Guest Artist Series

Brandon Victor Dixon - Actor, Singer, Dancer

 

Streaming Link - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86918174471

Brandon Victor Dixon most recently starred as Collins in “RENT: Live” on FOX and as Judas Iscariot in NBC’s "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (Emmy, Grammy, Critics Choice and NAACP Image Award nominations).

On Broadway, he most recently starred as Aaron Burr in HAMILTON.  Previous Broadway credits include: Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along (Tony Award nomination), Berry Gordy in Motown The Musical (Grammy and Drama League Award nominations), and Harpo in The Color Purple (Tony Award nomination). National tour: Simba in The Lion King. Off-Broadway: Rent and The Scottsboro Boys (Lucille Lortel, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Laurence Olivier Award nominations). Television: “POWER,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “One Life to Live,” “The Good Wife,” “Macy’s 4^th of July Fireworks Spectacular,” Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” and Amazon Studios’ “Modern Love.” 

He is the co-founder of Tony Award winning WalkRunFly Productions, and WeAre.org a 501(c)3. 

 Website: https://www.brandonvictordixon.com/

 

FALL 2021 Event Details

All events will occur in our BMHS Theatre with responsible distancing in place. Seating priority in the theatre will be given to BMHS FADE Students & Current Fine Arts Students.  If needed, the event will be streamed into the Mona Center for overflow seating.  The event will also be streamed online for friends, family, and community members to enjoy. 

FADE Students MUST be present (in-person) for it to count for FADE Colloquium attendance.

The Lyric Brass - Brass Quintet  

Formed in 1998, The Lyric Brass Quintet has established itself as an exciting ensemble dedicated to bringing the rich traditions of brass chamber music to new audiences and forging new ground in the area of concert performance.  They craft programs of unique arrangements and original works for brass that connect with concert goers and always provide a memorable experience.

Individually, members have performed with, or been members of, the Baltimore, San Francisco, Harrisburg, Maryland, Acadiana (LA), Memphis, and New World Symphony Orchestras, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the United States Navy Band, Eastman Wind Ensemble, and Darrin Atwater’s Soulful Symphony, among other prominent ensembles.  Together, the ensemble’s debut CD, Daydreams, Desires and Diversions, was released in 2000 to critical acclaim.  Their second album, Christmas Around the World, was released for Christmas 2002 and features unique and powerful arrangements of holiday music from all over the globe.  The most recent recording is entitled Ancient Noëls.  The Lyric Brass were winners of the 2001 Catch the Rising Stars Competition (Fairfax, VA) and, as winners of the 2000 Baltimore Chamber Music Competition, have repeatedly appeared as featured artists at ARTSCAPE (Baltimore’s Festival of the Arts).  The Lyric Brass have held residencies at Carroll Community College and with the American Studio Orchestra.  Ardent supporters of music education, they were featured performers at the 2005 MENC All-Eastern Conference and the Maryland Music Educators Association Conference.

Website: http://www.lyricbrass.com/

 

FALL 2021 Event Details

All events will occur in our BMHS Theatre with responsible distancing in place. Seating priority in the theatre will be given to BMHS FADE Students & Current Fine Arts Students.  If needed, the event will be streamed into the Mona Center for overflow seating.  The event will also be streamed online for friends, family, and community members to enjoy. 

FADE Students MUST be present (in-person) for it to count for FADE Colloquium attendance.

 Jaylyn Faith Malonté Neal - Actor, Dancer, Influencer

This virtual event will feature guest artist Jaylyn Faith Malonté Neal. Jaylyn, a McNamara graduate of 2011, is an actor, dancer, and influencer. 

About the artist: Jaylyn Faith Malonté Neal

Faith Malonte is known for Los Angeles Kidnapping (2017), A Rich Christmas (2021) and TMI Hollywood (2012). Rising actor Faith-Malonte’ starred in Double Cross on the UMC network, and has starred in Je’Caryous Johnson hit stage play Redemption of a Dogg with star actors Snoop Dogg, Demetria McKinney, Omar Gooding and Tamar Braxton, as well as, Set It Off the stage play starring Da Bratt. Coming from Washington, DC to Hollywood with an MFA degree in Acting for Film and BA in Mass Media Productions he has worked on numerous television, commercial, and theatrical productions with credits such as Dreamcatcher, Fences, Hurt Village, Seven Guitars Detours and more. Faith had a special guess appearance on ABC 7 “Let’s talk live.” and has also been on shows like HBO’s Insecure and Ballers, CW’s All-American,The Ricky Smiley Show, SWAT, and Lucifer. Adding to his credits, he’s appeared on the big screen in movies like “A Christmas Blessing, Her Only Choice, When it All Falls” and more including music videos with Kanye West, Wale, YG, Da Baby, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, French Montana, Ty Dollar $ign, and Meagan the Stallion. Faith-Malonté is also a stand-up comic who is hilarious in the romantic comedy Picture Perfect, which premiered at Warner Bro’s Studios along with a film drama he wrote, produced and starred in called Heartbeat.

FADE Senior Showcase

Senior FADE students and their 2 guests will be able to attend this live performance.  For everyone else, it will be a virtual event.

Senior Showcase VIRTUAL LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83116511913

Click here: 2022 FADE Senior Showcase Program

This  presentation will feature our current senior members of the FADE Program as they showcase their primary focus in the arts. This is a wonderful evening to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and talent of our senior class. Enjoy a wonderful evening of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre.  

JaLeesa Short, Disney Dancer

About the artist:  JaLeesa Short, Disney Dancer

A Maryland native, JaLeesa grew up having a great love for dance and Disney. She pursued an education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Dance. During her senior year, she was hired to be a “Disney Pro Dancer” for the ABC 6 and IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade and it was at this moment she realized she could professionally combine her two passions: dance and Disney. JaLeesa auditioned for and accepted a role as a Character Performer/Featured Dancer for Disney Cruise Line. After sailing for two years aboard the Disney Wonder and Disney Fantasy JaLeesa’s love for the company led her to the Walt Disney World Resort where she joined the Entertainment family as a full time Character Performer, performing in Shows and Parades across property. In addition to multiple trainer and facilitator roles within Entertainment, JaLeesa furthered her passion for the magic and Disney heritage as a 2017 Traditions Assistant.  Her enthusiasm for education and the arts led her to roles as a Guest Talent Coordinator with Disney Performing Arts and a Facilitator with the Youth Education Series and she gained a broader understanding of the business side of entertainment as an Entertainment Front Desk Administrative Coordinator. Upon reopening the parks after the 2020 closure, JaLeesa was part of the opening Cast creating and delivering a never before seen, new style of entertainment offerings for our Guests. JaLeesa most recently became a Guest Experience Manager at Hollywood Studios where she manages performers from the Entertainment Base. JaLeesa is honored to represent the Cast Members of the Walt Disney World Resort during “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” and carry on the legacy and heritage of the Walt Disney Company.

 

Cheryl Foster, Visual Artist

About the artist:  CHERYL FOSTER, VISUAL ARTIST

Shortly after birth, art chose to be Cheryl Foster’s close and constant companion and has always been by her side, providing comfort and distraction. She is a multimedia, visual artist whose large-scale public art can be seen in exterior and interior environments across the country. Her materials range from sparkling, stained glass to soft oil paintings and the subject matter always involves everyday people doing everyday things. Imagination and flexibility serve her well as an artist and arts educator and she can be found knee deep in color in classrooms throughout the nation serving as an” artist in residence”.

 Karla Garcia - Dancer & Choreographer

Originally from Oxon Hill, Maryland, Karla Garcia made her Broadway debut at age twenty in Hot Feet, a dance musical directed by Maurice Hines. Garcia went on to perform in the national tours of Wicked and Addams Family followed by other Broadway performances such as West Side Story, Gigi, and Hamilton: An American Musical. Karla made history as the first Filipina cast member in Broadway's Hamilton.

She was a top 7 female television finalist on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance Season 5, and a principal dancer for 9 episodes of NBC's Smash, Season 2. Garcia was one of six 'Broadway Bound choreographers' selected to present at 2018 Dance Break Showcase. She is currently a choreographer of a brand new show Other World, written by Hunter Bell,  Jeffrey Bowen, and Ann McNamee. Karla is also the Associate Choreographer for an upcoming Broadway show Days of Wine and Roses. She has presented work for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for numerous years and is the theater faculty at Broadway Dance Center.

 Website: https://www.karlagarciadance.com/

John Donato - Fine Artist & Muralist 

John Donato is an accomplished and celebrated American fine artist and muralist. John is best recognized for creating large-scale community murals and widely collected whimsical works of fine art on canvas and wood. Whichever size or material, John's creations are uniquely styled, fun, engaging and inspiring. 

John's art is often described as having "smile impact" - irresistible compositions that capture attention, induce smiles, and nudge observers towards a more joyful mindset. 

John works on communities, schools, non-profits, and businesses. A well-known community collaborator, John develops and facilitates large and small art projects which help communities, children, teachers and administrators reinforce educational and social goals. The programs offer community, employee, or student participation and transform interior and exterior into stunning public artwork. 

Donato's ability to transform spaces into inspirational and uplifting learning environments is having a measurable positive effect on the communities ans schools that host him. The style and process has resulted in common response from students, teachers, community members, and the public; describing persistent gravity pulling them into the artwork each time they see it and continuing to influent and challenge them to advance their own perspective and awareness. 

Website: https://www.artsmack.com/

Stacey & Teddy Newton - Production and Animation

Stacey Newton, a creative film producer, specializes in story development, animation process, and pipeline management. During her 12 years at the Pixar Animation Studios her love for story grew. There, she worked with the development team on Ratatouille, Wall-E, Inside out, and Finding Dory. Her strength is bridging the ambiguity of the creative process with the reality of production deadlines. She helps storytellers get unstuck while inspiring authenticity in their work.

Over the last fours years her feature development partners include, Andrew Stanton, Glen Keane Productions, and Teddy Newton.  Stacey also develops and consults for many clients ranging from TV, to video game, to AR projects. Stacey recently produced the Academy Award winning animated short film, Hair Love. She is presently, developing Rich Moore’s next animated feature at Sony Pictures Animation.

Teddy Newton’s unique sense of humor mixed with his ability to whip out characters with only a few strokes of a pen, gave rise to his career in the animation field.

Teddy has contributed as a designer and story artist to many of the top animated films in the industry, including: The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Incredibles 2, as well as many Pixar short films, such as, Presto, Jack-Jack Attack, Your Friend the Rat, Partly Cloudy, and Day & Night, which he also wrote and directed. The film played theatrically with Toy Story 3 and was nominated for an Academy Award. It won both a VES and an ANNIE award for outstanding short film of 2010. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two kids, making art and developing animated projects. 

Zola Williams - Dancer & Actor

Zola Williams is originally from Bowie, Maryland, where she started dance at age 5. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, Zola remained a competitive dancer, competing at multiple regional and national dance competitions, winning many titles. 

After graduating from high school, Zola matriculated to Towson University in Maryland. A year later, she transferred to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she received her BFA in dance performance, specializing in Ballet.

Soon after graduating college, Zola joined the Las Vegas company of The Lion King. For two and a half years she graced the stage with this company. After the show closed, Zola toured on-and-off with The Lion King, eventually becoming Dance Captain. 

Zola then made the move to Los Angeles, where she had the pleasure of working with many great choreographer's such as Stacey Tookey and Peter Chu for Season 10 & 12 of So You Think You Can Dance? She danced for the princess of Dubai's Royal Wedding, Art on Ice, Shia LaBeouf Live and more. Zola also has made a few videos with her dance partner, DJ Smart Jr, one of which has over 4 million views! 

You can also find Zola in Marvel's Black Panther and Avengers:Infinity War as Dora Milaje, and the opening sequence in Ted 2. Keep your eyes open, because you will definitely continue to see Zola on the small and big screen!

FADE Senior Showcase

This event virtual presentation will feature our current senior members of the FADE Program as they showcase their primary focus in the arts. This is a wonderful evening to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and talent of our senior class. Enjoy a wonderful evening of Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre.  Virtual Presentation will be shared at a date to be determined on the Guest Artists Page.

The String Queens - Music Trio

Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine!

With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age and into today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that transport audiences through time and a multitude of musical genres.

Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ members have been featured in famed performance venues across four continents including: Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Howard Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, The Moscow Conservatory, and Blues Alley, to name a few.

TSQ members have collaborated with artists throughout the music industry, including Ledisi, Solange, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Common,  Andra Day, and the late Aretha Franklin, among others.  As chamber and orchestral musicians, TSQ members have performed under the batons of legendary musical directors Ray Chew, Adam Blackstone, and many more.    

Recognized by D.C.’s leading news network WUSA9 as “school teachers by day and concert performers by night”, TSQ is excited to launch a series of concerts and education outreach programs with Washington Performing Arts as the 2019-2020 Ensemble-in-Residence for their signature community engagement initiative titled “Mars Arts D.C.”. 

In late 2019, TSQ premiered their debut album at legendary jazz venue Blues Alley. The album is now available for purchase on the TSQ website and all major digital outlets. Additional information about their debut album can be found here.

RHYTHmaya Dance 

September, 2019

Our Managing Director, Sheila Oak Maggin, will be providing an interactive dance presentation about India and its celebratory culture highlighting music and dance. We will do a brief introduction of India explaining how each different region varies with languages therefore the dances also vary. We perform and compare each form.  We will also engage the audience to teach actual steps so everyone has an opportunity to dance!

Sheila Oak Maggin, is a classical trained dancer in the Northern Indian Classical form of Kathak which dates back to 500 BCE. She was the first noted dancer to complete her formal graduation on the entire East Coast of this unique dance form in 2002.  Sheila is also a noted Bollywood, Middle Eastern, and Hip Hop trained dancer and received her minor in dance from George Mason University. She currently is a finance professional and also manages all 150 students in the Kathak and MD Bollywood branches of Rhythmaya.  www.rhythmaya.com

Casey Kaleba - Stage Combat Choreography 

October 2019

Casey Kaleba has coordinated violence for opera, television, music videos, and more than 500 productions with professional, community, and academic theatres. That work includes arranging fights at the Guthrie Theatre, Spoleto Festival USA , Ford's Theatre, Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Wolf Trap Opera, and Olney Theatre Center.  Casey has staged fights for knights, musketeers, princesses, zombies, wolves, pirates, ninjas, and at least one alien tentacle.  Recently he has served as the audition choreographer for Marvel Universe Live and worked for several years smashing things with swords on the YouTube show Men At Arms: Reforged.
www.toothandclawcombat.com 
Tweet me @ToothClawCombat

BRAHIM! Band - featuring Tyrone Allen (BMHS Class of 2013)

January, 2020

Formed in Rochester, NY, BRAHIM! is a fusion octet. The music includes as much improvisation as composition, not limited to vocals,  DJing, horns, rapping, and or the band’s two drummers. Abe Nouri fronts the band while singing, playing trombone, and the occasional synthesizer. BMHS alumni Tyrone Allen plays bass, synthesizer and contributes compositions to the band. After graduating from BMHS, Tyrone went to Eastman School of Music where he met most of the members of the band.
Tyrone graduated from BMHS in 2013, and went on to study classical and jazz bass at Eastman. From there he received his Masters degree from the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Tyrone now resides in Brooklyn, NY where he is a full-time musician. 

Cindy Berry Sullivan - Artist

January, 2020 

There is an energy I hope to convey in my paintings and drawings that I imagine is similar to the energy musicians hope to convey to their listeners.  Much of my work is created with a soundtrack for the piece as inspiration.

Each painting is begun with an urge to physically interpret the visual and the emotional through the materiality of oil paint. Each mark on the canvas, whether controlled or accidental, is met with a countermove based on the outcome.

Though born with a hand tremor I have learned to use my hand movement FOR me to support my expressive style and intuitive use of color. I hope the work "moves" you!  

www.cindyberrysullivan.com

FADE Senior Showcase

This event featured our senior members of the FADE Program, as they showcase their primary focus in the arts. This is a wonderful evening to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and talent of our senior class. 

Alisha Peek - Alvin Ailey II & BMHS Alum

February, 2020

Alisha Rena Peek '14 of Upper Marlboro, Maryland is a graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. She began her formal dance training at the Washington School of Ballet and later went on to train at Dance Theatre of Harlem Kennedy Center Residency, Kirov Ballet Academy, and The Art of Technique with Troy D. Brown.

As a scholarship student, Ms. Peek attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and The Ailey School. She also appeared in the new FX series Pose and has worked with choreographers such as Robert Battle, Uri Sands, Marcus Jarrell Willis, Bradley Shelver, and Darshan Bhuller. This is Ms. Peek’s second season with Ailey II.

Since Alisha has left Bishop McNamara she has not only been touring with Ailey II, but she has been giving back to her community by teaching workshops when she is home. Her mission is to inspire the next generation of dancers to shoot for the stars, because anything is possible.