LeBaron McClary, native to New York City, began dancing at the age of five. After attending the Alvin Ailey First Steps program, Mr. McClary trained privately with Darrell Chase for several years before attending Broadway Academy of the Arts and Academic and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art & Performing Arts. While attending LaGuardia High School, Mr. McClary had the honor or dancing with the Martha Graham Dance Company. During his senior year at LaGuardia High School, Mr. McClary was an ARTs week finalist and graduated with several leadership scholarships. Soon after, Mr. McClary was accepted into The Juilliard School, where he as had the honor of dancing in works by Jose Limon, Ohad Naharin, David Parker, Adam Hougland, Johannes Weiland, William Forsythe, Aszure Barton and many other choreographers. Also, while attending Juilliard Mr. McClary has developed other skills such as teaching and choreographing and looks forward to implementing such skills into is career.
Kerry Warren currently in her first year at Juilliard for a BFA in drama. Ms. Warren graduated from Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts in 09 for theatre. She was awarded their outstanding performance for theatre at the academy's senior awards night. At Juilliard She has been active outside her major with BSU. Ms. Warren is the Treasurer and had the oppurtunity to participate in many of their events. She also had the opportunity to MC at their open mic 'Black Out' and in the cast for the 2010 MLK Celebration. She has been an advisor for many of the BSU events, including Word Of Mouth which celebrated black women poets for black history month. Ms. Warren am excited for our service trip to Botswana.
Sekou Laidlow is a second year diploma student in the Juilliard Drama Division. He has been acting professionally in T.V., film , and theater since 1991. He has a B.S. degree in Youth Ministry from Liberty University. As a part of Youth Quest at Liberty he has done missions work in five cities in the country of Brazil. He has worked with several youth programs for inner city youth throughout the country as well been a member of the Young Men’s Rites of Passage Program at the Greater Allen Cathedral where he also serves as Director of the Drama Ministry. Via the Drama ministry he has directed and performed in a wide range of productions at churches , nursing homes, children’s abuse facilities and more. Sekou is excited about participating with M.A.P. in Botswana and looks forward to sharing an experience of a lifetime.
Carolyn Michelle Smith, a second-year Drama student received her B.A in Theatre Performance from Fordham University at Lincoln Center. As an actor, she’s performed with numerous theatre companies across the country: Ensemble Studio Theater, 45Bleecker, Seattle Shakespeare Company, and Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. She has taught Acting and Spoken Word Performance for the Kentucky Center through Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Henry Street Settlement (NYC), and was selected as a member of teaching artists for The Detroit Arts Immersion 2009. Carolyn is currently developing a master-class program connecting Cultural Dance to Solo-Theatre Performance through research conducted in Madrid, Spain during the summer of 2009. Carolyn is truly honored to be a part of BSU’s 2010 Botswana MAP Team.
Hassan Ingraham, born in the heart of Miami , Florida , started his formal training at the New World School of the Arts under the artistic direction of Daniel Lewis. Wanting to pursue a career in dance, Mr. Ingraham joined the Miami Conservatory, established by the late Thomas Armour and Shannon Haynes. He has worked with prominent artists such as Robert Garland, Troy Powell, Paul Taylor, Peter London, Uri Sans, and most recent Larry Keigwin. He participated in the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive in 2006 where he had the honor of performing Divining, a masterwork produced by Judith Jamison. In 2007 he was awarded the opportunity to perform at the grand opening of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts (later renamed as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County). Today, Ingraham is in the Dance Division at The Juilliard School where he will obtain his Bachelor degree in the Fine Arts in 2011.
Julia Headley was born and raised on the island of Barbados and is the last of four girls in an artistic family. At the age of three she began ballet classes at the Louise Woodvine Dance Academy in Barbados. At fifteen she took her first leap into the international dance world, and attended The Juilliard School Summer Dance Intensive in 2006. In subsequent summers she has attended Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Masters and Mentors and Lines Ballet School summer Intensives, performing works by Darrell Moultrie, Robert Garland and Carmen Rozestraten. Currently a first year student at The Juilliard School, Julia has had the opportunity to work with choreographer Andrea Miller. She has also developed a greater love and appreciation for outreach and community service and has participated in ArtReach NOLA, a weeklong service trip to New Orleans, LA in February 2010. With her passion for the arts bubbling up inside her, she is excited to be a member of ProjectMAP 2010 and awaits the amazing journey and challenges that lie ahead.
From a very young age Jehbreal dreamt of a life in arts and entertainment. Jehbreal started on stage at the age of five singing and dancing at local community church functions which enabled him to become comfortable with performing fairly quickly. All of his life Jehbreal has been torn between studying dance and studying voice. He began formal training in ballet at the age of ten, in which his intentions were to study tap dancing but was accidentally place in ballet clas. He continued study at the Dallas Black Dance Academy, W. E. Greiner Middle school of the Exploratory and Performing Arts, and at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. With supplemental training during the summer at schools such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Summer Intensive, Ron K. Brown/Evidence summer workshop, and Nashville Ballet Summer intensive Jehbreal was accepted into the Juilliard School, where he is currently a third year dance major. Jehbreal has also studied music on the side with jazz saxophonist Rachella Parks-Washington, who has toured with such artists as Earth Wind and Fire and Rachelle Ferrell. He now also sings with various jazz bands in his free time. Jehbreal plans to continue to study music equally as he studies dance in years to come.
Daughter of a Zimbabwean Father and Hawaiian mother, Candace received her B.S. in Theater with her emphasis on Directing from Kansas State University. While at KSU she minored in Leadership Studies, American Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies. At the age of 23, Candace was awarded the Society of Stage Director’s and Choreographers Fellowship for her direction on The Last Black Play, ACTF-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Invitation. That same year she was awarded the Joey-Lee Garman Award for Social Justice. Since then Candace has been working diligently to promote social justice through the arts. Candace has directed The Meeting, The Author’s Voice, Labor Love and Laughter and many original scripts. She Associate Produced Eti! East Africa Speaks in NYC, where 11 artists from East Africa performed their original works. She currently works for the Juilliard School in Concert Operations and for 651 ARTS: a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the African Diaspora as the Educational Outreach Director. She is associated with Theater Development Fund as a board member for the Young Patrons’ Committee, Sundance East Africa and Theater Without Borders. Candace is thrilled to be back in Botswana and back to a place she calls home. She is looking forward to the rare and blessed opportunity to interact with the young and talented minds at Maru-a-Pula, but also to be reunited with her family in Gaborone
