Our Team
Our Directors
WENDY ANN POWELL (Director / Author / Choreographer / Dancer): Wendy Ann Powell is an African American dancer, actress, cancer survivor and disability advocate. Born in Brooklyn, NY, she has performed with Dance June Lewis & Company. As an original member of Ayita la Dance Company, Dance Danamaria, and Alden Moves Dance Theater she performed in an immersive version of the Nutcracker. Wendy has performed for elected officials, religious institutions, hospitals, schools, cultural institutions and senior citizen centers. As a Girl Scout leader, she has taught dance workshops to Daises, Brownies, and mentored various Girl Scout dance projects.
In 2015, she was invited to perform by National Teaching Artist, Margaret Elaine Plaza of Omega Dance Company. She’s a 2016 Brooklyn Arts Council Grant recipient. She teaches Modern, Haitian, Ballet, Jazz dance and is a certified Zumba Instructor. In March of 2020, she joined ZCO/DANCEPROJECT, an inclusive disability dance company and choreographed for the ADA 31st celebration held virtually on July 26th 2020. She has performed for Mount Sinai Open Mic Night and is also a member of Agoci Inc. a contemporary modern dance and Haitian dance company in East New York, Brooklyn .She continues her craft by choreographing and writing plays that address social issues. The pandemic has inspired her to create work that explores the intersectionality of being Young, Disabled and a Person of Color. The Journey for which she received a City Artists Corps Grant, is an evolving work that focuses on who we are and who we hope to be.
Other projects that Ms. Powell completed in 2021 included being an interviewer for the Dance Division’s Oral History Project at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts where she interviewed Zazel O’Garra of ZCO/Dance Project. Wendy is also on staff as an Assistant Teaching Artist at Mark Morris Dance Group and a lead TA at Marquis Studios. She is a graduate of the City College of New York, Dept. of Theatre and is pursuing a Masters of Ed. in Educational Theatre at City College.
Angel Smith
Assistant Director / Actor / Dancer
ANGEL SMITH (Salima / Mrs. J / Corrie): Angel is a recent graduate of The City College of New York. She has received her Bachelors in Arts and plans to use it to make a difference in the theatre world. Angel wants to thank Wendy for inviting her to be a part of this project for the past year, loving every minute of it. She also wants to thank her family and friends for continuing to give love and support for the profession she loves.
Our Actors
Yulidal Hernandez Kin
Actor
(Farzana)
Yulidal Hernandez Kin is an actress, producer, and reporter. Graduated with a B.A in theatre and journalism she uses arts as a way to talk about the social injustice in this country. She proudly represents the Boogie Down Bronx and has worked on The X docu-series, reported the shutdown of broadway, and was a writer for the Possibility Project.
Angel Smith
Dancer / Actor
(Salima / Mrs.J / Corrie)
Angel is a recent graduate of The City College of New York. She has received her Bachelors in Arts and plans to use it to make a difference in the theatre world. Angel wants to thank Wendy for inviting her to be a part of this project for the past year, loving every minute of it. She also wants to thank her family and friends for continuing to give love and support for the profession she loves.
Jewels Galindo
Actor
(Khaled / Martin)
Jewels Galindo is a young black actor from East Harlem, New York. He is currently attending City College to receive his bachelor’s degree in theater. He’s an aspiring director and film maker.
Emyl Nuñez
Dancer / Actor
(Elise)
Emyl is very excited to be a part of The Journey and enjoyed working alongside such talented cast. She’s been focusing on her training ever since she moved to New York and has recently studied under J. Claude Deering at the Stella Adler Studio, between others. Emyl is currently pursuing a degree in both Business and Theatre Performance at City College.She is very thrilled to see what the future awaits for her and would like to thank her family for their constant support, specially her parents.
Fernanda Avila-Peñafiel
Actor
(TJ / Narrator)
Fernanda Avila-Peñafiel is a junior at CCNY. She hopes to use her music and theatre degrees to enact change amongst the musical theatre community and continue to tell stories of BIPOC. This is her first in person performance in 5 years and she is excited to get back to live theatre.
Allison Vargas
Dancer / Actor
(Antoine)
Allison is an actress, director, dancer and stage manager. She received her associate’s degree from the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and is now pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater in the City College of New York. Prior to this she was also part of a handful of productions in BMCC, these include To Catch a Fox, Top Girls, and The Pillow Man. She feels very thrilled and grateful to be part of this amazing production, that is so needed and so relevant. To God be all of the Glory.
Angeliqué Kortright
Dancer / Actor
(Sylvia / Saamiya Red)
Angeliqué Kortright is thrilled to be a part of The Journey! Angeliqué is a NYC based actress and dancer currently working toward a Theatre degree at CCNY. Most recent theatre credits: The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), Significant Other (Kiki), Savage in Limbo (Linda) and Urinetown (Soupy Sue, Dance Capt).
Zazel Chavah O'Garra
Dancer
Zazel Chavah O'Garra is the founder and Artistic Director of ZCO/DANCEPROJECT, a physically integrated dance company whose goal is to create performances that are witty, soulful, intelligent, powerful and intriguing. ZCODP seeks to encourage the integration and inclusion of people with disabilities in dance and in society, to present new, exciting, challenging, and inspiring contemporary dance performances to the widest possible audience.
Production Crew
Iman (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary artist from Brooklyn, NY. Her work is inspired by science fiction, current events, and familial relationships. Through movement, lens-based media, design and production she is focused on creating dance films, photo prints, and design work exploring mental health, racial inequities, and her diverse cultural upbringing.
Gene began drumming at the age of 5 and studied percussion at Larocque Bey School of Dance Theatre. Inc. He is the founder of Djoule, African musician, dancer and singers. He has 47 years of drumming experience and has traveled internationally since 1988 through Europe, Asia and the African and Caribbean Diaspora . He is also founder and director of Jalifola Sound.
Yu Chen Yang, also known as Tracy Yang, is a composer, arranger, performer, and photographer from Taiwan. She grew up in a family with a wide medical profession background. She earned a degree in the field of Medical Imaging of Technology and later studied Cognitive Neuroscience in Taiwan. After finishing her medical studies, she started to work as a Radiographer in the hospital. However, while attending medical school, music always occupied an important part of her life. Eventually growing her passion for music into another new career.