SOLE Defined is the Washington Metro area’s leading arts organization specializing in percussive dance – using the body as an instrument to create musical expression. Advancing styles such as Tap, Stepping, Body Percussion, Sand Dance, and Gumboot; this BIPOC led company infuses powerful skill to delight and inspire audiences. SOLE Defined was founded under the joint leadership of Ryan Johnson and Quynn Johnson.
West African Dance Class
Medium: video
Year: 2021
Universal Carnival Art and Dance Easter Egg Hat
Finish results from Universal Carnival Art and Dance Giant Easter Egg Hat costume.
Now go to the park, playground and create a fun theme costume joying your friends and family; create wonderful memories with Universal Carnival Comparsa.
Now go to the park, playground and create a fun theme costume joying your friends and family; create wonderful memories with Universal Carnival Comparsa.
Medium: Mixed medium
Year: 2021
Details: Handmade craft, use for dancing
Universal Carnival Art and Dance Easter Egg Hat
Final finish results, take your costume out to the park and create wonderful memories with your friends, joying the Universal Carnival Art and Dance Comparsa.
Medium: Mixed medium
Year: 2021
Details: Handmade craft, use for dancing
Kwame Shaka Opare is a classically trained West African dancer with an MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland. At 14, he became a principal dancer with Kankouran West African Dance Company (Washington DC). As a young adult, Kwame Shaka moved to New York where he established himself as a dynamic instructor and choreographer. In the late 90s, he began touring with the Broadway show STOMP, in the lead role and as rehearsal director where he remained for 8 years.
SSUUNA: Is a dancer, percussionist, singer, songwriter, storyteller, and recording artist from Uganda with a wide range of performing experience. Raised in a small village by grandparents, He found comfort in the Ugandan traditional music that was played at school. As a result, his musical influence was born, thus encouraged, natured, and reinforced by his elders through proverbs, stories, songs, dances, and instrumentation. This bestowed priceless cultural entertainment, which proved to be educational as well as alleviating of the poverty, hunger, hopelessness, and suffering that SSUUNA
Valerie Branch graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance. She has experience touring as a performing and teaching artist both nationally and internationally. Valerie has brought dance into schools throughout South Africa, India, and St. George’s, Grenada, and has received an invitation from the Danish Embassy to participate in a Cultural Arts Program Exchange Visit to Denmark.
Quynn Johnson, a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., and native of Flint, Michigan, is an award-winning performing, teaching artist, and author. She has toured as the tap soloist in the Tony Award-winning production After Midnight (NCL) and performed both nationally and internationally.
AntiCone
Inspired by Sophocles’ Antigone, AntiCone is the largely wordless story of an immigrant who is put to work building a wall against her country of origin (and, therefore, her brothers), under the dangerous eye of new leader, Creon, and against the pull of her ancient namesake. Scored by the evocative and visceral original music of Alexander Nikitin, the play combines physical theatre, clowning, and audience interaction, with unique, powerful dances choreographed and performed by Moscow-trained Natasha Mirny as Antigone. Tia Shearer, who has been called one of DC’s “most versatile actors” (BroadwayWorld) and a “straight up chameleon” (DC Theatre Scene), plays the five characters surrounding Antigone, including Creon, her brother, and the Chorus. The team is rounded out by 25 bright orange traffic cones. AntiCone was awarded funding through the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County for its premiere just outside Washington, DC in the fall 2017. It was also an official selection of FringeNYC festival in the fall 2018 and BorderLight International Festival in the summer 2019. The show is 50 minutes long and recommended for ages 13 and up.
Details: 50 minutes run time
Ronnique Murray is a native of Washington , D.C . She attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she received her Bachelors Fine Arts in Dance & Choreography. Ronnique has had the opportunity to perform in works by Daniel Gwirtzman , Judith Steel, Scott Putman, Roger Lee Dance Company, LLC, Maverick Lemon Dance Project, Kyoko Ruch & Snoop Dogg. In 2010, Ronnique was featured in a reconstruction of the seminal work ‘Shelter’ by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, founder of The Urban Bush Woman Dance Company which aired in a documentary on PBS station.