Compagnie Georges Momboye—Paris, France



Georges Momboye’s creation Ciel et Terre—Heaven and Earth—cast four female dancers with dancing styles ranging from hip hop to ballet. I truly enjoyed the way the choreographer integrated our different styles into one perfectly aligned dance that never felt jarring or ill-placed. Throughout the rehearsal process my technique and skill continued to evolve as I incorporated new dance styles and practices.

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Compagnie James Carlès—Toulouse, France



My primary project while with Compagnie James Carlés was Danses et Continents Noirs a series of works which celebrated the life, work, and legacy of such African-American choreographers as Pearl Primus, Katherine Dunham, Eleo Pomare, Talley Battey, and Donald McKayle. The project traced the history of Black Dance in America from the 1930‘s through the 1960’s. I experience both the opportunity and the challenge of articulating the nuances of the African American ethos through the mediums of choreography and dance while adjusting to the etiquette of the French performance environment.



 

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble—Denver, CO



The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble nurtured my creative artistic expression. I began my journey with limited understanding of modern dance which required a grounded sense of dancing that I did not learn in my classical ballet training. Nor did I have a strong ability to surrender myself emotionally to the dance in a way that the audience was not only able to see, but feel. The character roles in the Robinson company ranged from being a little girl, to being an African queen, to portraying a church woman in a solo that made me explore the sweetness and bitterness of living.

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The diverse repertory which included works by Ronald K. Brown, Donald McKayle, Milton Myers, Eleo Pomare,  David Roussève, Rosangela Silvestre, and Nejla Yatkin, among others forced me to enter the creative process in a new way that allowed me to soar within my artistry.



Ballethnic Dance Company—Atlanta, GA​


The highlights of my tenure with Ballethnic Dance Company were, performing the company’s signature work, Leopard Tale which blends Ballet and African dance; Trouble—a collaboration with internationally renowned dancer/choreographer Irene Tassembedo’s and Compagnie Ebene (France); Urban Nutcracker; Chariscauro.

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I became a strong, dynamic dancer through an ever increasing sophistication to body awareness and proper bio-mechanics. I lengthen my body to facilitate a more expansive movement, strengthened my pointe work, and began to fine-tune my transitional movement. I came to understand when to apply power and when to apply soft grace, which gave me greater poise. Today these elements are evident in the increased detail of my work. I entered the company as it’s weakest link and left it able to stand side by side with my colleagues as an equal—and in the opinion of some choreographers, "…a cut above".