianist and singer who has performed with The Neighborhood Arts Ensemble and Hannibal. After college Harper’s has performed with great musicians such as Russell Gunn and George Cables and The Glenn Miller Big Band. In 2015 he toured with Emory University’s Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Gary Motley, performing in and around Columbia, South America. In 2017, he toured Europe (including Poland and Germany). Harper currently performs on Royal Caribbean cruise ships with the Manny Kellough Carter Jazz ensemble.

Santiago Castañeda was born in Medellin, Colombia, and began his ballet studies at the age of 8 at Andrea Wolff Ballet. After completing high school, Castañeda moved to Miami and continued his training at the Miami City Ballet School on scholarship.  In 2014, Castañeda participated in the Youth America Grand Prix finals where he won two scholarships to the Harid Conservatory and Houston Ballet School.  In 2018, Castañeda joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice. This is Castañeda's second season with Collage.

Luisa Cardoso is a native of Salvador, Brazil. She began her training at Ebateca Escola de Ballet, directed by Juliana De-Vecchi. In 2014, she moved to Miami, FL after receiving a scholarship to attend the Miami City Ballet School pre-professional program, directed by Darleen Callaghan. In 2016, she graduated from Miami City Ballet School and moved to Memphis, TN to join Collage.  This is Cardoso’s fifth season with the company.

Rickey Flagg II was born and raised in in Windsor, CT. At 16,  he attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, and was also part of the Hartt School Community Division under the direction of Miguel Campaneria.  In 2012, Flagg was awarded a full scholarship to attend Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Professional Training Program under the direction of Virginia Johnson. Upon completion of the training program at DTH, Flagg was offered a contract with Charlotte Ballet II. This is Flagg's seventh season with Collage.

Sebastian Garcia, a Bronx, New York native, began his formal dance training at the Harlem School of the Arts in New York under the direction of Aubrey Lynch. He then attended the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, where he became a recipient of the En Avant Award from 2017-2018. After graduating from high school, Garcia studied at The Rock School for Dance Education on full scholarship. This is Garcia’s first season with Collage.

Maya Hawkins began dancing at the age of three. At 15, Hawkins joined the Collage Dance Corps. Following her high school graduation, she studied at the School of Pennsylvania Ballet, and in 2015 she joined The Washington Ballet as a trainee. Hawkins was a trainee at Cincinnati Ballet from 2016-17, then Charlottesville Ballet in Virginia for 3 seasons. This is Hawkins’ first season with Collage.

Lauren Huynh born and raised in Plano, Texas, began her training at the Hathaway Academy of Ballet. She was later awarded the Nordan Fine Arts Scholarship at Texas Christian University (TCU), where she graduated with a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance, as well as a minor in General Business. During her time at TCU, she was selected to travel to Rwanda, was awarded the TCU Mission Statement Scholarship, and received the Senior Legacy award honoring her antiracist work and activism. During the spring of 2021, Huynh joined Bruce Wood Dance as an Apprentice. This is Huynh’s first season with Collage.

Kendall Lockhart  originally from Houston, Texas, started her training with the pre-professional dance company, Ballet Forte, at Fort Bend Academy of Dance. She later attended Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts BFA program. In the 2019-2020 year, Lockhart joined Ballet Dallas under the direction of Carter Alexander. This is Lockhart's second season with Collage.

Nia Lyons, a Chicago native, has trained with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, and Chicago High School for the Arts. This is Lyons' second season with Collage and comes to us from the Dance Theatre of Harlem School in New York.

Fábio Mariano was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and started dancing when he was 14 years old. He trained at Maria Olenewa Dance School and performed in big productions of ballet and opera at Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro. Taught by renowned Brazilian and Russian teachers from Kirov Ballet, he graduated in 2014. Mariano joined Corpo de Baile Campos dos Goytacazes in 2014, where he performed classical and contemporary works. In 2016, he moved to the USA to join Atlantic City Ballet (NJ) as a soloist. In 2020, he co-founded the online platform Blacks in Ballet alongside Ingrid Silva and Ruan Galdino to highlight ballet dancers of color. Mariano has been an artist with Collage since 2017.

Leonard Perez,  from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has trained in Spanish dance with the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and in ballet and modern dance at the Ruth Page School of Dance. He has studied on scholarship at Northeastern Illinois University and has been awarded full scholarships to summer intensive programs at Dance Theater of Harlem, The Ailey School, River North Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, and The Ruth Page School of Dance. He danced with Milwaukee Ballet II during the 2015–2016 season. He's also danced with Milwaukee Ballet II, Dayton Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet and performed in the Chicago Dancing Festival, Jacob’s Pillow International Inside/Out Dance Festival, Dance for Life Chicago, and St. Louis’s Spring to Dance Festival. This is Perez’s third season with Collage.

Miyesha McGriff is a Kansas City, Missouri native. She trained at the Kansas City Ballet School, where she was a company apprentice for the 2006-2007 season. She then attended and graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance, May of 2011. After graduating, she danced at Dallas Black Dance Theatre II for the 2011-2012 season in Dallas, Texas. She then went to dance with Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company for the next four seasons. In 2017, McGriff joined Collage as a company member.

Lauren Philson began studying ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theater at the age 3. At age 12, she was accepted to the Houston Ballet Academy on scholarship. A year later she was invited to train in the Professional Division full-time. After her family relocated to Colorado, she finished her training at Colorado Ballet Academy. Philson attended summer programs at American Ballet Theatre (NYC), School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet SDP, Colorado Ballet Academy, and Houston Ballet Academy.  This is Philson’s second season with Collage.

Caio Rodrigo Dos Santos a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, began his ballet training at Projeto Social da Prefeitura Municipal de Piraí.  He has also trained at the Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa, belonging to Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro and the Centro de Movimentos Deborah Colker.  In 2014, he was awarded a full scholarship to train at the Miami City Ballet School.  Rodrigo Dos Santos has danced professionally with Projeto Ballet Gacemss and Rumo Cia de Danca in Brazil and with Atlantic City Ballet in New Jersey. This is Rodrigo Dos Santos’ fourth season with Collage.

João Pedro Silva began his formal dance training when he was 12 years old at the Ballare Studio of Dance. At the age of 15, he relocated to Rio de Janeiro to continue his ballet training at Dance School Alice Arja. After one year, he got an apprenticeship with the Cia of Ballet from Rio de Janeiro. He has competed in international dance competitions including the American Dance Competition where he was awarded scholarships for the Colorado Ballet Academy, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Sarasota Ballet School and Orlando Ballet School. At 17, he moved to the United States to study at the Miami City Ballet School. This is Silva’s first season with Collage.

Nya Ham (Apprentice) began dancing at the age of six with the Collage Dance Conservatory. In 2013, Ham was hand-selected by Kevin Thomas, artistic director of Collage Dance for the Collage Youth Ensemble. Ham joins Collage as an apprentice for the 2021-22 performance season.

Wilburn Bonnell is a NYC-based lighting designer.  New York credits include: Luft Gangster (Sheen Center); Half Moon Bay, Comes a Faery, In Fields Where They Lay (New Ohio);  Irresistible, Project: Lohan (La MaMa); Caucasian Chalk Circle (Theatre Row).  Regional: Satchmo at the Waldorf (Wallis); Deathtrap and White Christmas (Engeman); Orpheus in the Berkshires, A Dixon Family Album and Becoming Sylvia (Williamstown). Broadway Assoc./Asst. LD for: Head Over Heels, Fully Committed, The Visit, Newsies (& Nat'l Tour), Elf Nat’l. Tour, Ghost Nat’l. Tour, The Performers, The Anarchist, Jekyll & Hyde. Eight seasons as Lighting Supervisor of Williamstown Theatre Festival. Wilburn is an alumnus of Vassar College and proud member of Local USA-829, IATSE. www.bonnelldesign.com

Joey Guthman is a lighting designer and undying lover of the performing arts. His designs have been seen around the world, and he is thrilled to bring his work to Collage Dance Collective. In the concert dance world Joey designed the rolling World Premiere of Benjamin Millepied's Bach Studies at the Theatre Des Champs Elysees in Paris and the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. He is the resident designer at Los Angeles's MashUp Contemporary Dance Company. Other work in his native Los Angeles includes productions at The Getty Villa, Pasadena Playhouse, REDCAT, Rockwell Table and Stage, California Repertory Theatre, Pomona College, Occidental College, University of LaVerne and many more. Joey has toured internationally with LA Dance Project, and nationally with SITI Company, Kronos Quartet, Kristina Wong, and Brown Box Theatre Project. BFA: Emerson College. JGuthmanDesign.com

Portia Adams is an accomplished professional ballet dancer, with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo in Monaco. Parallel to her professional career in ballet, Portia is also pursuing her bachelor's degree in economics.

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Precious Adams originates from southeast Michigan and is currently a professional Soloist ballet dancer with the English National Ballet, and has danced professionally in the U.K. for over 7 years under the directorship of the internationally renowned Tamara Rojo.

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Katlyn Addison was born in Ontario, Canada. She began her professional ballet training at the National Ballet School of Canada and continued training with Quinte Ballet School of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, and the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy.

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Joshua Bodden began his ballet training at the age of 10 at the Miami City Ballet School under the direction of Edward and Linda Villella. He also attended The Harid Conservatory and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s year-round program on a full scholarship. He spent his summers training at the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and North Carolina School of the Arts.

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Corey Bourbonniere, a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2012. Before joining PBT, Bourbonniere trained with the State Ballet of Rhode Island and Heritage Ballet in Rhode Island, as well as the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School Graduate Program. He also attended summer programs at the American Academy of Dance and Texas Ballet Theater. Bourbonniere received the honor of being named one of Pointe Magazine’s Standouts of 2018 for his portrayal of Bernardo in Jerome Robbins’s West Side Story Suite. He then went on to play the same role in Francesca Zambello’s full length West Side Story at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, New York. Among his many PBT performances, Bourbonniere’s favorites include Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, as well as featured roles as a Stomper in Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room, the Third Sailor in Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free, and Drosselmeyer in Terrence S. Orr’s The Nutcracker.

Jenelle Figgins is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher from Washington, D.C. Figgins is an alum of Jones-Haywood School of Ballet, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and Dance Theatre of Harlem Kennedy Center Residency Program and Summer Intensive. Figgins received her BFA Cuma Laude from SUNY Purchase Dance Conservatory in 2011 and continued her training at SpringBoard Danse Montreal.

Figgins has performed for Collage Dance Collective, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Les Grands Ballet des Canadiens, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet where she performed works by George Balanchine, Jiri Kilyian, Jorma Elo, Ulysses Dove, Alexander Ekman, Nicholo Fonte, Nacho Duato, and more. In 2014, Figgins received the Princess Grace Award and was named one of Dance Magazine’s "Top 25 To Watch" in 2015. Figgins has taught internationally and is a guest faculty member at Hinton Battle Dance Academy in Japan. Figgins has been featured in Dance Magazine, Self Magazine, The Art of Movement, The Sojourner, and newspapers across the world. She was named a 2020 Aspen Hero by Theatre Aspen for leading the largest series of protests in Aspen, CO for social justice and racial equality.

Figgins has self-produced several art installations in the American Southwest and is a promising ballet choreographer. In 2021, Figgins premiered her first ballet, Spread at SUNY Purchase and served as Assistant Choreographer of RENT! at The Signature Theatre in D.C. Instagram @jenevolent

Claudia Monja was born in Havana, Cuba. At age 3, she began practicing rhythmic gymnastics, which she did until beginning her ballet studies at age 9. After studying at the Elemental Ballet School and the Cuban National Ballet School, she began her professional career with the Cuban National Ballet. Shortly after, she joined the Ballet de Camagüey, where she performed as a soloist for six years.

In 2012, she became a Principal Dancer with Joburg Ballet in South Africa, where she performed works like Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, La Traviata, Spring Waters, Flames of Paris, and the role of Gamzatti in La Bayadère. She has worked with choreographers such as Redha Benteifour and Corey Baker and has danced in internal tours to Italy, Ecuador, Colombia, and China and credit these experiences to her growth as an artist. She joined Nashville Ballet as a company dancer in 2021.

Ashley Murphy-Wilson of Shreveport, Louisiana is in her seventh season with The Washington Ballet after dancing for 13 years with Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2002, she trained and performed with DTH’s Dancing Through Barriers® Ensemble. The following year, she was accepted into the DTH Company and toured with them performing in ballets such as Firebird, Serenade, The Four Temperaments, and Concerto Barocco.

Murphy-Wilson has also taught for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Pre-Professional Residency at the Kennedy Center. She had the honor of performing at The White House, on BET, and Jeopardy. She also represented the U.S. in cultural exchange programs in Jamaica and Honduras. During Dance Theatre of Harlem’s eight year hiatus, she was influential in helping to restore the company by performing in the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble that continued to share the company’s legacy. When the DTH Company returned in 2012, Murphy-Wilson performed many principal roles in ballets including Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Glinka, Nacho Duato’s Coming Together, Agon, and Ulysses Dove’s Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, along with many others. She was also featured on the cover of Pointe Magazine with Misty Copeland and Ebony Williams, in a Verizon Wireless commercial, and in the Black Ballerina documentary streaming on Amazon Prime Video. In addition, she was hands on in creating Bloch’s line of skin coloured pointe shoes, an important step in the direction of inclusively in ballet.

Murphy-Wilson hopes that her presence in as a Black ballerina serves as inspiration to young aspiring dancers of all backgrounds.

Gian Carlo Perez, from Havana, Cuba, danced with the prestigious Ballet Nacional de Cuba, directed by Alicia Alonso. His dancing has brought him to Spain, Panama, Italy, the United States, and France. Perez participated in the Teaching Award, won by Cuba in Rome, Italy. While in Rome, Perez formed part of other repertoire performances such as Celestial by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Lumino by choreographer Peter Quans. He also worked with Viensay Valdes. In 2013, Perez toured to Spain to celebrate the Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s 70th anniversary, and in 2014, was awarded under the first solo category after having played the role of Othello in prologue. He participated in a ballet series in Panama along with the country’s first solo dancer Manuela Navarro. In June of 2014, Navarro and Perez performed together in the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Perez participated in the Gala of the Stars of the 21st Century in France in September 2014. In 2017, Perez was awarded a Princess Grace Fellowship in Dance.

Jonathan Philbert is from New York, and began his dance training at Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. While in high school, he was accepted into the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (ABT JKO) under the direction of Franco Devita. During this time, he was a national training scholar and was exposed to the talent and training that the ballet world has to offer. Philbert performed with the company on numerous occasions and in such ballets as The Nutcracker, Sylvia, and La Bayadère.

After graduating from the ABT JKO School, he attended Joffrey Ballet Studio Company under the direction of Ashley Wheater. There he danced roles in school productions like Von Rothbart in Swan Lake and Lead Couple in Napoli Divertissements and danced with the company in fall and spring productions.

Philbert joined Atlanta Ballet during the 2018-2019 season and has spent 4 years performing and working on being an artist, where he performed numerous works in the Company, such as Return to a Strange Land by Jiří Kylián, AON by Yury Yanowsky, Cacti and Tuplet by Alexander Ekman, and Catch by Liam Scarlett. He worked with many other choreographers such as Yuri Possokhov, Dwight Rhoden, and Claudia Schreier.

Miranda Silveira was born in Brazil and grew up in Spain. Member of the International Dance Council UNESCO, Silveira is a passionate Performing Artist, Ballet, and Modern Dance educated. Her schooling was in The Royal Conservatory in Spain and San Francisco Ballet School, directed by Lola de Ávila. Silveira worked in Internationally renowned Ballet Companies; San Francisco Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza, and The Joffrey Ballet. With ten years of experience as a professional, dance took her to Europe, The United States, South America, and Asia. She's had the pleasure to perform creations by Arai, Balanchine, Blanc, Caniparoli, Dawson, DeLuz, Forsythe, Marston, McGregor, Morris, Peck, Pita, Possokhov, Ratmansky, Robbins, Ruz, Scarlet, Thatcher, Tomasson, Wheeldon, and more that she wishes to work with in the future. Silveira is currently with the Joffrey Ballet, transitioning into Freelance dancing to continue transmitting her passion for movement while embracing an inclusive wellness lifestyle. However, her goal remains the same: to inspire and create. Instagram: @miranza_s