Tracey Alvey, born in Kent, England, started dancing at the age of nine, being initially selected for admission to the Bush Davies Ballet School and then invited to complete her training at The Royal Ballet School. As a dancer, she has performed at the highest levels throughout Europe, the Far East, and North America, performing lead roles in the majority of renowned productions including Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and Giselle. She was honored to dance before numerous Royalty including Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. At the end of her career, Tracey was invited by the Royal Academy of Dance to attend their demanding Professional Dancers Teachers course. Her repertoire included Mistress of Ceremonies in Graduation Ball, the White Pas de Deux in Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs, Principal Girl in Giocosa Variations, Counter Balance, the Elder Sister in Transfigured Night, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She was promoted to Principal in 15 August 1993, dancing the title role in Giselle and Swanhilda in the highly acclaimed production of Coppelia. The title role in Matthew Hart’s 1995 production of Cinderella was created on Tracey. In January 2001, Tracey accepted a position as Teacher of classical ballet at Elmhurst School of Dance, which is recognized nationally and internationally as a Center of Excellence and is one of only three UK Schools receiving recognition and financial support for its exceptionally gifted students under the Yehudi Menuhin Scheme. Tracey recently moved to Birmingham with her husband and son, where she is currently Interim Artistic Director of the Alabama Ballet.

Christal Brown (choreographer, educator, performer, writer, activist) is a native of Kinston, North Carolina and received her BFA in dance and minor in Business from the University of NC at Greensboro. Upon graduation, Brown went on to tour nationally with Chuck Davis' African-American Dance Ensemble and internationally with Andrea E. Woods/Souloworks. Immediately following those experiences, Brown performed with and managed Gesel Mason Performance Projects while apprenticing with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, MD. Upon relocating to New York, Brown apprenticed with the Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company before finding a home with Urban Bush Women; where she spent three seasons as a principal performer, community specialist, and apprentice program coordinator. Aside from performing, Brown is the Founding Artistic Director of INSPIRIT (formerly Women @ Work), a performance ensemble and educational conglomerate dedicated to bringing female choreographers together to collaborate and show new work, expanding the views of women of all ages, and being a constant source of inspiration to its audience as well as members. Founded in 2000, INSPIRIT has been honored to show work at Aaron Davis Hall, St. Marks Church, Joyce Soho, The Lincoln Theater of Washington, DC, and various other venues across the country. Combining her athleticism, creativity, love for people, and talent for teaching, Brown continues to teach and create works that redefine the art of dance and the structure of the field.

Leslie Browne was born in New York and raised in Pheonix, AZ. She received her early ballet training at the Phoenix School of Ballet and upon returning to New York at the age of sixteen, she continued her studies at the School of American Ballet. She subsequently joined the New York City Ballet, where she remained for one and a half years. Ms. Browne joined American Ballet Theatre as a soloist in 1976 and was appointed principal dancer in 1986. With American Ballet Theatre, Ms. Browne received critical acclaim for her performances in the classics as well as in contemporary works, which included the roles of Gamzatti in Natalia Makarova's La Bayadere, Kitri in Mikhail Baryshnikov's production of Don Quixote, Clara in Baryshnikov's The Nutcracker, the title role and Myrta in Giselle, the Lilac Fairy in Kenneth MacMillan's production of The Sleeping Beauty, Odette in Baryshnikov's Swan Lake, the principal ballerina role in Paquita, and the title role in La Sylphide. She has also danced principal roles in Mark Morris' Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies, Dim Lustre, Gala Performance, Pillar of Fire, The Leaves of Fading, and Jardins aux Lilas, Frederick Ashton's A Birthday Offering and Les Rendezvous, Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove, Lynne Taylor-Corbett's Great Galloping Gottschalk, MacMillan's Requiem, and George Balanchine's La Sonnambula, Ballet Imperial, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and Bouree Fantasque. Ms. Browne created principal roles in Clark Tippet's Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 and Karole Armitage's The Mollino Room. She also danced the role of Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet when it was given its company premiere by American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center in 1985. Ms. Browne appeared opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov in Herbert Ross' 20th Century Fox feature film The Turning Point, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Ms. Browne also portrayed Romola Nijinsky in the film Nijinsky, and Nadine in the film Dancers, also opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov. Ms. Browne also appeared as a guest star on the television series Happy Days, and has appeared in many television specials and on PBS's Dance in America series. Ms. Browne made her Broadway debut in the role of Irina in the musical The Red Shoes, and appeared as Maggie in the New York City Opera's revival of Brigadoon. She appeared with the New York City Opera in its production of Carmina Burana, dancing choreography by Donald Byrd. She has also appeared in the off-Broadway play A Laying of Hands with the Onyx Theatre Company. In 1997, Ms. Browne was the recipient of the New York City Dance Alliance's Distinguished Achievement Award. Ms. Browne is pursuing a successful career as a guest artist, teacher, and choreographer.

LaVondia Bryant-Square is artistic director of Nathifa Dance Company and Nathifa Dance Outreach, Inc. Nathifa Dance Company (meaning clean and pure) was established in 1990 as a youth performing company with various outreach programs to increase cultural awareness and foster positive self-image, self-esteem, and spirituality among the people of Birmingham. LaVondia began her dance career at the age of thirteen in Brooklyn, New York with a local studio called "Seasaways." Two years later, LaVondia began working with the Alonzo Players and Off Broadway Theater, where she received extensive theatrical training. While in high school, LaVondia won a scholarship in modern dance to 92nd Street YMCA, and another scholarship for training with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company at the Manhattan Community College. After returning to Birmingham, LaVondia continued her studies under the directorship of King Sundiata Keite of The Omowale Afrikan Dancers and Cultural Society based in Detroit, Michigan and The Birmingham African Dance Coalition under the directorship of Ife Balams.

Cornelius Carter is the Director of the Dance Program, Professor of Dance at the University of Alabama, and Artistic Director of the Alabama Reperatory Dance Theatre. Carter was awarded the National Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the Year award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2001. Carter was also awarded the 2001-2002 Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award by the Alabama Alumni Association. A former member of the Cleo Robinson Parker Dance Ensemble, Carter has been a faculty member at the American Ballet Theatre, American Dance Festival, Moscow 1997 and Korea 2002, Bates Dance Festival, and Harvard Summer Dance Festival. He taught and choreographed for the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive Program (2001 – present) in New York. In May 1999, he attended the American Choreographers Showcase where he presented and performed his choreography in France, Holland, Austria, Vienna, and Lithuania. Carter was Guest Rehearsal Director for the Dance Brazil 2005 Season in Bahia, Brazil. Carter has set over thirty-six new works on student companies, professional companies, and other University dance programs in the United States, Iceland, and Russia. Mr. Carter received his M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Hawaii at Mano

Rafael Delgado was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and received his early dance training from his mother, Wilda Beauchamp. He then studied on scholarships at the School of Ballets de San Juan (Puerto Rico) and the School of American Ballet in New York City. Since then, Mr. Delgado has enjoyed an eclectic dance career that has taken his performing, teaching, and choreographic talents around the globe. As a dancer he was know as "a fine dancer - musical and admirably light in his landings, with an easy naturalness in his acting" (Orlando Sentinel); as choreographer, audiences and critics enjoy the "contagious energy, dynamic images and beauty" of his ballets. Equally at home in the classical and contemporary idioms of ballet, Mr. Delgado has performed principal and leading roles on stages in the United States, Europe, Middle East, and South America with diverse companies such as Ballets de San Juan, Dennis Wayne's DANCERS, BalletMet, Ballet West, Icelandic National Ballet, Southern Ballet Theatre (now Orlando Ballet), and the Milwaukee Ballet among others. In 1990, he had the privilege to perform on tour in the Edinburgh Festival (Scotland), Dublin, Ireland, Cleveland, Ohio, and San Francisco, California with ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev. Rafael Delgado is enthusiastic about sharing his passion for dance with students of all ages. Several of his students have achieved their goals of performing in professional companies such as the Milwaukee Ballet, Washington Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Boston Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Danceworks, and Ballets de San Juan. In 2001, he founded the Ballet Performance Workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a mission of creating an accessible training ground to pre-professional ballet dancers while making ballet performances equally accessible to general audiences. The Workshop was the foundation for the BalletCenter, a professional ballet school and performance ensemble that Mr. Delgado directed until the summer of 2007, when he accepted the position of Chairman of Dance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, Alabama.

Bill Evans was artistic director of the Bill Evans Dance Company (based in Seattle and Albuquerque) for 30 years. BEDC performed in all 50 states, and throughout Mexico and Canada, and was among the most-booked companies in the U.S. for several years under the Dance Touring and Artist-in-the-Schools Programs of the National Endowment for the Arts. He founded the Evans Rhythm Tap Ensemble in 1992. He was formerly artistic coordinator, choreographer, and dancer for Utah’s Repertory Dance Theatre and artistic director of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers and its professional training programs. Mr. Evans has choreographed more than 200 works for more than sixty professional companies throughout the world and been awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship, numerous grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than seventy-five other awards from public and private arts agencies in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Evans earned BA and MFA degrees from the University of Utah and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst with both LIMS and IMS. He was a professor of dance at the Universities of Utah, Washington, Indiana, and New Mexico. He received the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and two Awards for Excellence in Dance from the Albuquerque Arts Alliance. Mr. Evans served as Chair of the Performance Division of the National Dance Association and was named NDA Scholar/Artist in 1997. He delivered a keynote address at the NDA Pedagogy Conference in Saratoga Springs on June 15, 2007. He served on the board of directors of the National Dance Education Organization and produced the 2003 NDEO Conference in Albuquerque. He was awarded the NDEO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. He is director of the ground-breaking Master Artists Initiative for NDEO artist/educators over age 50. Mr. Evans served on the board of the American College Dance Festival Association and has coordinated three regional festivals and served as adjudicator and/or guest artist at 18 different regional festivals and four national festivals. A cover story about the international impact of his teaching was featured in the October, 2003 issue of Dance Magazine. He was voted one of the three top American tap dance artists in the most recent Dance Magazine Readers Poll. His book, Reminiscences of a Dancing Man: A Photographic Journey of a Life in Dance, was published by NDA in November, 2005. Mr. Evans is currently serving as artist in residence at the State University of New York College at Brockport Department of Dance. He is professor of dance emeritus at the University of New Mexico, permanent guest artist in the Professional Program of Winnipeg’s School of Contemporary Dancers and artistic director of the annual Bill Evans Dance Teachers’ Intensives and Evans Technique Certification Program. He teaches Evans Modern Dance Technique and repertory, rhythm tap technique and improvisation, Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals, dance conditioning/applied kinesiology, modern dance improvisation, choreography and dance pedagogy, and is writing a textbook for college modern dance courses, The Evans Pedagogy of Dance Technique. Mr. Evans still performs full-evening solo concerts and is preparing a new show for the spring of 2008.

Rachael Inman is co-founder/ artistic director of Fuzíon Dance Artists and also on faculty at Birmingham Dance Theatre. Inman has been a dance instructor for over ten years and has had the privilege to work with students of varying ages and backgrounds. She has taught senior adults, professional and university level dancers, and women of all shapes and colors. She is currently exploring the new genre of Aerial Dance through her choreographic work, and feels her investigation and interest in "flying" reflects a common curiosity in humankind. She has also worked within the new field of dance technology and has produced an aerial video-dance that was selected for the 2003 "Dance Beyond the Stage" film festival. Most recently, she has been inspired to collaborate with licensed therapist Melea Stephens to develop a dance therapy curriculum that deals with female body issues while employing movement material that originates from Middle Eastern technique. Through Fuzíon, the contemporary dance company co-founded by Leymis Bolaños Wilmott and Rachael Inman, she pursues choreographic and performance endeavors that combine elements of heritage with inspiration from their eclectic lives. She completed her Master’s of Fine Arts in Dance at The Florida State University and currently resides in Birmingham with her husband Jeff, daughters Aleza, and Luciana.

Millicent M. Johnnie, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, recently finished her graduate studies in Dance at The Florida State University. Ms. Johnnie served on the Tulane University and Dillard University Dance Faculty located in New Orleans, Louisiana after touring as resident choreographer and rehearsal director of the Urban Bush Women in New York City. Johnnie moved to New York City upon graduating from Florida State University with her BFA in dance after teaching Hip Hop and Jazz movement several years as a veteran staff member of the Universal Dance Association based in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1999, Millicent co-founded the Phlava Hip Hop and Jazz Dance Company based in Tallahassee, Florida and toured internationally receiving a Dance Magazine nomination, a Prague International Dance Festival Best Choreography award, First Place International Dance Title for Hip Hop Choreography entitled Wrath, and Bates Dance Festival Emerging Artist recognition. Since its inception, Phlava has become one of Florida’s most distinguished Hip Hop companies. The company’s mission has been to expand and enlighten societal views in all areas of dance, enabling dance to be seen through a wide spectrum, increasing the community’s exposure through affordable public performances. Millicent’s choreography has been featured on the Urban Bush Women National Tour, Hubbard Street II National Tour, ESPN, The Prince William Network, Sunshine Network, and has been presented at venues such as the Danspace project Food for Thought (NYC), dancenOw/NYC Dance Harlem and Joyce Soho Series (NYC), Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (Washington D.C.), The Yard at Lincoln Center (NYC), International Association for Blacks in Dance Conference 2000, 2001, 2002 (TX, CA, D.C.), and The New Orleans Jazz Dance Project (New Orleans, LA). She has been recognized as artist in resident at several higher learning institutions such as Florida State/Urban Bush Women Summer Dance Institute, Florida A & M University, Amherst College Project 2050, University of North Western Louisiana, University of South Carolina at Aiken, University of Central Florida, Barry University, Auburn University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Jacksonville University, and Rollins College. Training with artists such as Jowole Willa Jo Zollar, Ronald K. Brown, Garth Fagan, Los Munequitos de Matanzas, Richard Gonzales, Reginald Yates, and Yvonne Daniels provoked her interest in the dance origins of Hip Hop and other African American vernacular dance forms. Millicent believes that researching, identifying, and clarifying similarities between these forms of dance will allow herself to continue to create this hybrid form of movement distinguishing itself uniquely as a part of Hip Hop culture.

Jenna McKerrow, a native of Gaithersburg, MD, began her training at the Washington School of Ballet and continued at Houston Ballet Academy. She has performance experience with The Washington Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Since joining the Alabama Ballet in 2001, Jenna has danced principal and soloist roles in Paquita, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Flames of Paris, and Flower Festival. She has worked with Leslie Browne in Brahm’s Trio and with Roger Van Fleteren in unRAVELed, Concert Fantasy, and Tickling the Ivories. She has performed as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Principal Marzipan in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™, as well as roles in Donizetti Variations and Serenade. Jenna was privileged to appear in Eliot Field’s Mr. XYZ with Mikhail Baryshnikov, is a member of the Gorham's Bluff Residency, and is on faculty with the Alabama Ballet School. She is also an Executive Board Member of the Alabama Dance Council.

Abe Reybold's Broadway and First National Touring credits include Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies, both directed by Tommy Tune, Annie 2 choreographed by Peter Gennaro, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Donny Osmond, and Jekyll & Hyde staged by Jerry Mitchell. Other New York Credits include Concerts at Carnegie Hall, Encores! City Center, and The New York Pops. Abe has performed leading roles in classic musicals at regional theatres including Goodspeed Opera House, Fifth Avenue Music Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Casa Manana, Pittsburgh CLO, Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theatre, & Maine State Music Theatre. Now, a freelance Writer/Director, Abe directs and choreographs all over the country including his newly adopted home state of Alabama.

Irene Rimer, founder of the Irene Rimer Dance Academy, is of Hebrew and Southern Spanish descent. She started dancing at the age of six after her father, a lawyer, matador with Cesar & Curro Giron, and Flamenco aficionado, took her to see the Ballet of Spain of Antonio Gades. From this moment on, Irene was inspired, serious, and determined to become a dancer. Irene studied Ballet with Master Ballet dancer Nina Novak, world prima-ballerina. Simultaneously, she also studied Classic Spanish with Jose Serrano and became his first dancer. Nina Novak and Jose Serrano used to claim Irene as their own company's dancer at only age 12. At the age of 13, Irene became the first soloist dancer of the Jose Serrano Classic Spanish ballet, touring several countries with the company as first dancer. At the same time she was also featured soloist dancer performing with soprano singers Victoria Vergara in the Opera Carmen and Catherine Malfitano in La Traviata in the Municipal Theater of Caracas. Her passion for learning the rhythms of Flamenco took her to her grandfather's land, Spain, were she also studied with the best Flamenco professors such as her mentor La Tati, Maria Magdalena, Paco Fernandez, Ciro, Jose Granados, Javier de la Vega, and others in Amor de Dios studios in Madrid. After living and experiencing Flamenco at the different cities in Spain, she started dancing professionally 19 at theaters and "tablaos flamencos." Having the opportunity of living in Seville and traveling to Morocco and Israel, Irene did not miss the chance to be enchanted and mystified by the study of Mideastern dance styles. During her professional Flamenco dancing years, Irene spent a lot of time in Spain and often traveled to neighboring countries, France, Germany, Holland, and others, dancing as a soloist. She also spent time in Caracas, Venezuela as a soloist dancer at tablaos such as El Café de Chinitas with the guitars of Fernando Toledo and El Chino de Málaga, and performing with other great Flamenco artists such as La China, La Morita, Miguel Hernandez El Pata Negra), and Antonio & Emilia. In Spain, she was also featured at Tablaos in Seville, Madrid, and Huelva with the guitars of Juan Amaya in Madrid, Antonio Montoya in Sevilla, & el Nino Miguel in Huelva. Irene performed at Los Gallos in Seville and was featured in different Ferias in Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Cadiz. In 2005, Irene moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she currently teaches Flamenco & Belly Dance at The Children’s Dance Foundation and Devyani Dance Center. She served on the Advisory Committee for the Alabama Dance Council’s needs assessment study, and continues to certify and oversee all students meeting graduation criteria and graduates at Irene Rimer Dance Academy, Inc. and the Community Performing Arts Foundation of South Florida and Alabama.

Robert Royce did his early training with the North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, The Hungarian National Ballet, and Burklyn Ballet. He has since performed with Dayton Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and most recently with Augusta Ballet, and appeared in George Balanchine's Allegro Brilliante and Theme and Variations, Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker, and Christopher Flemming's Janis and Joe. Rob has choreographed full-length versions of Alice In Wonderland, The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, which were seen at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 2001-2003. He was awarded the Scotsman's 2001 Readers Choice Award for Best Dance and Physical Theatre. Currently Interim Ballet Master of the Alabama Ballet, Rob also works with Southern Danceworks as a dancer and choreographer.

Solomon Adeyinka Sholanke is the founder and creative director of the Osumare African Drum & Dance Ensemble. He was born and reared in the city of Abeokuta in Ogun State, Nigeria. He learned to dance and play drums at the age of seven as a rite of passage within the Yoruba culture. Solomon moved to the United States in the 1970s to attend college. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Management and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. In 1988, he founded the Osumare African Drum & Dance Ensemble, and has since then become widely known for his stimulating and educational seminars, classes, and lectures on drumming, dance, drum-making, songs of the Yoruba, and the culture of his native Nigeria. Two feature performers in the ensemble are master drummer Lawrence Etim and professional dancer Praise Ekeng. Praise Ekeng is a native of Cross River State, Nigeria, where he received his training. He is a prolific dancer who has made a name for himself in the Nigerian world of dance and performing arts. As a teacher, percussionist, model, and feature dancer, he has traveled all over the world showcasing the vibrant art of dance. He has worked with legendary and skillful dance teachers including Baba Chuck Davis, Peter Dance Badejo, Arnold Udoka, and many others. Some of his performances include shows at Art Live South Africa, a performance for the Queen of England, The All-Africa Games, and the Intel National Dance Fair. In addition, he has worked with the Cross River State Dance Troupe, UNICIAL Theater Arts, Akwa Ibom Art Council, National Troupe of Nigeria, and the Ebony Theater and Body Language. Lawrence Etim, a drummer from the city of Calaba, Cross River State, Nigeria, started playing drums at an early age. A wonderfully talented master drummer trained in Nigeria and performer with the National Troupe of Nigeria, he has shared his rhythms at performances in Nigeria, the United States, South Africa, Germany, Seoul (South Korea), and many more places taking part in festivals, shows, and demonstrations.

Vincent E. Thomas, dancer, choreographer, and teacher, received his MFA in Dance from Florida State University and a BME in Music from the University of South Carolina. Prior to pursuing his graduate degree at FSU, he taught music in Columbia, SC and danced with Dancework Jazz Company, serving as principal dancer and Associate Artistic Director. He has danced with Dance Repertory 20 Theatre (FSU), Randy James Dance Works (NY/NJ), Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (MD), and is a guest performer with EDGEWORKS Dance Theater (DC). Vincent’s choreography has been presented at Piccolo Spoleto (SC), Diverse Works (TX), Flynn Performance Space (VT), Contemporary Arts Center (LA), Music Hall (MI), Dance Place (DC), Church Street Theatre (DC), Spiral Flight Center for Yoga and the Arts (DC), Jack Guidone Theatre at Joy of Motion (DC), Lisner Auditorium (DC), National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC), Towson University (MD), Swirnow Theatre-Mattin Center at Johns Hopkins University (MD), and Artscape (MD). The recipient of two 2006 MetroDC Dance Awards, (Emerging Choreographer and Outstanding New Work - Grandmother Project), Vincent Thomas is Artistic Director of VTDance, returning to Dance Place for a second season. Thomas has been described as a "bold mover," with movement "that recalled modern master Doris Humphrey," and an ability to create "old fashioned modern dance technique – in a clear and updated version" (Washington Post). His season opening concert, One in Five, celebrates five years of VTDance through the art of collaboration. Featured collaborators include: Christal Brown (NY), clyde forth (NY), and Diana Tokaji (DC/MD). Vincent will also premier The Mozart Project: On Lines, Between Spaces, a reflection, through correspondence, of the life of Mozart, his personal development, and artistic growth.

Leymis Bolaños Wilmott is co-founder/director of Fuzíon Dance Artists, Sarasota's first contemporary dance company, and an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Booker High School, St. Petersburg College, and New College of Florida. Ms. Wilmott is a recipient of the 2006 Sarasota Arts Council’s Individual Artist Fellowship. In 2005, she was nominated by Sarasota Magazine as one of best choreographers in a musical for Miss Saigon, presented at the Players Theatre, and in 2002, she received the Dance Magazine award for Southeast Best Choreographer. Her works have been performed nationally at the John F. Kennedy Center, the Chicago Theatre Building, Florida Dance Festival, Historic Asolo Theatre, and Ailey City Group Theatre in NYC. This will be her fourth year as the resident choreographer for Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's presentation of Black Nativity, by Langston Hughes. Ms. Wilmott is the first in the state to receive a certificate in Dance and Healing from the University of Florida and has a Master of Fine Arts in Performance/Choreography from The Florida State University. Ms. Wilmott served as the Academic Program Coordinator for Florida State University's FSUdanceSARASOTA program, coordinating dance events for Sarasota and Manatee schools and community centers. Her deep love for education and community building continues as she presents dance as a teaching artist through the Sarasota Arts Council, Manatee Arts Council, and Prodigy. She also teaches multi-generational dance classes at the YMCA. Ms. Wilmott believes in sharing dance with people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, and continues to be inspired by the human spirit and the strength of mankind to surpass circumstance.

Johannes "Jomo" Xulu, Artistic Director of the Umdabu Dance Company, brings more than twenty-five years of experience to his company. He has performed and choreographed for professional companies in South Africa, Great Britain, and the United States. He has worked with several companies in his homeland of Kwa-Theme Springs, South Africa, such as Umthaki, Mmathari, and Wings of Change. In 1986, Jomo formed Vuka to teach Zulu dance, songs and drumming to the Ballet Company at Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa. This collaboration helped to develop a cultural relationship between black and white in South Africa during Apartheid. Jomo also danced and choreographed for the Adzito Pan Africa Ensemble in Great Britain and in 1993, he came to the United States with the famous Soweto Street Beat Dancers.