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Victoria Theater Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 2pm & 5pm NJPAC presents Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Executive Artistic Director/Choreographer Abdel R. Salaam Chief Executive Officer Olabamidele Hart-Husbands Assistant to the Artistic Director Dyane Harvey-Salaam African Dance Captain Daaimah Taalib-Din Set Design Abdel R. Salaam Lighting Design Temishia Johnson Abdel R. Salaam Costume Design Olabamidele Hart-Husbands Abdel R. Salaam Musical Direction Abdel R. Salaam Associate Musical Director Frank Malloy IV Production Assistant Eugene Niles Sound Design David Lawson Set Construction Mo’ Designs Company Members D Denica Abdur-Razzaaq, Ashley V. Brown, Cimone Graves, Jason Herbert, Natia Kesevadse, Courtney J. Lewis, Melissa Padham-Maass, Jae Ponder, Ryan Rankine, Britney Sandifer, Vaugh Subran, Daaimah Taalib-Din, Tricia Taitt, Charmian Wells, Jerijah West and Dyane Harvey Salaam Resident Guest Artist Nathan Trice Noviciate Company Dorian Banks, Titilayo Derricotte, Walter Filmore, Kenya Gibson, Rachel Klein, Qwadasia Lovett, Olivier Medus, Imani Nzingha, Artrese Reid, Michelle Russell, Danni Soto, Yushempre Spencer, Ebony Webster Apprentices Argelia Arreola, Dianne Adkins-Forte, Shaniya Hindman, Faith Mondesire, Victorius Remak, Zakiya Torbert Musicians Ayanda Clarke, Frank Malloy III, Frank Malloy IV, Kevin Rainey, Kofi Osei Williams, Phillip Williamson, Michael Wimberly, Kweku Sumbry BLOOMBERG logo NJPAC’s annual Kwanzaa Celebration is made possible through the generosity of Leon and Toby Cooperman As a courtesy to the performers and fellow audience members, please be sure to silence all mobile devices. The use of recording equipment and the taking of photographs are strictly prohibited. LOGOS This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Program PROCESSION Master of Ceremony Olabamidele Hart-Husbands B’FLOWIN’… B’SMOOVE Choreography, Costume, Set and Lighting Design: Abdel R. Salaam Music: Bobby Mc Ferrin “B Flowin’ ” Dancers Titilayo Deracoote , Rachel Klein, Courtney Lewis, Imani Nzingha, Michelle Russell, Britney Sandifer, Danny Soto, Nabowire Stokes ,Charmian Wells “Flow D’ Deux” Dancers Jude Evans, Faith Mondesire “Smoove” Dancers Denica Abdur-Razzaaq, Ashley V. Brown, Titilayo Derracote, Cimone Graves, Imani Nzingha, Jae Ponder, Artrese Reid, Nabowire Stokes, Tricia Taitt, Daimah Talib' Din, Charmian Wells, and Abdel R. Salaam Oscillatory in the design of its language, B Flowin’ ... B Smoove! seeks to be a visual metaphor for the elliptical movement of life in the heavens and here on Earth. Inspired by the dynamic, fluid, never ending flow of energy from Supreme Being that animates all, the mythical Damballah and Aida Ouedo, and Earl “Snakes Hips”Tucker and the musical genius of Bobby McFerrin, the work honors the spirit and desire within the human family to move smoothly or “smoove” through the obstacles and pitfalls or our lives, thus striving to be and remain constant, fluid and whole. We dedicate this season’s maiden voyage of B Flowin’ ... B Smoove! as a prayer in movement for “family” calling upon the essence of cool, calm and smoove ! ER (Excerpt from October Ashes/Fallen Doves – 1996) Choreography, Costume, Set and Lighting Design: Abdel R. Salaam Music: Michael Wimberly, Abdel R. Salaam Soloist: Courtney J. Lewis ER illustrates the almost “surgical” dismembering of his mother’s life during her tenure in an emergency room hospital as she oscillates through the roles of caregiver, patient, healer and the infirmed. THE WORD MADE FLESH (Excerpt from Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and the Cross ) Choreography, Costume, Lighting & Set Design: Abdel R. Salaam Music: Juno Rector, Dom Davis Sound Design: David Lawson Excerpts from: Malcolm X “The Ballot or the Bullet”; Martin Luther King Jr. “Free at Last” Dancers: Martin Luther King Jr.: O livier Medus Malcolm X: Ryan Rankine The Seeker: Nathan Trice An examination of the struggle of a man as he battles with his passion for the nonviolent message of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black nationalist Revolutionary message of El Haj Malik Shabaz, Malcolm X. INTERMISSION CANYON CHACONNE Kinetic prose in twos. Choreography, Costume, Set and Lighting Design: Abdel R. Salaam Music: Paul Winter Dancers: Dorian Banks, Titilayo Derracote, Walter Filmore, Rachel Klein, Olivier Medus, Ebony Webster, Charmian Wells SONIA SANCHEZ Poet, playwright, professor, activist and one of the foremost leaders of the Black Studies movement... Deemed “a lion in literature’s forest” by poet Maya Angelou and winner of major literary awards including the American Book Award, Sonia Sanchez is best known for 17 books of poetry that explore a wide range of global and humanist themes, particularly the struggles and triumphs of women and people of color. Music: Michael Wimberly Dancer: Dyane Harvey Salaam BRIDE Choreography, Musical Direction, Set Design: A bdel R. Salaam Additional African Percussion Composition: Jalal Sharrief, Frank Malloy IV, Kofi Osei Williams Sound Design: David Lawson, DML Sound Dancers: Queen Elder: Denica Abdur-Razzaaq, Bride: Heresia Groom: Yushmepre Spencer Medicine Women: Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Zakiya Torbert, Dianne Adkins-Forte Elders: Ashley V. Brown, Titilayo Derricotte, Imani Nzingha, Jae Ponder, Daaimah Taalib-Din, Tricia Taitt Initiates: Cimone Graves, Kenya Gibson, Qwadasia Lovett, Artrese Reid, Argelia Arreola, Shaniya Hindman Groomsmen: Victorius Remak, Yushempre Spencer, Vaugh Subran, Jerijah West A victim of wartime rape and unwanted pregnancy is wedded to her childhood betrothed. Set to a score of live percussion, recorded sound effects, music and prose. Bride explores the emotional, psychological and cultural healing of a young woman, her family and community Meet the Directors ABDEL R. SALAAM is the co-founder and Artistic Director /Choreographer of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company. He has performed with Fred Benjamin Company, Joan Miller Chambers Arts, Alpha Omega 1-7, and the Chuck Davis Dance Company, where he was Associate Artistic Director. In addition, Mr. Salaam has appeared with Otis Salid’s New Arts Ensemble, Keith Lee Contemporary American Ballet, and the Contemporary Chamber Dance Company. Mr. Salaam has toured and won critical acclaim as a director, performer, and choreographer in Europe, Africa, Central America, and throughout the United States. He has also taught dance and choreographed in Asia and the Caribbean Islands. After several trips to West Africa, including Senegal and the University of Ife in Nigeria, where he studied Wolof and Yoruba culture, respectively, and state department tours of Europe with the Chuck Davis Dance Company, he returned to the United States to found Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company in 1981. His mission has been to develop a language to educate as well as empower the viewer with images of the ancestral and contemporary cultures of the African Diaspora, to stress through the creative arts the importance of living with respect and in harmony with nature, and to utilize the arts and culture as tools for enhancing human services and social reform. Mr. Salaam has received commissions and residencies from the Pennsylvania Arts Council, National Committee for Young Audiences, Bronx Council on the Arts, and New York State Council on the Arts. He is the recipient of the 1987 Dance Africa Award from the Brooklyn Academy of Music, to two-year fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and numerous awards for choreography including three Alumni Awards form Lehman College for outstanding achievement in dance, choreography, and black studies; the Monarch Merit Award for outstanding achievement in dance; Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Dance Africa Award; and a nomination for the American Choreographer of the Year in 1998. OLABAMIDELE HART-HUSBANDS is the Executive Managing Director of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company, which she co-founded in 1981 in partnership with Artistic Director, Abdel R. Salaam. In 1982 she carried the company’s mission to Nigeria, West Africa, where she had been in residence since 1977. In addition to her position as an Arts Fellow at the University of Calabar and the University of Port Harcourt, she produced and hosted a weekly television series entitled The Forces of Natur e, which aired until her return to the United States in1984. She also directed and managed numerous dance and theatre companies in addition to serving as the Assistant Director of Theatre at Grambling State University, LA; Director/Manager of the Mojo Players Theatre Group, Ohio; the Business Manager/Technical Director of the Department of Performing Arts, University of Calabar, Nigeria; Lecturer/Artist Fellow at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; and Program Director of the Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families. ‘Dele holds a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Drama education from Hampton University, Virginia, and a Master’s degree in Speech and Television production from Bowling Green State University, Ohio. She has completed doctoral work in African American studies at Temple University, Pennsylvania and is currently a PH.D candidate at the Clayton College of Natural Health. ‘Dele is also the Chief Operating Officer of Say Yes to Life Educational Centers and the Program Director of the KRST Unity Center of Afrakan Spiritual Science, Los Angeles, CA. She continues to conduct master classes and workshops in West African Dance and History and her own Khametic Flow Yoga and Dance Sacred Movement Experience. DYANE HARVEY-SALAAM is a founding member and assistant to the director, Abdel R. Salaam, of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company. In 2013, FONDT was named “Dance Company of the Year” by the Audelco membership. Dyane had performed as principle soloist with the Eleo Pomare Dance Company for over 20 years, having toured the United States, Italy, Australia and Lagos, Nigeria as a US representative in F.E.S.T.A.C (the Second Black and African Festival of Art and Culture). In 2009 she reconstructed two of his solos and offered a presentation on his life as part of “The Black Dance Project” at the Centre National de la Danse in Paris. Dyane has performed with Tony Award-winning George Faison’s Universal Dance Experience, Dunhan dancer Walter Nicks’ Dance Theatre, Otis Sallid’s New Art Ensemble, Nanette Bearden’s Contemporary Chamber Dance Company, Joan Miller’s Dance Players, Dance Brazil and the Trinidad/Tobago Repertory Dance Theatre. She served as rehearsal director for the Apollo Theatre project, Get on the Good Foot — a celebration in dance to the music of James Brown. This project features the work of nine different choreographers, three soloists and dance artists from Philadanco. Dyane’s choreography for the Black theatre community is diverse. She earned the Dance for Life Award (from Better Family Life,) the AUDELCO Award for performance and choreography, the Monarch Merit Award, The Ira Aldridge Black Theatre Award for contributions to the theatre community, the “Goddesses and Gurus Award, and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” a recognition award given by the Hempstead African American Museum. The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and the Harlem Arts Alliance honored her with the title “Woman of Distinction,” and, most recently, she received the AUDELCO/Friends of VIV Torch Bearer Pioneer Recognition Award. ASE TO ALL WHO HAVE COME BEFORE! Meet the Artists DENICA ABDUR-RAZZAAQ , born and raised in Harlem with family roots in Bermuda, started her dance career as a hip-hop dancer. She began studying the art of West African Dance twenty three years ago under the direction of Karen Thornton and credits the majority of her traditional dance training to Rev. Nafisa Sharriff and Mouminatou Camara. Denica has been a member of FON for thirteen years, was a member of Seewe African Dance Company under Artistic Director, Mouminatou Camara for six years and former member of Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble. Denica currently teaches African dance classes and workshops throughout NYC under her company DAR Essence and with Connected Through the Spirit of Dance. In addition to dance she is also a board member and Director of Training for the volunteers of Entering the Holy of Holies Inc., a Spiritual and Educational organization founded by Rev. Nafisa Shariff www.ethoh.org. Dancing from her spirit, she is humbled by the grace, beauty and gift of dance with which the Creator has blessed her. ASHLEY V. BROWN received her early dance training at the Ruth Williams Dance Studio where she trained in tap, modern/jazz, traditional African dance, ballet and Pointe work. Ashley continued her study of dance at Dance Theatre of Harlem, USDAN for the performing arts and the Uptown Dance Studio, where she was a principle dance member. Ashley received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Political Science from the State University of New York at Oswego and is now pursuing her Master’s Degree. Ashley is honored to be involved in a company with such amazing people whom she is able to learn from inside and outside of the studio. Within her eight years with Forces of Nature, she has embraced every moment and hopes to continue learning from this talented group of dancers. Most of all Ashley would like to thank her Grandmother, Mother, and friends who have been her greatest support and cheerleaders in following her dreams. CIMONE GRAVES , a Belizean-American and Brooklyn native, has been dancing since the age of 4. Her teachers/training include Jamel Gaines, Obediah Wright, Wilhemina Taylor. Taking a step back from the arts to pursue her B.S. in Health Science, she knew that there was a missing piece in her puzzle. Returning to NYC, she began hip-hop training working with Torey Nelson/The Vixens and JoiLynn Productions. Cimone has a diverse dance background including Ballet, Horton, Dunham, Swing, Lindy-hop, West African, Congolese and hip-hop to name a few. She feels honored to be given the opportunity to share the stage with Forces of Nature and has been a member of the company since 2010. JASON HERBERT New York Native. Fela! Equity National Tour, Boston Conservatory, Alvin Ailey School, Martha Graham School. TV/Film includes NBC Late Night with Conan O’Brien , MTV Daddy’s Girls , Fox Searchlight Lifted , Indep. Film: Something Whispered . Companies: Philadanco!, Ballet Noir, Forces of Nature Dance Theater. He thanks his loved ones and mentors for years of love and support. NATIA KESEVADSE was born in Tbilisi, Georgia where she started her ballet training. At age 13 she was accepted to Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint-Petersburg, Russia as a fellowship student. While at VBA, she performed with the Kirov Theatre, dancing both classical and character repertory. After receiving her B.F.A. degree, she joined the Boris Eifman Ballet. In 2004 Natiya moved to New York to further her career in contemporary dance. While in New York City, she danced for numerous companies including Forces of Nature Dance Theater. From 2007–2012 she was a member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Natiya is very thrilled to be back with Forces of Nature and dance for Abdel and to share the stage with the company. COURTNEY J. LEWIS – is a native of Queens, New York where she began classical training at Dance Theatre of Harlem at the age of three. While continuing her dance training at DTH, she was accepted into LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and SUNY Purchase dance programs. She has been given the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Arthur Mitchell, Robert Garland, Zvi Gotheiner, Janis Brenner, Troy Brown, Hope Boykin, Kevin Wynn and Sidra Bell. She joined Forces of Nature Theatre in 2006. MELISSA PADHAM-MAASS holds a B.F.A. from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance and an MSC from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Miss Padham has been dancing with Forces of Nature since 2005. Additionally, Melissa is a member of Darrah Carr Dance and co-founder of Isis Movement Company. Miss Padham is currently an MFA candidate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. JAE PONDER , a beloved paramour of the arts, has amicably made the world her stage. And with every stage, every moment, every breath countering as an aide-memoire, this budding artist is incessantly discovering the masterpiece vested within. With no prior dance training until her college years at Hofstra University under Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Jae Ponder switched lanes and embarked on an enticingly new career path; one very different from the Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations/Marketing earned thereafter graduation. It seemed her dreams in the arts were becoming more of a reality because before long she was performing with the likes of Beyonce, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J and Ne-Yo just to name a few. Soon after, Jae was invited to sign with Bloc Talent Agency who has since opened the window of acting including reoccurring roles on Boardwalk Empire, The Knick, & VINYL. But Jae didn’t stop there; she has also graced the commercial world landing campaigns with PUMA, Kenneth Cole, Adidas, and MAC cosmetics. Nevertheless, dance is where it all started, so in stages, Jae takes each opportunity, never for granted but to continuously build the life she had only dreamed. A lifelong mantra of Jae Ponder, before stepping onto any stage is “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see” because it takes heart to dream, courage to live, and a robust sense of self to chuckle at the many stages along the way. BRITNEY SANDIFER is a native New Yorker who began training in Harlem at Harlem School of the Arts and Ruth Williams dance studio. She received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet as well as Ballet Hispanico, and was later accepted into the Professional Performing Arts School where she trained at the Ailey School. Britney recently received her B.F.A. in dance and choreography from California Institute of the Arts. Over the years she has had the pleasure to work with Troy Powell, Jean Emile, Olga Bazilevskaya, Pat Graney and Andre Tyson. Currently Britney is teaching with Harlem’s Children Zone at the Armory, The Little Gym of Harlem and Ruth Williams Dance Studio. DAAIMAH TAALIB DIN ’s personal and spiritual relationship to her artistry has made her a most sought after performer, teacher and choreographer in the United States and abroad. With family roots in Bermuda and having been raised in Harlem, New York City, Daaimah was surrounded by the diverse and colorful expressivity of African and contemporary dance forms. She has studied Malian, Guinean, Senegalese and fusion styles under such dance notables as Karen Thornton, Crystal Harrison, Nafisa Sharrif, Abdel R. Salaam, Mouminatou Camara and Ismael Kouyate. Additionally, she learned various hip-hop styles in the unofficial conservatory of New York City. Her gifts have earned her such distinctions as principal dancer and Traditional Dance Captain of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre (Artistic Director: Abdel R. Salaam), and principal dancer and Rehearsal Director for Seewe African Dance Company (Artistic Director: Mouminatou Camara). Her film credits include Step Up 3D , and she has performed at such internationally renowned venues as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Apollo Theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall and Black Dance USA. TRICIA TAITT , a Brooklyn, NY native with origins in Trinidad & Tobago, W.I., began dancing at the age of five and trained with Bernice Johnson in ballet, jazz and tap. In college she trained in dance styles of the African diaspora and performed with African Rhythms Dance & Drum Ensemble of Philadelphia. She graduated with a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, pursued a M.B.A. from Duke University and worked on Wall Street but she never lost her passion for dance. Dance credits include: Fela! Equity National Tour, American Dance Festival, Dance Africa NY, Dance Africa Texas, African American Dance Ensemble (Dir: Charles “Chuck” Davis). She joined Forces of Nature Dance Theatre in 2007 and remains a part of the ‘family’ due to Abdel and Dyane Harvey-Salaam’s continued support and guidance. CHARMIAN WELLS holds a B.F.A. in Dance and M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Refractions Dance Collective. Charmian has danced with Forces of Nature Dance Theatre since 2005. She teaches in the dance programs at Lehman College and Temple University. Charmian is currently pursuing her scholarly interests as a doctoral candidate, Presidential Fellow at Temple University in Dance Studies. She also works as an editorial assistant on Dance Research Journal and a forthcoming publication on African diaspora dance edited by Thomas DeFrantz.. JERIJAH WEST started his professional dance career at the age of eight years old as a member of Batoto Yetu. From 2011 to 2014 he was the rehearsal director for the Company. As the result he was giving the opportunity to both travel and perform in Africa, Barcelona, and Hong Kong. He has also performed at the Lincoln Center, Jacobs Pillow, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. His two career highlights include performing Off Broadway and for Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary alongside the late Whitney Houston, Usher and Mya. Jerijah is a proud graduate of Syracuse University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication with a minor Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises. He starred in theatrical workshop of Legend of Yauna at BAM Fisher, which was created by the Grammy award-winning composer Chris Berry and Directed and Choreographed by Maija Garcia, the creative director of the Tony award-winning Broadway production FELA!. The New York Times said the following about his performance: “Jerijah West, throughout and as a fox-man, is a standout.” He is honored to be a company member of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, under the direction of the incomparable Abdel R. Salaam. ARTRESE REID is a Harlem native who began dancing at the age of three. She received her dance training from the Harlem Hospital Dance Clinic, Uptown Dance Academy and the LaRocque Bey School of Dance. She has studied modern, jazz, ballet, tap, hip-hop, and African dance. Artrese is a recent graduate from the State University of New York at Fredonia with a degree in Business Finance. She was also a member of her school’s Dance Ensemble and Orchesis Dance Company. Upon Artrese’s return to New York City in May 2010, she began dancing with Forces of Nature. Artrese hopes to continue to learn and grow as a dancer and continue performing with Forces of Nature. Resident Guest Artist NATHAN TRICE , originally from Detroit, MI, began his training in 1988 under the direction of Aulani Chun in San Diego, CA at Mesa College. While training, he simultaneously completed his remaining two years of a four-and-a-half year contract with the U.S. Navy. Upon completion of his Naval contract, he was accepted into the Alvin Ailey Certificate Program in 1991. Since completing the program in 1993, Trice spent the following six years as a featured artist with MOMIX, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater, Kevin Iega Jeff, Donald Byrd/The Group and Forces of Nature Dance Company. During that period, Trice developed and began presenting his own choreographic work while simultaneously establishing his teaching philosophy, style and technique. In 1998, Trice created nathantrice/RITUALS, a Project-by-Project Dance Theater Company as a means to share his own artistic vision. He and his company have toured throughout the United States, Bermuda, Aruba, Japan, Argentina and Hong Kong. Over the past fourteen years, the company has performed in some of the most prestigious festivals, including Summer Stage, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the 92nd Street Y’s Harkness Dance Festival in the world, including City Center Fall For Dance, Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors, E-Moves Gatehouse Dance Festival, Symphony Space, Judson Memorial Church’s DADD series, Danspace Project, (IABD) International Association of Blacks in Dance, Hiroshima City Museum, Dance New Amsterdam's (DNA) In The Company of Men, Aruba Festival and The Hong Kong Hip Hop Festival. As an educator, Trice has taught his technique and brand of movement, given master classes, conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations and has choreographed for over 30 universities, colleges and performing arts high schools. He has been on faculty at Long Island University dance department in Brooklyn New York for over 10 years, and continues to be one of the most sought after teaching artists in the academic dance world as well as in the professional dance studios nationally and internationally for the past 18 years. Nathan was the inaugurating artist for the guest artist residency program of the dance department at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts for four consecutive years. He is the recipient of the Restoration Youth Arts Academy Recognition Award as well and is currently in residency at the academy. He is the recipient of the Maggie Allesee Copperfoot Award at Wayne State University, and has been commissioned by numerous actors and singers, the Alvin Ailey organization, Dallas Black Dance Theater, DNA’s In the Company of Men, The Hearman LaVern Theater Group, Bermuda Dance Company and the New School for Social Research. About the Company FORCES OF NATURE DANCE THEATRE Executive Artistic Director/Choreographer Abdel R. Salaam and Executive Managing Director Olabamidele Husbands co-founded the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company in 1981. Forces of Nature has produced professional ballets, conducted dance classes and presented concerts and educational programs in New York City, the United States and throughout the world for over 33 years. Within its first two decades, the company received funding from various federal and state agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council for the Arts. In recent years, Forces of Nature has received two National Dance Project grants from the New England Foundation for the Arts, including funding for creation and touring in over 22 cities during their 2002-03 touring season. The Company’s NDP-funded project Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and the Cross is toured nationally during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. Forces of Nature’s cultural matrix is centered in an African and an American intelligence that is global and environmental. Its aesthetic has been critically acclaimed as visceral, thought provoking and creatively brilliant. Forces of Nature utilizes a unique blend of performing arts, which includes contemporary modern dance, traditional West African dance, ballet, house and hip-hop forms as well as live and recorded music and the martial arts. The company has performed and toured widely throughout the US and abroad. In addition to annual appearances at Aaron Davis Hall, the Apollo Theater in Harlem and The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company has been presented by the Joyce Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s DanceAfrica Festival, the American Dance Festival and the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) conference, among many other venues. Forces of Nature has also been presented as part of the First International Black Dance Festival (UK); the International Dance Festival in Aruba; the 2nd International Grand Festival of Mexico, receiving the National Critics and Theater Award for Best Dance Company and Most Outstanding New Choreographer; and the 12th Annual Festival for Peace in Moscow, as engaged in historic cultural exchange with members of the Bolshoi Ballet. Forces of Nature led the historical procession for Nelson Mandela during his first appearance in the United States in 1990. In 2002, Forces of Nature was featured in the three-part PBS Great Performances special on the history of Black dance in the 20th Century, entitled Free to Dance . Forces of Nature was also the featured dance company in a film project with the National Association of Black Museums on the influence of African American dance in Western culture, entitled When the Spirit Moves , culminating in an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. In addition to performing and touring widely throughout the US and abroad, Forces of Nature has gained national and international recognition for its work with youth of all ages through workshops, master classes and training seminars. Through the development of ongoing programs offered to schools, community service organizations and cultural art institutions, the company currently in partnership with the Harlem Children Zone, has found that the arts coupled with informative, stimulating academic presentations and creative participation, serve as one of the best tools in educating our young and redirecting them toward a progressive alternative path. For more information visit www. forcesofnature.org
