MOVEMENT of the PEOPLE Dance Company

FOUNDER / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / CHOREOGRAPHER

A native New Yorker, Joya Powell received her M.A. in Dance Education at New York University, and her B.A. in Latin American Studies and Creative Writing at Columbia University. Throughout her career she has danced with choreographers such as Katiti King, Neta Pulvermacher, Donlin Foreman and Paco Gomes. Her choreography has appeared on stages such as City Parks Dance, The Riverside Theatre, DNA, Casa del Prado Theatre in San Diego, and The TANK. Ms. Powell has taught a fusion of Simonson Jazz and Afro-Brazilian dances in Salvador Bahia Brazil, Puerto Rico, and NYC. As Artistic Director and Choreographer of Movement of the PEOPLE Dance Company she is dedicated to connecting cultures and finding ways to empower underprivileged communities through dance.

DANCER / CHOREOGRAPHER

Denise N. Brown currently teaches dance in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City where her students are exposed to the diversity of dance.   She holds a B.S. in Consumer Studies, from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where she continued her study of dance and theatre.  She later received an M.A. in Dance Education/K-12 Certification at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in 2006.  She has been employed with RI Dance Alliance as a dance educator for the outreach program Chance to Dance, under the direction of Helene Scheff and Marty Sprague and has worked extensively with Fantasy Works Inc., a non-profit theatre company, as a choreographer and/or performer.  Denise has performed in the works of Deborah Damast and Andrea Markus, the New Music and Dance Ensemble in Genoa, Italy and New York, in collaborations with New York composer/musician Jonathan Zalben., Te Perez, and with SHEmotion Dance Company (directed by Julie Klein).  In addition, Denise has performed in NYU Masters/Faculty concerts and presented her own choreographic work entitled (B.O.D.Y) Bordering on Destructive Yearnings.   Denise continues to develop her pedagogy and dance training and has presented at National Dance Education Conferences.

DANCER / CHOREOGRAPHER

Pam Pollock is a native New Yorker who holds an MA in Dance and Dance Education from NYU and graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University.  She is currently a member of Movement of the People and is a former member of Emancia Dance Company, the 13^th Street Repertory Company and NYU's Kaleidescope Dance Company.  She has performed with the Tri-Cities Opera, Douglas Dunn, Deborah Damast and Dancers, Phoenix Rising Dance Creations and Galumpha.  Her past performance credits include: NuDance Festival, Cool New York Dance Festival sponsored by White Wave, Save Me The Waltz, Chicago, Die Flatermaus, Sweet Charity, Isn't It Romantic, The Weight of Gravity, various dance composition concerts and benefits, and performed with the New Music and Dance Ensemble in Genoa, Italy under the auspice of Douglas Dunn in an intensive experimental music, dance and multi-media technology experience.  Television credits include: MTV's Direct Effects and NBC's Law and Order. Pam is a certified dance educator (K-12), currently teaching dance and choreographing at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn and Peridance International Dance Center in Manhattan.  She has been teaching dance for 15 years in various public and private schools, camps, studios and dance centers and has developed partnerships with Pilobolus, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Paul Taylor Dance Company and The New York City Ballet. Pam is currently training with the New York City Ballet to become certified to teach its Workout program.

A native New Yorker, Doreen graduated with a Bachelors Degree from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Studies with a concentration in Critical Social Theory and the Arts. Her study of and training in dance spans a variety of forms, with most recent interests in Afro-Caribbean folkloric dance (with an emphasis on Haitian dance) and Simonson Modern Jazz Technique. She is honored and delighted to be a dancer of Movement of the People, finding each opportunity to work with the company full of meaning, growth, and engagement with important social issues. Doreen is also a yogini and a certified Forrest Yoga teacher. She currently teaches open classes and Prenatal classes at Third Root Community Health Center, in Ditmas Park Brooklyn, and at other venues privately. Finding the body a source of truth, power and freedom, Doreen continues to follow her passion for movement, healing, and progressive social change as she pursues a career in the field of a women's health.

DANCER

Angela is a dancer, soprano, and percussionist. Angela also plays the n’goni (West African harp-lute) and the balafon. Whether she is dancing, singing or playing, her creativity is mostly centered on the intuition and inner rhythm of her body. She is most ecstatic when she is surrounded by love. Angela received a Bachelor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Dance and Africana Studies from New York University. Currently, she is a music teacher at Ethical Culture School in NYC.

DANCER

Tiffani holds a B.A. from the University of Richmond where she received the Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award for her choreography. After graduation she moved to New York to train professionally at the Ailey School, toured regionally with the Shadow Box Theater and C. Eule Dance. Currently she dances with the Jamal Jackson Dance Company. She received an M.A. in dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

DANCER

Julie Klein is thrilled to be working with Movement For The People!  She has been dancing her way through life since childhood.  A native New Yorker, Julie is the founder, artistic director and choreographer of SHEmotion Dance Company.  Among many others, her New York based training includes the Joffrey Ballet School, The Ailey School and the Mark Morris Dance Center.  She received a Certificate of Study from the Edna Manley College of Performing Arts in Kingston Jamaica in 2001, followed by her B.A. in Dance from Mount Holyoke College in 2002, and finally her M.A. in Dance Education from New York University in 2004.  She was a workshop presenter at the 2005 National Dance Education Organization Annual Conference. Julie has performed with many choreographers including Stephan Koplowitz, Deborah Damast, Rose Flachs, Marilyn Middleton, and with Magbana Drum and Dance Company under the direction of Michael Markus, and Movement for the Urban Village under the direction of Shalewa Mackall.  Julie was the Dance Educator at The Studio School of Arts and Culture from 2003-2006, and since has been the Dance Educator at Middle School 51 in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Her student based dance companies have performed locally, nationally and internationally.

DANCER

‘Iolani Lightbourne began dancing at the age of 5 and later joined The Signature Dance Company, a not-for-profit, in Scarsdale NY. There, she was able to use her dance training to raise money for cancer organizations, AIDS organizations and other worthy causes. Trained in ballet, tap, and jazz she decided to branch out into other dance forms such as Hip-Hop and African, and has been trying to continue to use her art to spread messages for positive change.

DANCER

Marsha Parrilla is a Puerto Rican movement artist who specializes in Dance as a performing art. She is the Founder/Artistic Director of Danza Organica. She is fluent in different art forms including: Capoeira, Afro-Brazilian Dance, Salsa, Modern, Improvisation, Jazz, Afro Caribbean, Tango and other forms. She received her B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico, and her M.A. from New York University. She has been teaching, performing and choreographing internationally since 1998.

DANCER

A native of Harlem, New York, Adia Imani Wilson began dancing at the age of five. She was introduced to dance through the Dance Theatre of Harlem where she studied ballet and tap until moving on to the Harlem School of the Arts. By the age of 17, she had already performed at the world-famous Apollo, Radio City Music Hall and Aaron Davis Hall to name a few. At Howard University in Washington, D.C., Adia studied marketing, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Upon returning to NYC she joined Fusha, a Congolese dance company under the direction of Funmilayo. She is currently with Movement of the People Dance Company led by international performing artist Joya Powell, and a member of the Big Apple Dancers. Adia has been featured on “Dr. Oz show” " and performed live with Lady Sovereign and Ne-Yo to promote "Just Dance" for Kinect for Xbox 360. She has also been featured as an actress on CBS' Jericho, various music videos and has choreographed for NYU student film "Exile" and indie film "Humanity."

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