Laurie M. Taylor / Soul Movement / Master Class: Karisma Jay

As the Artistic Director and CEO of Soul Movement, Laurie M. Taylor delves deep into the emotional truths of the human experience. Placing emphasis on “groove” as a key choreographic concept, her work combines both vernacular movement aesthetics with contemporary technical forms. Soul Movement’s style is based in “sound perception,” a heavily musical demonstration of rhythm, texture and tone experienced through the body. Laurie’s rich Southern (the American South) and Liberian heritage lace their way throughout each piece rendering a lush, curvilinear style. This extends into an expressive repertory, telling “movement stories” ranging from the courageous lunch counter sit-ins of the 1960’s, to being caught up in whirlwind of passion. For Laurie, music is the primary impulse for movement and she has been recognized with a Fund for New Works Grant with Blue Note recording artist Derrick Hodge (Robert Glasper Experiment), and has collaborated with arranger/violinist Stephanie Matthews (String Candy, Sphinx Organization) and the EMMY-Award winning Soulful Symphony.


True to her name, Brooklyn native Karisma Jay has been dancing and performing since the tender age of 2. Currently, she is a featured performer with the international sensation, STOMP. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Brooklyn’s AbunDance Academy of the Arts. Teaching dance since the age of 10, she has become skilled at developing the confidence and charisma of even her shyest students, who range in age from 2 to 92. An alumna of LaGuardia High School of Music & Art (Dance) and NYU Gallatin (Pre-Med and Performing Arts), Karisma has performed/toured with prestigious dance companies such as Brooklyn Ballet, Maimouna Keita, Creative Outlet, Asase Yaa, and Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence. Her TV credits include programs aired on Netflix, BET, MTV, NBC, and VH1, to name a few.