ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
A DANCE COMPANY

RONALD K. BROWN (Founder/Artistic Director) raised in Brooklyn, NY, founded EVIDENCE, A Dance Company in 1985. He has worked with Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works, as well as other choreographers and artists. Brown has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Philadanco, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, TU Dance, and Malpaso Dance Company.

He has collaborated with such artists as composer/designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, choreographers Patricia Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, composers Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons, and Don Meissner, and musicians Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Brown is the recipient of the 2020 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award. His other awards and recognitions include the AUDELCO Award for his choreography in Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards, and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography in the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks, arranged by Diedre Murray, and directed by Diane Paulus.

Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop 2000 Mentor of the Year and has received a Doris Duke Artist Award, New York City Center Fellowship, Joyce Theater Artist Residency Center Fellowship, Scripps/ADF Award, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, United States Artists Fellowship, a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award, Dance Magazine Award, and The Ailey Apex Award. Ronald K. Brown was a Creative Administration Research artist at NCCAkron and along with Arcell Cabuag is a 2024 Dance Teacher Magazine Awardee of Distinction recipient.

Brown is Co-Artistic Director of the Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble and a member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society.

ARCELL CABUAG (Associate Artistic Director/Dancer) is a first-generation Filipino-American from San Jose, CA. He moved to New York City in 1996 to attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, where he was introduced to Ronald K. Brown. Soon after, he joined EVIDENCE, A Dance Company as its first apprentice, became a company member one year later, and has served as its Associate Artistic Director since 2004. He is thrilled to be the newly appointed Billie Holiday Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy Director of Education. Performance credits include dancing with Camille A. Brown, Mekeda Thomas, Rock the House for Paramount Pictures; The Shoji Tabuchi Show (Branson, MO); the Richard Rodgers Centennial Production of The King and I; and dance festivals worldwide. Arcell taught classes and performed with EVIDENCE throughout Africa as a US Ambassador with Dance Motion USA and throughout Japan for the D.I.P JIKEI COM International Center. TV Credits include Law & Order: SVU Choreographed episode and Codorniu Cava commercial with PILOBOLUS shot in Barcelona and aired on Spanish television. He has assisted Mr. Brown in creating repertory on Philadanco Dance Company; MUNTU Drum and Dance Company; TU Dance; Ballet Hispánico; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company and served as associate choreographer for the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring productions of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Mr. Cabuag is proud to serve the dance community as a long-standing educator and advocate nationally and abroad. Education, advocacy, and teaching EVIDENCE repertory work include Professor of Dance at Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus); a guest instructor at NYU TISCH; University of Massachusetts; Peridance Certificate Program, The Ailey Fordham BFA and Certificate Programs; University of Washington, University of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, Ohio State, Princeton University, Boston Conservatory among others. Arcell received a 2004 New York Dance and Performance ¨Bessie¨ Award, an Abundance Dance Award as a Leader of the Path Honoree and along with Ronald K. Brown is a 2024 Dance Teacher Magazine Awardee of Distinction recipient.

DEMETRIUS BURNS (Rehearsal Director/Dancer) was born in Anniston, AL, and grew up in Boston, MA. He received his MFA in dancer from Hollins University and his BFA with an emphasis in Choreography from Boston Conservatory where he performed repertoire by Karole Armitage, Mark Morris, Darrel Moultrie, and many more as well as choreographed Urinetown in the musical theatre department. He spent several summers at the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts as a student, intern, and instructor. He attended the Bates Dance Festival, and Sidra Bell Modules. Demetrius also attended Jacob’s Pillow Social dance program with the American Dance Guild Scholarship under the direction of Camille A. Brown and Moncell Durden and returned the following summer for the Improvisation Traditions and Innovation program under the direction of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Demetrius is a recipient of the EVIDENCE Dance Workshop Series Beth Young Scholarship and became a company member of EVIDENCE in 2016.

STEPHANIE CHRONOPOULOS (Dancer) is a first-generation Greek American, born and raised in New York City. She graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. in Dance from LIU Brooklyn where she had the privilege of performing works by choreographers Khaleah London, Frederick Earl Mosley, Erika Pujic, Doug Varone, and Ronald K. Brown. In 2015, she became a company member of Forces of Nature Dance Theater under the Direction of Abdel Salaam. During her time with the company, she performed in the Bessie Award winning Healing Sevens at BAM’s DanceAfrica, and in the revival of Terrestrial Wombs at the Apollo Theater. Stephanie has also apprenticed with Jennifer Muller / The Works and is the recipient of the EVIDENCE Dance Workshop Series Beth Young Scholarship. Stephanie became a company member of EVIDENCE in 2019.

AUSTIN WARREN COATS (Dancer) is an interdisciplinary artist with a Magna Cum Laude bachelor’s degree in dance studies from Kent State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Originally from Reynoldsburg, OH, he has had the honor to work with artists such as Silvana Cardell, Angela Luem, Catherine Meredith, Jess Pretty, and Jamal White. He has attended summer intensives at The Joffrey Ballet School, Ruth Page Center of the Performing Arts, and Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE on scholarship. Austin has many interests in the arts including fine art, dance, and fashion design. He is a published illustrator in college publications and illustrates for various dancers’ projects. His life goal is to become a choreographer and artistic director. Austin became a company member of EVIDENCE in 2021.

JOYCE EDWARDS (Guest Artist) is a multi-hyphenate creative revolutionary. As an adjunct instructor at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Joyce mentors the next generation of dance innovators while also making waves as an in-demand performer and creative collaborator. From 2019 to 2024, Joyce originated roles and toured nationally with the renowned Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE Dance Company. Her tenure with the company culminated in winning the prestigious New York Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer. In 2022, Joyce was appointed Assistant Rehearsal Director for EVIDENCE, further cementing her leadership. Her independent creative research was shortlisted for a Fulbright U.S. Student Award for the 2024-2025 cycle. Alongside her company career, Joyce appeared as the soloist dancer on the debut album Let Sound Tell All by Julius Rodriguez, a Verve Records artist. Her collaborative spirit shines through in her work with renowned choreographers Beth Gill and Netta Yerushalmy, with whom she has helped execute cutting-edge projects that explore new realms of movement and expression. In 2020, Joyce was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” a recognition of her innovation, artistry, and influence in Gill’s Pitkin Grove. An artist of rare depth and diversity, Joyce’s return to the stage as a Guest Artist with EVIDENCE is a celebration of her rich contributions to the company and the world of dance. Her journey continues to inspire, provoke, and redefine what it means to be a revolutionary artist in the 21st century.

ISAIAH K. HARVEY (Dancer) began his early dance training at Innervisions Theater Arts Center in his hometown Queens, New York. Following high school, he pursued his bachelor’s in fine arts in Dance at Montclair State University (MSU), graduating in 2018. Beyond MSU, he honed his skills at the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and The Ailey School, where he was honored with the Bob Fosse Gwen Verdon Scholarship. Harvey has graced the stage alongside singer/actress Andra Day and played a significant role in Rashaad Newsome’s Bessie award-winning production “Assembly.” His performance portfolio includes Earl Mosley Diversity of Dance, Black Iris Project: Vibrant Voices, and serving as a backup dancer for RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Olivia Lux. Throughout his training and career, Harvey has performed works by iconic choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Ulysses Dove, Camille A. Brown, Norbert De La Cruz, and danced professionally with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. In addition to his professional dance endeavors, he imparts his dance expertise through teaching in various venues across New York City and the country as a certified Lester Horton Technique Instructor. In 2023, he represented EVIDENCE as a faculty member at the New Orleans Ballet Associations dance intensive. Presently, Harvey is a member of Ronald K. Brown: EVIDENCE and is on staff at the Youth Arts Academy and the Innervisions Theater Arts Center.

JAI ALI MCKOY (Guest Artist) was raised in Newark, NJ. Growing up in such a diverse city, dance has always shown its face in different mediums throughout Jai’s life. Training with Sharon Miller Academy for Performing Arts Jai continued their dance training at Arts High School, under Ronnie Carney and Krystal Hall Glass, while attending Ailey Winter and Summer seasons. Working with artists and companies such as Levi Marsman, Christopher Huggins, Hannah Gardener, Linda Celeste Sims, Ron K Brown: Evidence, Bill T Jones, Earl Mosely, Cain Coleman and Mugler. Jai values how artists can channel from multiple mediums to cultivate lifelong pieces of art. One of Jai’s missions is to create space for multi-artistic expression to create new perspectives.

DAVID LEE PARKER (Guest Artist) is a native from Long Island, New York. He started his dance training at Long Island High school for the Arts and continued his studies at Mason Gross School of the Arts where he graduated class of 2018 with honors and received his B.F.A. in dance performance. David has trained at the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive, American Ballet Theater Summer Collegiate Program, Gibney Summer Contemporary Dance Program, and has had the privilege to study abroad for a year in Israel at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. He has performed works by Stefanie Batten Bland, Antonio Brown, Camille A. Brown, Netta Yerushalmy, Ohad Naharin, Noa Zuk, Reggie Wilson, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Noa Wertheim, and Maxine Doyle along with many others. He has also had the special opportunity to perform at the Suzanne Dellal Theatre in Tel Aviv, the Joyce Theatre, and NYU Skirball to name a few. David was an apprentice for Ronald K. Brown has danced for Brian Brooks Moving Company, Visual Artist Carrie Mae Weems, QBC Company, Kyle Marshall, Kinesis Project Dance Theater, the Metropolitan Opera and the award winning immersive show Sleep No More.

JORDAN POPE (Guest Artist) is an Atlanta native, began her professional dance training at Tayo Reed’s International Academy of Dance, later training at Price Performing Arts Center and Tri-Cities High School. She earned her BFA in Dance from Alabama State University and her MFA from the University of Alabama, where her work Uneasy was adjudicated at the American College Dance Association (ACDA). Jordan has performed with Atlanta Dance Connection, founded and directed by Allyne D. Gartrell, and NOTNEBIA Dance Company under the direction of Lindsay Benton. She also had the privilege of dancing at Super Bowl LIII’s Official Tailgate Party. She has worked with esteemed choreographers such as Anthony Burrell, Juel D. Lane, Troy Powell, Janice Rosario, Christopher Huggins, and Kavin T. Grant. Additionally, she attended the Bill T. Jones Summer Intensive on scholarship. Now based in New York City, Jordan is excited to continue growing and evolving as an artist.

ADANNA RAE SMALLS (Guest Artist) of Brooklyn, NY began her dance training at the Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement in New York City. In 2021, she graduated as an Ailey dance major from the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan. She is currently enrolled as a Professional division student in the Certificate Program at the Ailey School and has also trained at Harlem School of the Arts and Steps. Ms.Smalls has worked with choreographers and artists including Clifton Brown, Freddie Moore, Daniel Catnach, Aubrey Lynch, and Natalia Johnson.

SHAYLIN D. WATSON (Dancer) born in Prince George’s County, MD, she is a dedicated dancer and choreographer who found her artistic voice at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts under the inspiring guidance of Charles Augins and Katherine Smith. She earned her BFA in Dance with a focus on choreography and performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2019. During her time there, her choreography was featured at the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, an experience that deeply enriched her artistic journey. Shaylin is proud to be a recipient of the Evidence Dance Workshop Series Beth Young Scholarship. She has performed works by renowned choreographers including Clarice Young, Ronald K. Brown, Donald McKayle, T Lang, Christopher Huggins, Marcus White, and Shen Wei. In 2021, she had the incredible opportunity to assist in setting repertory for EVIDENCE on students at the New Orleans Ballet Association. Since 2019, Shaylin has been an integral part of the Youth Arts Academy in Brooklyn, NY, where she serves on faculty and passionately contributes her expertise. Currently, Shaylin brings her passion for dance to Montclair State University as an adjunct professor while pursuing her MFA in Dance. Since joining Ronald K. Brown EVIDENCE in 2019, she has embraced the power of storytelling through movement, eager to inspire others on and off the stage.

TSUBASA KAMEI (Technical Director / Resident Lighting Designer) has toured with EVIDENCE to more than 65 venues globally and internationally. Credits include: Scene and lighting for Mercy (World Premiere), lighting for Four Corners; Dancing Spirit (Company Premiere); New Conversations: Iron Meets Water (World Premiere), Percussion Bitter Sweet: Tender Warriors (Company Premiere), Serving Nia (Company Premier) for Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE. He has also designed The Call (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) and Where The Light Shines Through (TU Dance), all choreographed by Ronald K. Brown.

PHILADANCO!

CHOREOGRAPHER
PRETTY IS SKIN DEEP, UGLY TO THE BONE - Talley Beatty

The late Mr. Beatty studied with Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham and became a principal dancer with the Katherine Dunham Company at age sixteen. After touring with the Dunham Company for five years and appearing in films such as A Study in Choreography for Camera and Broadway shows such as Cabin in the Sky, Pins and Needles, and Blue Holiday, Mr. Beatty formed his own company and toured throughout Europe, the U.S. and Canada. For his work on Broadway, Beatty was nominated for a 1977 Tony Award as Best Choreographer for Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God. He is considered one of the greatest African American choreographers and his work focuses on the social issues, experiences, and everyday life of African Americans. Mourner’s Bench is an excerpt from Mr. Beatty’s first ballet, Southern Landscapes, which takes a dramatic look at the end of the reconstruction period marked by the end, through destruction, of the thousands of cooperative farms that had been created after the Civil War.

DANCERS BIOS

Janine N. Beckles – Brooklyn, New York
Currently PHILADANCO!’s Associate Artistic Director and Director of Touring & Residency Dance Theatre of Harlem fellowship scholarship awardee and at the Ailey School in NYC. She received a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Sociology from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Janine is a 2018/19 School of American Ballet Teaching Fellow and danced professionally with Dallas Black Dance Theatre. She is a 2021 National Urban League Emerging Leader. Janine is a Board Member for the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers Association, and a 2023 MBA graduate from Southern New Hampshire University with a concentration in Leadership. Janine is also an adjunct professor at Rowan University.

Kaylah Arielle - Baltimore, Maryland
Studied at Baltimore School for the Arts, Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Ailey School and graduated from Spelman College with her B.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography. Kaylah also performed with the Atlanta Dance Connection. She is the Artistic Director of our D3 youth ensemble.

Erin Banks - Atlanta, Georgia
Began training at Eagles Landing Dance Center, then pre-professionally at Anthony Burrell Center for Dance. She continued her training at American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Erin has worked commercially in movies, televised award shows, and on networks. She earned her 2024 BFA from Texas Christian University.

Ankhtra Battle - Newark, New Jersey
Studied Dance Theater of Harlem, Peridance Capezio Center and Manhattan Youth Ballet and the B12 Berlin Workshop Festival in Germany. He is a former D2 company member. Ankhtra is a 2022 B.F.A graduate from The University of the Arts.

Andrew Bryant - Miami, Florida
Began his training at the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre. Received his BFA from Towson University studying works by artists Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Darrell Grand Moultrie. He trained at The Ailey School then transitioned into Ailey ll where he performed works by William Forsythe, Alvin Ailey, and Francessca Harper.

Leslie Bunkley – Atlanta, Georgia
Trained at Price Performing Arts Center, Tri-Cities High School, The Atlanta Ballet and the Metropolitan Dance Theatre. She received her B.F.A in Dance Performance from The University of the Arts performing works by many guest choreographers.

William E. Burden – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Trained at the Creative & Performing Arts H.S., the Rock School of Dance Education and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. He trained with Tap Team Two & Company and was a member with Eleone’ Dance Connection, Dance Theater and Spectrum Dance Theatre. William received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts.

Aliyah Clay – Newark, Delaware
Dance training includes Christina Cultural Arts Center, Dance4Life School of The Arts, Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Program, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and BalletX. A 2022 BFA graduate with a minor in Business from University of the Arts. She has performed works by numerous choreographers including Ulysses Dove and Helen Pickett.

Addison Hill – Los Angeles, California
Joined Edge Performing Arts Center Teen Company at an early age. She has performed works by Ohad Naharin, Jìřì Kylián and others. She was a dance trainee with Zeitgeist Dance Theater later and continued her training at the Ailey School where she performed many major works including Ailey’s Night Creatures.

Israel Hilton– Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Studied multiple dance styles and Musical Theatre at The Dance Centre. He is a BFA graduate from Alabama State University receiving the Ware-Spencer Best Male Ballet Dancer Award and worked with choreographers, Ja’Morris Rivers, James Atkinson, and more.

Raven Joseph – Jamaica, New York
Received her 2023 Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from The Julliard School in New York City. Her professional credentials include performing choreographic works by Jawole Zollar, Francesca Harper and Ohad Naharian to name a few.

Floyd McLean Jr – East Orange, New Jersey
Trained at Sharon Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. He received his BFA from Point Park University then joined the Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s: Encore! Performing works by Rennie Harris, Kate Skarpetowska and others.

Nathan E. McNatt Jr. – Washington, DC.
Received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA with a minor in Music Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology. His professional credentials include Eleone’ Dance Theater and Garth Fagan Dance Company.

L. James O’Gilvie - Boston Massachusetts
Began his dance education with Boston Ballet School’s City Dance Program and at The Ailey School. He received his BFA from University of Hartford and traveled abroad to study Gaga Rep at the Henny Jurriëns Studio in Amsterdam.

Brandi Pinnix – South Brunswick, New Jersey
Trained American Repertory Princeton Ballet School, LINES Ballet training program, the Ailey School, Juilliard School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet X, and Point Park University before joining PHILADANCO as a soloist.

Brena Kashun Thomas - Chicago, Illinois
Started formal training at Chicago High School for the Arts. Brena also studied at Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Ballet Austin, Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Ailey School. Brena is a former performing company member of Ailey Il and performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 2019.

Brittany Wright - Shady Grove, Maryland
Trained at the Olney Ballet Center, Hope Garden Ballet and City Dance. She continued her training. at Towson University, receiving her BFA in dance and performance under professors including Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Catherine Horta-Hayden to name a few.