Redemption for Our Skin

Keshia Wall of Greensboro, NC earned an undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Dance and African American Studies and completed the Master of Fine Arts in Dance degree program at Hollins University in collaboration with Kunstlerhavs Mousontvrm and The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts; with support from The Dresden Frankfort Dance Company. She is also the founder of Matriarch Dance Co. LLC, which exists to empower women of all ages to discover their strength and purpose through dance training, performance, and positive mentorship.Wall is currently an Assistant Professor at Elon University, where she coordinates the African and African American Studies minor and instructs courses in contemporary and traditional West African dance. She also leads a study abroad trip to Ghana yearly in collaboration with the University of Ghana Legon and the Ghana Dance Ensemble. Her research focus is rooted in the presence of West African dance in higher education and how this dance form can be engaged as valued and valid epistemological and ontological domains in scholarship and performance. 

Lauryn McCarthy is originally from Portland, Oregon. She is currently a first-year at Elon University, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has trained under the Jefferson Dancers, a pre-professional company. Through the Jefferson Dancers Lauryn got to perform over 50 times a year including traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the National High School Dance Festival and the South of France to take class as well as perform.

Sarah Parks is a native of McLean, Virginia. She is currently a junior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography. She is delighted to be making her debut at Elon University in the Black History Month Concert and is thankful for the support of her family and friends.

Maya Simmons is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia. She will be earning her B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in English this spring. She is proud to have performed with the Florence Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Ash and Elm Dance Co., NC Dance Project, and in a multitude of performances here at Elon every semester. She is grateful to have had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert 2022 and Dancing in the Landscape 2023! She is so excited to perform in her final Black History Month!

Kayla Spalding is a dancer and choreographer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a senior at Elon University, majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and History (AB). During her time at Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert all four years. Kayla has also presented work during the Dancing In The Landscape and the Fall Dance Concert at Elon. She also performed in both the Richmond Dance Festival and Florence Dance Festival this past year. Kayla is incredibly thankful for all her opportunities throughout her time at Elon!

Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Jaki Shelton Green teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and has been named the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Her publications include: Dead on Arrival, Masks, Dead on Arrival and New Poems, Conjure Blues, singing a tree into dance, breath of the song, Feeding the Light, i want to undie you. On Juneteenth 2020, she released her first LP, poetry album, The River Speaks of Thirst, produced by Soul City Sounds and Clearly Records. Jaki Shelton Green is the owner of SistaWRITE providing writing retreats for women writers in Sedona Arizona, Martha’s Vineyard, Ocracoke North Carolina, Northern Morocco, and Tullamore Ireland.Photo Credit: Sylvia Freeman

Keshia Wall of Greensboro, NC earned an undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Dance and African American Studies and completed the Master of Fine Arts in Dance degree program at Hollins University in collaboration with Kunstlerhavs Mousontvrm and The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts; with support from The Dresden Frankfort Dance Company. She is also the founder of Matriarch Dance Co. LLC, which exists to empower women of all ages to discover their strength and purpose through dance training, performance, and positive mentorship.Wall is currently an Assistant Professor at Elon University, where she coordinates the African and African American Studies minor and instructs courses in contemporary and traditional West African dance. She also leads a study abroad trip to Ghana yearly in collaboration with the University of Ghana Legon and the Ghana Dance Ensemble. Her research focus is rooted in the presence of West African dance in higher education and how this dance form can be engaged as valued and valid epistemological and ontological domains in scholarship and performance. 

Eileena Boyce is a senior working to obtain a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography and a BA in Strategic Communications. She is a native North Carolinian from Durham. During her time at Elon, she has performed in many of the mainstage Elon dance performances, performed in two dance films under Keisha Wall called “I Want to Undie You” and “Reclaiming Power: The Black Maternal Crisis”, as well as trained in Florence and performed in the Florence Dance Festival for study abroad. She recently presented her work for the first time at Elon in Dancing in the Landscape and is preparing to present undergraduate research in the winter. Boyce is beyond thankful for every opportunity and all the support she has gained over the years. She hopes you enjoy the performances!

Kalie-Ann is a senior at Elon University pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography and BA in Strategic Communications. She is a lover of all things creative and imaginative. Whether it’s dancing in front of the audition table or working casting from behind it; she undoubtedly has a passion for the entertainment industry. She sends lots of love and gratitude to her family back home, who have never stopped supporting her dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem.

Isabella is a senior Dance Performance/Choreography and Political Science double major. She is also a contracted cadet in the ROTC program here at Elon, where she will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army this Spring 2023. She has been fortunate to perform pieces by guest choreographers Leah Wilks, Ashley Lindsay, and Maurice Watson, and pieces by faculty such as Casey Avaunt, Keshia Wall, and Renay Aumiller. She is very excited to perform in her very last Fall Dance Concert and finish her final year here at Elon.

Maurice Watson is a dancer, choreographer, and educator, who holds an MFA in choreography from the University of Iowa and is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. As an artist, he’s performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, JazzAntiqua Dance and Music Ensemble, and the Long Beach Ballet in California. Watson has also worked commercially in productions at Disney, on Holland American Cruise Lines, as well and in television and films.

Eileena Boyce is a senior working to obtain a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography and a BA in Strategic Communications. She is a native North Carolinian from Durham. During her time at Elon, she has performed in many of the mainstage Elon dance performances, performed in two dance films under Keisha Wall called “I Want to Undie You” and “Reclaiming Power: The Black Maternal Crisis”, as well as trained in Florence and performed in the Florence Dance Festival for study abroad. She recently presented her work for the first time at Elon in Dancing in the Landscape and is preparing to present undergraduate research in the winter. Boyce is beyond thankful for every opportunity and all the support she has gained over the years. She hopes you enjoy the performances!

Gabrielle Cataldo, a native of Jamison, Pennsylvania, is a senior pursuing two degrees in Dance Performance and Choreography (B.F.A.), Arts Administration (B.A.), and a minor in Business Administration. Last spring, she performed a work by Angelo Egarese in Florence, Italy through her study-abroad program. She is excited to have the opportunity to perform again in Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. Gabrielle wants to thank her family for their constant support and love, without them none of this would be possible. She is very excited to take the stage for one last year at Elon.

Maggie Davenport is from Wake Forest, North Carolina, and is currently a Senior at Elon University. She is pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.S. in Dance Science, as well as minoring in Exercise Science and Business Administration. She has had the opportunity to perform works by Maurice Watson, ShaLeigh Comerford, Ashley Lindsey, Lauren Kearns, Ming-lung Yang, and Dom Alexis. She has previously trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and UNCSA Summer Intensive. She has also attended the 2019 and 2022 Winston-Salem Dance Medicine Conference (WiDSM) and is a member of the International Associaltion for Dance Medicine and Science. In the summer of 2022, Maggie studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and continued her dance training at the Florence Dance Center while performing at the Florence Dance Festival. She feels grateful to be supported by all her family, peers, and faculty while in her final performance season. After graduation Maggie plans to attend nursing school to pursue a career in Dance Medicine.

Molly Jenks is a senior pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography, a B.A. in Journalism, and a minor in International and Global Studies at Elon University. Molly trained at the School of Richmond Ballet, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Florence Dance Center, and American Dance Festival. Performance credits include Indonesian choreographer Alisa Soelaeman’s Transference 2.0, Jen Guy Metcalf’s All the Light We Cannot See, Keshia Wall’s Darling Betty, and Lauren Kearns’s Rites of Seasons. Molly is thrilled to be part of Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, and Spring Dance Concert this season.

Marissa Mahoney is from Naples, Florida. She is a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography, B.A. in Strategic Communications, and a minor in Creative Writing. Marissa’s choreography was featured in the American College Dance Association Southeast Regional Gala and she is excited to showcase her work in the 2020 Fall Dance Concert. Marissa has completed internships at the Merce Cunningham Trust in NYC and Avalon Artists Group in LA. She is also the president of Elon DanceWorks, as well as an office assistant to the head of the performing arts department.

Lauren Mitchell, from Sparta, New Jersey, is a senior at Elon pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and B.S. in Dance Science. She has worked with various faculty and student choreographers in performances throughout the years, both on film and stage. During the summer of 2019 she had the incredible opportunity to travel and study abroad in Florence, Italy, training at the Florence Dance Center. This year she is working towards her goals of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist and dance teacher, where she will get to work with kids while continuing her passion for dance!

Isabella is a senior Dance Performance/Choreography and Political Science double major. She is also a contracted cadet in the ROTC program here at Elon, where she will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army this Spring 2023. She has been fortunate to perform pieces by guest choreographers Leah Wilks, Ashley Lindsay, and Maurice Watson, and pieces by faculty such as Casey Avaunt, Keshia Wall, and Renay Aumiller. She is very excited to perform in her very last Fall Dance Concert and finish her final year here at Elon.

Hannah West is from St. Augustine, Florida. She is in her final year at Elon University. At Elon, Hannah is working to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has participated in faculty-directed dance concerts, worked with guest choreographers, presented her own works, and performed abroad in Florence, Italy with The Kearns Dance Project. She’s also currently working to receive her certificate in classical Pilates. Hannah is very excited to continue exploring the amazing opportunities Elon provides.

“As a guitarist, the jazz-steeped Durham native has dabbled in everything from funk and hip-hop to West African music and country tributes, amassing a breadth of musical and business knowledge along the way.” - Grant Golden [Indyweek]William Darity began playing guitar professionally with jazz groups, in and around his hometown of Durham, NC as a teenager. He soon found himself playing in a variety of genres, including soul, hip-hop, gospel, and reggae. These influences began to coalesce into a sort of experiment with pop music as he started leading his own project, Durty Dub, in 2013. Working as a bandleader, Darity soon expanded Durty Dub’s performance footprint across the state of NC and up the east coast, into Washington DC and NYC in 2016. It was around this time that he began to realize that he was interested in the business side of music as much as the creative process and wanted to collaborate with others toward that end. A chance opportunity to book Detroit artist, De’Sean Jones at the renowned Art of Cool Festival in 2017 led to an on-going business partnership and inspired the founding of his new talent agency, Forging The Musical Future. Since its humble beginnings, FTMF has quickly grown to represent a roster of artists including Grammy nominee, Cheick Hamala Diabate, world-renowned djembe master, Weedie Braimah, as well as Ropeadope recording artists, Black Light Collective, and Nathan Paul. On the guitar side, Darity is currently working on a project with Durty Dub, celebrating country music legend, Charley Pride. Otherwise, he can be found performing and/or recording with Vanessa Ferguson, Young Bull, Africa Unplugged & Solomon Fox.

Elisha Harris is a charismatic musician hailing from Durham, North Carolina. His musical journey started as a child, learning West African percussion from his first teacher Bashir Shakur at E.K. Powe Elementary School. He soon after joined Collage Dance Company, a children’s dance ensemble and institution in the city, being a member until his final year of high school. Elisha attended North Carolina A&T State University, studying Architectural Engineering. While there he played with a campus dance company, as well as Sugar Foote Productions, the brainchild of Robin Gee professor in the UNC Greensboro dance department where he worked as an accompanist. In 2011 he became a part of fellow Collage alumni, and mentor Atiba Rorie’s band Africa Unplugged, a dynamic group pushing the limits of traditional and contemporary ideas about the music of the diaspora. He has been honored to share stages with brilliant musicians around the country, has played for various ensembles, universities, and with wonderful artists from both here and abroad. He currently resides in Durham working for a Structural Engineering firm in Raleigh and enjoying what he believes was one of God's greatest gifts to him, music.

Lamar Lewis, a Newark, New Jersey native, grew up and received his formative training in West African percussions in Durham, North Carolina. Lamar has studied with master musicians such as Modibo Keta, Baba Khalid Saleem and Baba Bradley Simmons, all former musical directors for the African American Dance Ensemble under the artistic direction of Dr. Charles “Chuck” Davis. Lamar enjoys musically accompanying dancers currently with Elon University and UNC of Greensboro’s dance departments. He is also a touring band member with both AfricaUnplugged and Caique Vidal & Batuque; under the musical direction of Atiba Rorie and Caique Vidal respectively.

Joe Quinde is an American musician, producer, and engineer best known for his work, shaping the sounds for what is known as the “golden era” of hip-hop and RnB / soul. Working with many industry artists, including Jay-Z, N.O.R.E., Cam’Ron, Chubb Rock, Guru, Camp Lo and Nice n’ Smooth  [2], his unique and exacting approach to mixing resulted in a 1998 Grammy [best rap album] win for Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life, Vol. 2”. He also received critical acclaim for his approach to Camp Lo’s hip-hop classic, “Luchini AKA This is It”. Over the course of Quinde’s career, he appeared as a musician on many records including Angie Stone’s “Black Diamond”, Gang Starr’s “Mass Appeal”and Vanilla Ice’s “People's Choice” [5]. He has also worked as a FOH and MON engineer for many live shows including tours with Roberta Flack and concerts at select Greensboro venues like Cone Denim Ent. Center, Carolina Theatre [Greensboro, NC] and Arizona Pete’s, as well as John Coltrane Jazz & Blues Festival. Currently, Quinde is mixing records in genres such as afrobeat, hip-hop, RnB, reggae, rock, and jazz, andperforming with North Carolina artists.

Atiba Rorie has been playing percussion instruments since he was a young child. He currently holds a BA in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has also studied with Babatunde Olatunji, Fahali Igbo, Bradley Simmons, Chief Bey, and The National Dance Ensemble of Ghana in a one month intensive in Accra, Ghana, and a one-month intensive study in Guinea, West Africa. He has taught at Winston Salem State University and Guilford College. He currently is the Dance music coordinator at UNC Greensboro. He is the founder of the dynamic band Africa Unplugged. Rorie is also a musician within various professional ensembles; with these ensembles, he has performed at many venues including Dance Africa in New York, Tedx Greensboro, National Black Arts Festival, Black Dance USA, and two Presidential Inauguration Celebrations. In 2005 Rorie was invited to participate in a Drums of Passion Tribute to Babatunde Olatunji at the Percussive Arts Society InternationalConference. Rorie has been a guest artist at CaldCluegh Community Center, Duke University, High Point University, Agnes Scott College, Williams College, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Black College Dance Exchange, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Radford University.

Elisha Harris is a charismatic musician hailing from Durham, North Carolina. His musical journey started as a child, learning West African percussion from his first teacher Bashir Shakur at E.K. Powe Elementary School. He soon after joined Collage Dance Company, a children’s dance ensemble and institution in the city, being a member until his final year of high school. Elisha attended North Carolina A&T State University, studying Architectural Engineering. While there he played with a campus dance company, as well as Sugar Foote Productions, the brainchild of Robin Gee professor in the UNC Greensboro dance department where he worked as an accompanist. In 2011 he became a part of fellow Collage alumni, and mentor Atiba Rorie’s band Africa Unplugged, a dynamic group pushing the limits of traditional and contemporary ideas about the music of the diaspora. He has been honored to share stages with brilliant musicians around the country, has played for various ensembles, universities, and with wonderful artists from both here and abroad. He currently resides in Durham working for a Structural Engineering firm in Raleigh and enjoying what he believes was one of God's greatest gifts to him, music.

Lamar Lewis, a Newark, New Jersey native, grew up and received his formative training in West African percussions in Durham, North Carolina. Lamar has studied with master musicians such as Modibo Keta, Baba Khalid Saleem and Baba Bradley Simmons, all former musical directors for the African American Dance Ensemble under the artistic direction of Dr. Charles “Chuck” Davis. Lamar enjoys musically accompanying dancers currently with Elon University and UNC of Greensboro’s dance departments. He is also a touring band member with both AfricaUnplugged and Caique Vidal & Batuque; under the musical direction of Atiba Rorie and Caique Vidal respectively.

Atiba Rorie has been playing percussion instruments since he was a young child. He currently holds a BA in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has also studied with Babatunde Olatunji, Fahali Igbo, Bradley Simmons, Chief Bey, and The National Dance Ensemble of Ghana in a one month intensive in Accra, Ghana, and a one-month intensive study in Guinea, West Africa. He has taught at Winston Salem State University and Guilford College. He currently is the Dance music coordinator at UNC Greensboro. He is the founder of the dynamic band Africa Unplugged. Rorie is also a musician within various professional ensembles; with these ensembles, he has performed at many venues including Dance Africa in New York, Tedx Greensboro, National Black Arts Festival, Black Dance USA, and two Presidential Inauguration Celebrations. In 2005 Rorie was invited to participate in a Drums of Passion Tribute to Babatunde Olatunji at the Percussive Arts Society InternationalConference. Rorie has been a guest artist at CaldCluegh Community Center, Duke University, High Point University, Agnes Scott College, Williams College, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Black College Dance Exchange, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Radford University.

Haley Asbury is a senior from Morris County, NJ earning a dual degree in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and BA in Arts Administration. During her time at Elon, Haley has had several opportunities to perform works by guest artists in the Fall Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert. During her spring semester of junior year, she studied abroad at the Florence Dance Center in Florence, Italy. Haley is grateful to be a choreographer in the show this year, and is excited to share what her and her dancers have created.

Keshia Wall of Greensboro, NC earned an undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Dance and African American Studies and completed the Master of Fine Arts in Dance degree program at Hollins University in collaboration with Kunstlerhavs Mousontvrm and The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts; with support from The Dresden Frankfort Dance Company. She is also the founder of Matriarch Dance Co. LLC, which exists to empower women of all ages to discover their strength and purpose through dance training, performance, and positive mentorship.Wall is currently an Assistant Professor at Elon University, where she coordinates the African and African American Studies minor and instructs courses in contemporary and traditional West African dance. She also leads a study abroad trip to Ghana yearly in collaboration with the University of Ghana Legon and the Ghana Dance Ensemble. Her research focus is rooted in the presence of West African dance in higher education and how this dance form can be engaged as valued and valid epistemological and ontological domains in scholarship and performance. 

Madeline Brislenn is a native of Debary, Florida. She is currently a junior at Elon University pursuing a B.S. with a double major in Adventure Based Learning and Physical Education with minors in Dance and Exercise Science. Madeline has trained in tap, ballet, jazz, and contemporary since age 3 and has participated in summer intensives including the Collective at Dancerpalooza and The Art of Movement. She has studied abroad with Elon University to Ghana to study traditional West African dance and culture last winter term. This is Madeline’s second year dancing in the Black History Month Concert.

Lilly, a native of Kannapolis, NC is a senior Dance Performance & Choreography and Psychology major. Lilly’s performance credits include Elon’s Dancing in the Landscape, Black History Month, Fall, and Spring Dance Concerts, along with Elon Cares, ADF’s Footprints, NCDF’s Residency Showing, and JOYEMOVEMENT’s Love Notes. She has presented work in the Fall Dance Concert and numerous festivals and is excited to present work in this year’s Dancing in the Landscape. Lilly has enjoyed working with various guest artists, faculty, and student choreographers. She is grateful to be an apprentice with the JOYEMOVEMENT dance company and a teacher at Miss Kim's.

Phoebe Crumbine (BFA & BA, Elon University) is a multi-faceted artist and performer from Beverly, Massachusetts. She has been selected to perform works by Angelo Egarese, Elizabeth Parkinson, Mary Ann Lamb, Jacob Karr, Cindy Salgado, Kim Wolfe, Maurice Watson, Jiwon Ha, Shaleigh Comerford, Sara Ruth Tourek, and Ming Yung Lang. Her choreography was chosen to be presented at a mainstage production at Elon University. She was selected to study dance and perform in Florence, Italy where she performed in the Florence Dance Festival. She is trained vocally by Gretchen Bruesehoff. She is a candidate for a 500 hour comprehensive Pilates Certification. She is working towards her personal trainer certification. She wants to thank all of her mentors, teachers, family, and friends for supporting her and pushing her past what she thought she was capable of! phoebecrumbine.com IG: phoebecrumbine

Maggie Fairley is from Basking Ridge, New Jersey. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.A. in Arts Administration with a minor in Business Administration. During her time at Elon, she has performed in the Black History Month Concerts, Spring Dance Concerts, and participated in Senior Fellows Research performances. Maggie has also had internships with New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble and is currently the Production Assistant for the Fall Dance Concert.

Lily Herrin is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In her senior year here at Elon University, she is majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography with a double major in Arts Administration and a minor in Business. Lily has had the opportunity to perform in multiple dance concerts at Elon so far, as well as choreograph with her peers. Two summers ago, Lily also had the opportunity to spend a month in Florence, Italy studying, performing, and choreographing with other members of the Elon Dance Program. She is excited about continuing her dance education in her final year at Elon!

Greg Ince is a drummer, educator, and co-founder of SCPA. Greg has more than three decades of experience teaching African drumming and dancing in schools across the country.He has studied with teachers such as Baba Walter Ince, Papa Ladji Camara, Mamady Keita, Abdou Kounta, Abdoul Doumbia and Fadouba Oulare just to name a few.Greg has performed both at home and abroad with companies such as Alvin Ailey, Arthur Mitchell of Dance Theater of Harlem, Marie Brooks' Caribbean Dance Theatre, and The Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble. He was also the co-founder of the International Afrikan American Ballet.

Jenna Kulacz is a native of Westchester, New York. She is currently a senior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance & Choreography. She has a passion for health and wellness and is a certified yoga instructor. Performance credits include Elon’s Fall Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert, ACDA, where she performed a duet representing Elon and had her piece selected to be featured in the 2020 Choreography Showcase and the CAPEZIO 125th ANNIVERSARY GALA. She has also performed professionally for Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT In Arts Across America: A Live Virtual Performance with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Jenna is grateful for the talented and dedicated artists who have supported her growth as a dancer and is excited for the future!

Lauren Jacobbe is a Senior studying Dance Performance and Choreography and Human Service Studies from Western Massachusetts. This summer she studied abroad in Florence, Italy and performed in the Florence Dance Festival Summer 2022. She has previously performed and assisted in Elon University's Productions of Dancing in the Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month, Spring Dance Concert, as well as student run choreography. She has worked closely with Berkshire Dance Theatre from Massachusetts, as well with Dysfunk Crew opening up for dance companies and performing at Jacob's Pillow "On the Road" events in the summer of 2021.

Lauryn McCarthy is originally from Portland, Oregon. She is currently a first-year at Elon University, pursuing a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has trained under the Jefferson Dancers, a pre-professional company. Through the Jefferson Dancers Lauryn got to perform over 50 times a year including traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the National High School Dance Festival and the South of France to take class as well as perform.

Forrest Matthews began studying West African music in 2003 and met his mentor, Fode Lavia Camara, shortly after. After years of training under Lavia, he traveled to Guinea in 2015 to help him with the first KALOUM DJEMBE Festival in the capital Conakry. Since then, Forrest has traveled to Guinea annually, to train with the artists of Ballet Gbassikolo du Kaloum, and continues to work with the annual KALOUM DJEMBE Festival. In 2019, he and Lavia held the first Kaloum Djembe Drum and Dance Conference in Greensboro. Forrest resides in Greensboro, NC working as a freelance artist.

Sarah Parks is a native of McLean, Virginia. She is currently a junior at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography. She is delighted to be making her debut at Elon University in the Black History Month Concert and is thankful for the support of her family and friends.

Trey Phillips is a native of Covington, Georgia. He is currently a freshman at Elon University pursuing a B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography. Trey trained with Covington Regional Ballet for 4 years as well as attended New York University’s summer intensive in 2019. He has completed an internship at the Newton County Arts Association.

Arianna Shahin is a senior at Elon University, double majoring in BFA Dance Performance & Choreography and Accounting while minoring in Finance. She is from Ambler, Pennsylvania where she trained in an array of dance genres. Arianna has studied at prestigious summer intensives including American Dance Festival, Paul Taylor American Dance, and NYU Tisch. At Elon, Arianna has performed under faculty including Renay Aumiller, Jen Guy-Metcalf, Keisha Wall and guest artist, Ming-Lung Yang. She has presented her choreographic work at New Century Dance Project. Arianna intends to critique social injustices and raise issues to awareness through performance and choreography.

Maya Simmons is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia. She will be earning her B.F.A in Dance Performance & Choreography and B.A. in English this spring. She is proud to have performed with the Florence Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Ash and Elm Dance Co., NC Dance Project, and in a multitude of performances here at Elon every semester. She is grateful to have had her choreographic work presented in Fall Dance Concert 2022 and Dancing in the Landscape 2023! She is so excited to perform in her final Black History Month!

Kayla Spalding is a dancer and choreographer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a senior at Elon University, majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography (BFA) and History (AB). During her time at Elon, she has performed in Dancing In The Landscape, Fall Dance Concert, Black History Month Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert all four years. Kayla has also presented work during the Dancing In The Landscape and the Fall Dance Concert at Elon. She also performed in both the Richmond Dance Festival and Florence Dance Festival this past year. Kayla is incredibly thankful for all her opportunities throughout her time at Elon!