I experienced Hobart and William Smith for what it was - an institution for a liberal arts experience. It was my home. Each year, I’d find a new way to submerse myself into the HWS culture. I lived in the moment and that materialized the opportunities I was given while a student and still enjoy to this day.
Currently, I am a full-time company member of Step Afrika!, which is the first African American professional dance company dedicated to the art of stepping. I have stepped since I was eight years old and this is the beginning of year 19 for me. It’s incredible to think that I’ve been doing this for almost my entire life. I would have never imagined what this extracurricular activity would have turned into. The artistry of this company is beyond what I could comprehend being a part of. We travel quite frequently domestically and internationally and since I’ve been with the company I’ve been to Ukraine and Bahrain, but most recently, a few full-time artists finished an international cultural exchange tour of Southern Africa for the entire month of September as ambassadors for the U.S. Embassy. The experience was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before and as a young African American male; it was important for me to visit Africa myself. We visited Zambia, Angola and Johannesburg, learning different dance styles and cultures to bring home for our own work. We are currently rehearsing for the Off-Broadway production of Drumfolk, which features the trajectory of the Stono Rebellion and the loss of rights to slaves to travel freely, farm or read through the Negro Act and the banning of drums which evolved into other forms of percussion such as ring shout, tap, hambone and stepping. We will be touring in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Although we have major works in progress we also reach audiences with our arts and education initiative through youth audience performances, college tours around the United States and our annual Holiday Show, the Step Explosion Strathmore Showcase and Home Performance Series.
I also graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Carolina with a Master of Fine Arts degree. While studying and teaching acting, I told myself that I did not want to work in the theatre specifically. I consider myself a film actor, but my current job consists of performing in theaters and in front of live audiences. This allows me to understand the quality of performance and what it means to be an artist.
Outside of my professional dancing contract, I continue to push myself personally, training in Hip Hop classes at studios and conventions from big industry names such as Phil Wright, Felix Burgos, Kaelynn Harris, CJ Salvador, Tony Tzar, William ‘Willdabeast’ Adams, Janelle Ginestra- Adams, BDash, Konkrete, Hollywood and Nicole Kirkland. I began teaching myself Hip Hop in the exercise room of the HWS Field House, and throughout the years, I learned how to execute what I studied online and how I move best through experiences like Koshare.
Other than dancing, I have worked on films and TV shows while auditioning and modeling part-time without an agent. I’ve been able to book a Lifetime film, feature films such as Marshall, where I stood in for Chadwick Boseman, and TV shows like The Quadand Step Up: High Water. Most recently I worked on a feature horror film called Bashira that will be released next year.
I hope to become one of the most prolific actors, and that will take a lot of time, effort, discipline and consistency, but I believe that all the things I am experiencing now will prepare me in ways that I couldn’t imagine. Receiving my first acting gig from Cathy Williams for the Office of Communications I found my true passion for wanting to find my full potential. Thanks to meeting Brad Falchuk ‘93, in 2014; a hunger sort of drove me to want more. I decided to enroll in a few theatre courses my last fall at Hobart and I’ve never felt more fulfilled. Professors Chris Hatch and Chris Woodworth are one of a kind and I cherish their work ethic, love of the arts and the standard they held me to. I have since produced my own series of dance concept videos with Andrew Markham ‘10 and I have begun screenwriting my own architecturally inspired comedic drama series called Perspective in 2017 that is still a work in progress.
I am extremely excited to visit Hobart and William Smith for the first time since 2016 come this June at Reunion 2020. Thank you HWS for instilling in me a purpose.
