Rashida Bumbray & Dance Diaspora Collective: RUN MARY RUN / Master Class: Jamel Gaines

Rashida Bumbray’s choreography draws from traditional African American vernacular and folk forms including ring shouts, hoofing, and blues improvisation in order to interrogate society and initiate healing. Bumbray was nominated for the prestigious Bessie Award in 2014 for “Outstanding Emerging Choreographer.” Her performance RUN MARY RUN in collaboration with Jason Moran and Dance Diaspora Collective was named among Best Concerts of 2012 by the New York Times’ Ben Ratliff. Bumbray is a recipient of the 2014 Harlem Stage Fund for New Work, and her work has been presented by Columbia University, Caribbean Cultural Center, Dancing While Black, Harlem Stage, Project Row Houses, and Weeksville Heritage Center. Bumbray received her MA in Africana Studies from New York University and her BA in African American Studies and Theater & Dance from Oberlin College where she studied Jazz, Blues and Afro dance forms with Adenike Sharpley and collaborated with the late Wendell Logan’s Oberlin Jazz Ensemble.

Jamel Gaines’ Creative Outlet (CO) is a professional dance company that merges rigorous classical and modern technique with African-American soul and spirit. Under the artistic direction of Jamel Gaines, the company has been hailed by reviewers in the United States and Europe for its “richness of dance tone” and “contagious vitality.” The company is comprised of unique performing artists whose talents include theatre, spoken word, multi-media/ visual arts, and instillation. Based in New York City, CO has been featured at the Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The Apollo Theatre, SummerStage in Central Park, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Martha Graham School, McCallum Theatre, Rialto Theatre, Paramount Theatre, and NewYork Theatre Workshop. Internationally, CO has toured in Rome, Italy; London, England; Acapulco, Mexico; Madrid, Spain; Kingston, Jamaica; Cologne, Germany; and Toronto, Canada. Our artists have been featured on Broadway stages such as: Fela!, The Lion King, Chicago, Fosse, and Memphis. Additionally, Gaines has collaborated with Notable artists such as: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyonce, Rihanna, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Holiday, Max Roach, Savion Glover, Ornette Coleman, and Chris Brown. Jamel Gaines’ vision is to bring art to the masses that touches the human spirit.