PAST CLIENTELE LISTING (PARTIAL LISTING)

BELE BELE RHYTHM COLLECTIVE

The Bele Bele Rhythm Collective "is an intergenerational group of women from DC & surrounding areas who have come together to form a sisterhood of the drum.

The Bele Bele Rhythm Collective is an intergenerational group of women from DC and surrounding areas who have come together to form a sisterhood of the drum. Founded in 2008 and led by "Drumlady" Kristen Arant, the BBRC performs tightly sewn compositions of polyrhythms on West African dun-un and djembe drums, complete with exciting breaks, contagious songs, and dancing. The BBRC performs to celebrate unity and diversity, and to spread the joy and healing power of West African drumming to the community at-large."

https://www.facebook.com/pg/BeleBeleRhythmCollective​

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YOUNG WOMEN'S DRUMMING EMPOWERMENT

Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project "gives rise to young women's self-esteem, positive development, and creative self expression through drumming and more."

In 2015, Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project presented a Summer Camp at All Souls Church.

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GREENBELT RHYTHM AND DRUM FESTIVAL

The Greenbelt Rhythm & Drum Festival is a one-day music event to celebrate drumming from around the world. The festival will feature performances from some of the area's finest multicultural drum ensembles as well as drum workshops, community drum circles, hula-hoopers, drum vendors, arts & clothing vendors, tasty food and more. Located in the Roosevelt Center in historic downtown Greenbelt, MD held from 2013 - 2015.

AKOMA DRUMMERS

The Akoma Drummers "are a West African drum troupe based in Washington DC."

"KRISTEN ARANT is a percussionist, vocalist, teaching artist and activist living and working in the Washington, DC region. Originally a classically-trained oboe player with a degree in music, she began her drumming career upon moving to Washington DC in 2000, when she helped initiate the activist drumming ensemble Rhythm Workers Union, known for its hand-built drum cart the “MotherDrumShip,” and its legions of drummers who created a spectacle at hundreds of protests, rallies and events through 2007. Enthralled by the healing and unifying power of the Djembe drum, Kristen began to study West African drumming in 2002. She spent time with masters such as Baile McKnight, Mamady Keita and Tammi Hessen. In 2004 she began teaching drumming at DC public schools, and through these experiences discovered how the drum could transform the self esteem of young people and help them to become self-actualized. In 2005 she started a DC non-profit organization, the Young Women’s Drumming Empowerment Project, which enrolled young women ages 12 and up from across DC, taught them how to play West African drums, and guided them through poetry, song-writing, theatre and dance workshops that culminated in final performances. These performance showcases “wowed” communities across DC as they witnessed young women coming of age via drumming – an innovative Rite of Passage." 

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SOUL IN MOTION PLAYERS

Soul In Motion Players is a non-profit performing arts organization, founded in 1984 by Percussionist Michael Friend, specializes in African Dance, African Drumming, Theatre, and Spoken Word.

"MICHAEL Friend - Artistic Director, founded Soul In Motion Players, Inc. in 1984. Michael wrote and debuted his first theatrical production entitled, We Are Africa in 1991. His other works include Henrietta Marie, Malcolm, What If., and Ile Ife - House of Love. He started his music/acting career in 1969 with the world renowned Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble and Theatre Advocate, in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Friend furthered his studies at Fisk University and graduated Howard University in 1981, receiving his B.A. degree in Communications. Michael has gone on to record/perform nationally and internationally, including a Jazz tour in 1989 to Cameroon, West Africa. As a percussionist, Michael performed with The Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues for over 10 years, featuring Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, Ben E. King, and Lloyd Price. Friend's regional accomplishments include performing in the Arena Stage production of Derrick Walcott's The Odyssey and with The Dance Theatre of Harlem at the Kennedy Center. He's a former board member of several local arts organizations: Black Rock Center for the Arts, Joe's Movement Emporium, and The Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County - serving as Vice President of Grants for 3 years. In 2011, as director of Soul in Motion, Michael won the prestigious Montgomery County Executive's Community Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, in 2014 he was the recipient of the Empower Magazine Player Award and on March 19, 2016 Joe's Movement Emporium honored Michael as a Mighty Joe with the Creative Visionary Award."

MENTORS OF MINORITIES IN EDUCATION (M.O.M.I.E)'S TOTAL LEARNING CIS-TEM (T.L.C)

​Mentors of Minorities in Education (M.O.M.I.E)'s Total Learning Cis-tem (T.L.C) provides dynamic and innovative educational programming for at-risk children, ages 4 to 15, living in Washington, DC. The mission of M.O.M.I.E's T.L.C is to nurture children's genius and develop a transformative system to improve educational outcomes. M.O.M.I.E's achieves this through high quality and culturally relevant out-of-school-time programs, parent and community involvement, and the creation of educational tools and resources. M.O.M.I.E's TLC operates programs at sites based in Ward 4 and 1.

Chitra Subramanian is the founder of chitra.MOVES, which she created in 2018. This collective of diverse female dancers performs a fusion of hip hop and Indian dance. Based in Washington D.C., chitra.MOVES has performed in many venues in the Northeast and presented its first evening-length work, Temple, in December 2019. Subramanian currently works as a manager at Lee Montessori Public Charter School. She was formerly the director of M.O.M.I.E.S TLC Summer Camp held in 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/chitramove/about/​

DANCE INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON (DIW)"Developing talent and broadening horizons one child at a time. Through intentional inclusion and equity, the Dance Institute of Washington increases diversity at every level of pre-professional Ballet training. We provide additional training in key genres to create a well-rounded dancer that can successfully enter the dance industry at large. Through this exemplary effort, DIW positively impacts racial and economic inequities in dance globally."

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KADIATOU CONTE, BALAFON WOMEN'S ENSEMBLE (BALAFON WEST AFRICAN DANCE ENSEMBLE)

"Kadiatou Conte Forte (affectionately referred to as Mama Kadiatou) devotes her life and career to passing on her African dance mastery and creating authentic dance experiences. Whether experienced artists, young people, or members of the community of all ages, she encourages everyone to know and embrace their own style and challenge themselves. Her extensive career <link to the full bio or CV> teaching and performing around the world has earned her respect and acknowledgment as a grand “Mama” of the African arts world.

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Along with dance, Mama Kadiatou teaches the importance of mental and physical fortitude and the importance of loving and accepting ourselves and one another. Grounded in her unfailing faith, high regard for each of our own special God-given gifts and talents, and appreciation of the importance for mutual respect, Mama Kadiatou touches the lives of people from all walks of life. Her traditional Guinean cooking and homemade ginger beer are also well loved!" - https://www.balafon.org/about.html 

DR. SHERRILL BERRYMAN JOHNSON "DR. J." 

​"Dr. Sherrill Berryman Johnson was the Founder/Artistic Director of the first HBCU B.F.A. Dance Program at Howard University in Washington, DC. Dr. J, as we all fondly called her, was Dance. She was a woman of verve, grace, and intelligence; many academic achievements and an advocate of service. Dr. Sherrill Berryman Johnson, who, for many, many years taught, choreographed, advocated, and led a movement in Dance in the Washington, D.C. region, but also nation-wide. She brought to the forefront not just one tradition in Dance, not one story of its history: Dr. Berryman Johnson strove to reveal multiple stories, bring multiple voices to light, to fuller dimension. Our awareness is richer for her contributions to life and to dance.​

Dr. Sherrill Berryman Johnson attended local schools in the Washington, D.C. area. After high school, she attended Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. Sherrill Berryman Johnson was a Full Professor of Dance/Coordinator of the pioneering HBCU Howard University Board of Trustees approved Dance Major Program, Department of Theatre Arts, Division of Fine Arts College of Arts and Sciences and the second only chairperson of the 22-year-old International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD). She was choreographer, performer and artistic director for Images of Cultural Artistry Inc., In The Spirit of...Performance Company.  With extensive study at the Katherine Dunham Institute, East St. Louis Missouri and under the tutelage of Katherine Dunham and Pearl Reynolds peace and blessings be upon their souls, since 1982 she was given permission to perform works of Katherine Dunham as well as her choreography including the Katherine Dunham technique, ballet, modern dance forms, traditional dance of West Africa, the Caribbean and America. Dr. Berryman Johnson’s work was with further extensive field research as the first Fulbright Scholar to conduct field research on the secular/non-secular dance of Jamaica under the guidance of Professor Rex Nettleford peace and blessings be upon him at the University of West Indies, 1986-1987, specializing in roots and retention of African Americans in the African and Caribbean Cultural Continuum."

https://www.iabdassociation.org/​

 Melvin Deal

Founding Director, African Heritage Dancers & Drummers

"The Founding Executive Artistic Director of the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers is, Mr. Melvin Deal, a veteran artist of more than forty one years. Mr. Deal, has worked tirelessly in researching African cultural manifestations to be used in the building of Self-Esteem and addressing the presence of Violence, Delinquency and Dysfunctional lifestyles and abuse in African-American communities." 

EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

"The Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C. (formerly the Washington DCJCC) is a Jewish Community Center located in the historic district of Dupont Circle. It serves the Washington, D.C. area through religious, cultural, educational, social, and sport center programs open to the public, although many programs are strongly linked to Jewish culture, both in the United States and in Israel. It is part of the JCC Association (JCCA), the umbrella organization for the Jewish Community Center movement, which includes more than 350 JCCs, YM-YWHAs, and camp sites in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to 180 local JCCs in the Former Soviet Union, 70 in Latin America, 50 in Europe, and close to 500 smaller centers in Israel.

Among the many notable programs sponsored by the EDCJCC are Theater J, a theater group that has hosted world premieres of plays by noted Jewish playwrights such as Wendy Wasserstein, Richard Greenberg, and Ariel Dorfman; the Washington Jewish Music Festival; the Jewish Literary Festival; and the Washington Jewish Film Festival, that includes screenings both at the Center itself, and at other Washington, DC, institutions, including a number of foreign embassies representing nations that produced the films.

The EDCJCC also houses the Hyman S. and Freda Bernstein Library, which includes a Jewish Heritage Video Collection, a children's reading collection, and a collection of genealogy books and materials. It is a constituent organization of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia."

Mr. Justin Love served as the program manager for the Summer Camp in 2018.

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Mr. Michael Kweku "FOUNDER OF DUFP PROJECT/HANDS ON DRUMS DC (IVY CITY)

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Michael Kweku Owusu grew up in the Arts Center, a constructed community attached to Accra’s Centre for National Culture, where some of Ghana's most talented artists and craftspeople live and work. Around age 11, Kweku began to build drums. He learned by assisting experienced drum builders. At first, Kweku built drums so he could sell them in order to support himself along with his mother and four sisters. While learning this trade he also picked up drumming, since he needed to demonstrate the techniques of his creations.

Soon, younger kids who lived on the streets of the Arts Center began to gravitate toward Kweku’s patient, caring ways. He involved them in his work, and supported them with school supplies & tutoring.

At age 17, Kweku left school to pursue music and drum building full-time in the Arts Center. Soon he began to meet Peace Corps volunteers and tourists from all over the world – he sold them drums and gave them lessons, which allowed him to support his family and continue his work with the children.  It also gave him the opportunity to go abroad.

In 2007, Kweku was invited to the US for the first time along with a Ghanaian drum and dance group, performing to support an orphanage in Ghana. The trip was sponsored by the Medical University of South Carolina.

When he returned, Kweku bought a small plot of land in the Arts Center, and built a workshop on it to serve as a home base for his work with the children. Then called the “Gye Nyame Project,” (named by the children themselves), Kweku continued his work drumming, building drums, mentoring and performing with the children."

"Baba Ras D is a beacon of inspiration and a testament to the transformative power of self-discovery. Born during the height of the Civil Rights era in Washington, D.C., his early life was shaped by a diverse tapestry of faith-based expressions, from A.M.E. Baptist and Evangelical Christian to Catholic and Traditional African Religions. This rich multicultural upbringing ignited his passion for music and creative self-expression, while spiritual retreats and revivals instilled in him a profound reverence for the Spirit, the Ancestors, and the Supernatural.

Throughout his life, Baba Ras D has embraced the role of a Servant Leader. As a Conflict Resolution and Crisis Intervention Counselor, as well as a Trained Behavioral Modification Specialist, he has dedicated himself to guiding and inspiring countless children and young adults within the criminal justice spectrum. His innate ability to mediate and lead earned him the title of “classroom mediator” and “Team Captain” during his athletic journey.

One of Baba Ras D’s most remarkable contributions to society is the creation of The HARAMBEE Experience, an “Early Childhood Elevation Activity and Play Program.” For over two decades, HARAMBEE has been a nurturing space where young scholars celebrate learning through movement and songs. Baba Ras D’s motto, “PASS THE PEACE, SO THE PEACE CAN INCREASE,” underscores his commitment to instilling values of harmony, unity, and growth in the hearts of countless children.

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With a strong foundation of service to the youth, Baba Ras D has now embarked on a mission to promote mental wellness and the power of positive thinking. He recently released his first memoir, “STAY IN YOUR LIGHT: 21 Days of Fasting on The Journey Towards Self Mastery.” In this enlightening work, he encourages readers to reflect, remember, realign, recommit, reconnect, restart, restore, and ultimately return to balance. #STAYINYOURLIGHT offers profound insights into the transformative potential of love emanating from the inner source of light.

Baba Ras D passionately asserts, “Self-Mastery is our Destiny along this Life’s Journey of The Great Awakening. As we continue to witness, Nature is aligning with the Will and Mind of the Divine. It would be wise and well-advised for the Spirit Souls of Humanity to also desire, like Nature, to be in Alignment with a Divine Assignment. Until then, Stay In Your Light!” In a world that often grapples with chaos and discord, Baba Ras D stands as a guiding light, inspiring others to find their inner light and purpose on the journey to self-mastery."