Embedded Files
Presented by Wendy Ann Powell & Dancers as part of Hunter College's MFA in Dance '25 Program
Thank you to my readers Maura Nguyễn Donohue and Stacey Bell.
Thank you to Associate Professor Darvejon Jones and all the countless Monday morning meetings assisting me in my thesis research with the wonderful book offerings and journal articles. The care that was taken to prepare me for this endeavor went above and beyond the responsibilities of a professor and encompassed the true meaning of Hunter College’s Dance Department mission “to elevate dance as a vehicle for positive change in the world”.
This performance was also made in part through the support of Hunter College Dance Department, Acting Chair Dr. Anthony Browne in partial fulfillment of the MFA in Dance.
Professor Darvejon Jones, Doctoral Lecturer Tiffany Merritt-Brown, Professor Blakeley White-Mcguire, Professor David Capps
Thank you to my cohort members Ummkhair Brown, Maria Angela Talavera Tejeda, Karina Terán for their support, love and advice. Love you so much!
In Dedication to Amelia Delphine Martin
In Dedication to Amelia Delphine Martin
Raised Spirits is not just a performance, but a deeply personal tribute and labor of love to my mother Amelia Delphine Martin, who bravely battled schizophrenia. This piece is also a reflection of my research work on the Black womb being a repository of generational and historical pain. It offers a unique perspective on how spiritual dance practices can heal the spirit, soul, and mind.
Director's Note
Director's Note
The body of my research focuses on the blood memory of trauma and its insidious alliance with the transgenerational load of continued weathering. Through the use of historical, qualitative, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, I contend that the cultural integrity and identity of the black female and disabled body are compromised by sustained systemic attacks of racism and aggressions of spirit; thereby affecting the cultural identity of the Black Female dancers and the forms of dance they engage with.
Stage production of Wendy Ann Powell MFA degree in dance at Hunter College and creating a performance titled "Raised Spirits." This event will take place at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, New York, with performances scheduled for March 22nd and 23rd at 7:30 p.m. The performances feature eight dancers and actors who embody my thesis research, which focuses on the history of her mother, her struggle with mental illness, intergenerational and historical trauma, and how spiritual dance practices can serve as vehicles for healing in the Black female body.
This thesis has been a labor of love and a tribute to my mother and her experiences. It also explores non-traditional approaches to addressing mental illness and the healing of intergenerational and historical trauma in black females. By supporting this project, you will not only help me earn my MFA degree but also support my efforts to continue the exploration of these areas of research in pursuit of improved quality of life for affected Black females everywhere.
Our Team
Our Team
Our Director
Our Director
WENDY ANN POWELL (Director / Author / Choreographer / Dancer): Wendy Ann Powell is an African-American dancer, choreographer, director, playwright, actress, cancer warrior, disability advocate, and survivor of mental illness.
She studied and performed with Dance June Lewis & Company. As an original member of Ayitia la Dance Company, Dance Danamaria, and Alden Moves Dance Theater, she performed in an immersive version of The Nutcracker. She has taught both Zumba and initiated an improvisational jazz class for older adults of Elderplan. As a Girl Scout leader, she mentored various Girl Scout dance projects and performed for elected officials. In 2015, she was invited to perform by National Teaching Artist Margaret Elaine Plaza and performed with Omega Dance Company. She’s a 2016 Brooklyn Arts Council Grant recipient.
Working with ZCO/DANCE PROJECT, a physically integrated inclusive disability dance company, as the rehearsal director and as a choreographer, she created choreography for Black History Month and the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) 30th Anniversary. She has also enjoyed sharing and applying each artist's journey to the work that is created. This experience has also strengthened her commitment to equity and collaboration wherever she teaches. Episodes of the Soul premiered in 2024 at Jamaica Arts Center; Recovery was a duet co-choreographed and performed at Arts on Site for the 7MPR Festival and explored race, age, disability, and relationships. Wendy Ann is also a member of Agoci Inc., a modern and Haitian dance company.
The pandemic inspired her to create work that explores the intersectionality of being young, disabled, and an African-American Muslim. 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. Most recently, her work was performed at the WestFest Dance Festival. She has performed at many venues, including Theater for the New City and the United Nations. On November 1, 2024, her new work Ancestral Voices premiered at Flushing Town Hall. She is overjoyed to have joined the wonderful cohort of MFA dance majors at Hunter College, where she is working on her thesis that focuses on an amalgamation of theatre, dance, gesture, voice, live drumming, and projection.
It is the epitome of realms to garner a deep repository for how the Back Female body and disabled female bodies can move from trauma to healing within their spiritual dance practices. In addition to performing and choreographing, she has also presented at the CUNY Learning and Teacher Conference and participated in the AANAPISI Bridge Initiative, which focused on Asian American students and their experiences navigating racial and cultural boundaries through their college experiences. She presented and conducted a workshop for the African-American Genealogical Society, examining lineage through the lens of dance and its relationship to corporeal memory.
Wendy Ann has served on the Board of Directors of Ma Sa Akhi Performing Arts Center, where she was responsible for outreach to community partners, and has been asked to join the advisory board of Marquis Studios, a nonprofit arts organization, to advocate for the rights of teaching artists Wendy Ann is also an Adjunct Professor at Hunter College and teaches Dance in Culture and Global Dance History to undergraduate students who are dance and non-dance majors.
Our Artists
Our Artists
International Dancer Zaman is a Queer Indo-Caribbean, Guyanese Muslim artist commonly known as International Dancer Zaman (he/him/they) and the drag-centric activist Sundari, The Indian Goddess (she/her/they). With the combination of their 22 years of wisdom, expertise, and award-winning experiences and performances, founded Zamandari LLC, centered around deconstructing anti-trans and anti-queer stigmas through artistic mediums.
Zaman is a pioneer in his artistry and humanitarian work, breaking barriers across New York State and beyond. He has a theater background, in theater, Information Technology, & is trained in Kathak, Orissi, Bollywood, Bhangra and Chutney Dance styles. Zaman is the first openly gay Indo-Caribbean dance artist in New York City. He uses performing arts to promote Caribbean Arts & Guyanese Culture along with the multiple, intersectional identities of LGBTQ Caribbean immigrants in the diaspora.
In June of 2013, Zaman was hospitalized after he survived a vicious attack in an anti-LGBTQ hate incident in Richmond Hill, Queens. The violence mobilized local LGBTQ activists and allies to organize a Peace Rally and eventually led to the formation of the Caribbean Equality Project in 2015.
Over the years Zaman has donated his time, dance services, including organizing humanitarian causes in service to New Yorkers and the wider communities at large. He has received multiple Citations, Awards & Proclamation from government officials, community leaders, and organizations. He is the founder, creative director and manager of the Taranng Dance Troupe and currently is employed at Make-A-Wish Foundation Metro New York and Western New York.
Hugo Joan-Rose is a Brooklyn-based, multiply-disabled, multi-hyphenate who is so honored to be a part of this piece. Hailing from Elmont, LI, Hugo trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Parsons School of Design. Previous credits include: It’s Been 10 Years Since Everyone Died (The Tank), Trans-Pose (54 Below).
Daphnée Sanon, born in Haiti, began her journey in dance at the age of 9, immersing herself in the rhythms and movements of Haitian folklore. After migrating to the United States, she continued her dance training, blending modern styles with her cultural heritage. Daphnée has developed a diverse skill set in the creative arts and is a true "jack of many trades." She is also a musician and artist working in both oil and acrylic mediums. When she's not creating, Daphnée is committed to maintaining her physical health, training rigorously for marathons. Daphnée also founded The Art & Public Speaking Program, Inc., a nonprofit organization designed to empower young children to develop their confidence in public speaking through creative expression.
Karisa Campbell
Karisa Campbell
Dancer
Born and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Karisa is trained in various dance styles including ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap, and pointe. Now, she mainly focuses on styles like contemporary, modern, ballet and styles within the African diaspora. Karisa graduated from Manhattanville University in 2020, where she received a B.A with honors in Dance & Theatre and Business Management. Throughout her college career, she has had the pleasure of working with various popular NYC based choreographers including Julia Ehrstrand, Take Ueyama, Shannon Gillen, and many more. She has also had the opportunity to perform as a dancer in shows for the off-broadway production The Wounded Soul in theatres around White Plains with Endless Voice Productions in 2017. Karisa continues to expand on her dance training and experience by having opportunities to perform in places like Disney World and Hershey Park, as well as taking part in overseas dance opportunities such as Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy and soon Moulin/Belle in the French countryside. Karisa is currently a part of 3 NJ/NYC based dance companies, Keeping People Connected, Threads of Truth and Kennedy Dancers and is also passionate about teaching dance and pilates.
_Thandi is a versatile movement practitioner and urban planner, trained in modern, classical ballet, and tap since the age of 12. She especially enjoys modern and is currently studying the work of Isadora Duncan. She has performed at venues including the Kennedy Center, and been featured in dance roles by brands such as Converse. Thandi lives in Brooklyn and works every day to fulfill the highest expression of herself as a human being and an artist._
Charlene Elizabeth Francois
Charlene Elizabeth Francois
Dancer
Charlene is a dancer, mover, and improviser. She dances within Haitian Folklore, Modern (Martha Graham School), and Salsa (Empire Mambo Studio). Most recently, she performed in Bio'ngo, produced by FUNDarte. A lover of drums, she is passionate about embodying the connection
Samara Graham
Samara Graham
Actress / Administrative Assistant
Samara Graham is an actress. She discovered her love for the stage during her high school years through the Opening Act Theater Workshop, a non-profit theater company where she performed in several Off-Broadway productions, including New World Stages for their annual play reading gala directed by Michael Maestro. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in theater from The City College of New York in 2021, and continued her acting journey at the Atlantic Theater Company, where she appeared in the premiere production of You, Me, & He at Atlantic Stage 2. She has also appeared in Pippin at The Brooklyn Players Company, Stag & Lion Theater Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and 110 in the Shade alongside Moulin Rouge’s Oyoyo Joi at the New York Historical Society. Samara is humbly honored to be sharing her talent in “Raised Spirits”, and hopes to continue to inspire others with her work, dedication, and passion.
A Barnard College graduate '25, Annelise is a student artist-in-residence at the Movement Lab, where she developed a dance film installation employing the psychology of memory and interactivity of archives for through QLabs and motion capture software. She performed her "At Capacity” solo with Movement Research's Artists of Color Council in November 2024, and is the co-author of Chasing Spirits (Atmosphere Press, 2024) and author of “Red Landscape: Georgia O’Keeffe in Texas 1912-1918,” (Glasstire, 2024). Annelise is dedicated to moving future generations as coding and dance Instructor with STEM from Dance and was featured in Columbia Neighbors News for her work leading CityStep Columbia's teaching team to host performances and dance classes for NYC public school students.
Our Creatives
Our Creatives
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.
Paige "Queen TuT '' Stewart hails from Queens, New York, and works currently as a stage manager, event coordinator of showcases and international dance tours. She also is a dance instructor at various public schools, dance schools, and arts centers. She has danced professionally for names like Nick Cannon, Fred Hammond, Lupe Fiasco, and Ariana Grande.
She is the founder of The Kingdom dance company, where she provides free dance, art, and poetry classes for young artists in the New York area, helping them take their artistry to the next level from her own pocket. She hopes to enlighten and enhance the lives and work of producing artists, performing artists and curator.
Ryan Greenidge
Ryan Greenidge
Drummer
Ryan Greenidge was born and raised in Brooklyn NY in a area named Flatbush where he currently resides. Ryan began drumming at the age of 3. He continued his passion for the arts and was recruited into his 1st professional performing company (Indoda Entsha Society) at the age of 12. At 14 he taught his 1st drum class.
He developed a great relations throughout the city, state and country...He has played with many known African Dance Companies, Ballets & Dance Groups such as Djoule African, Ayolawa, Kowteff, Asase Yaa and many different Dance schools and classes in NY and the states..Ryan is currently an independent educator dealing with the arts..Ryan has traveled all over the world (Caribbean, Asia, Europe) teaching and sharing the culture and teachings he has to offer.
Brother Ryan also makes annual trips to Guinea West Africa to enhance his skills and talents and also invites others to join..Ryan is a great person to learn from as he understands the academics of the drum. He has helped many to understand the root of this culture and has demonstrated his talents on numerous occasions. He has a great knowledge of the Guinean style drum and dance and loves to share his experiences.
Gustavo Monroy
Gustavo Monroy
Photographer
Gustavo Monroy (Photographer) is a photographer based in New York, NY.
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