THE COMPANY

Associate Artistic Director/ Performer

Christine King.  Christine is originally from Michigan and holds a B.A. in dance. She has performed in New York City for over a decade with artists including Claire Porter, Trinket Monsod, Kaleidescope Dancers and Amy Sue Rosen. She has also performed as a vocalist with Ancient Vibrations, Amasong, and as singer/actress with Skeleton Dance Project. Aside from originating and performing many roles with UBW, Christine appeared as an actor in a McGregor/Smith production of Blood Dazzler. She has studied dance with Sara Sugihara, William Adair and Dan Wagner and has studied singing with Diane Barclay, Artie Sheppard, Toshi Reagon and many others. Christine is proud to be a long standing performer with UBW and wishes to thank these artists and many others for their encouragement and love. Christine has been with UBW for over 20 years.

The Dancers

Kanisha Opal Brown. Kanisha Opal Brown, dancer, performer and choreographer, was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and began dancing as a liturgical dancer. She holds a BA in Dance from the University of California, Riverside and an MFA in Performance and Choreography from Florida State University. She has performed with the Gluck Contemporary Touring Ensemble, Phlava Dance Company and Dance Repertory Theatre. She has set works for Instruments of Praise School of Performing Arts, under the direction of Varetta Heidelberg, Sherry Traylor and Dr. Janalyn Glymph. In 1999, Kanisha founded Generation Xpectation Hip-Hop Dance ministry, and served as director and choreographer for 8 years. Kanisha has worked and trained with various artists including Gerri Houlihan, Lynda Davis, Susan Rose, Wendy Rogers, Timothy Glenn, Alan Danielson and A'Keitha Carey. Kanisha joined UBW in 2010.

Marjani Forté. Marjani is a performer, instructor and choreographer and a graduate of Los Angeles High School for the Arts. She earned a degree in business marketing and a second major in dance from Loyola Marymount University. Her early training was with Los Angeles master instructors and choreographers Karen McDonald, Stephen Semien, Ka-Ron Brown-Lehman, ballet master Don Hewitt, and modern dance pioneer Rudy Perez. She later studied at the Ailey School when she moved to New York in 2004. Marjani has worked with Earl Mosely, Garth Fagan, and Nia Love’s Blacksmith’s Daughter. She has premiered works by acclaimed choreographers Blondell Cummings and Camille Brown. Marjani joined UBW in 2006.

Kendra Ross. Kendra is from Detroit, Michigan, and started her dance career as an apprentice of Afro-Cuban folklore dancer Danys ‘La Mora’ Perez. She has a BFA from Ailey/ Fordham University where she danced the works of Sean Curran, Alvin Ailey and Nathan Trice. She has danced as a member of Oyu Oro, Genesis Dance Company, Vissi Dance Theater, and Ase Dance Theater Collective. She was also an apprentice for Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Dance Company and Urban Bush Women’s UBW2, while remaining an active teaching artist in the NYC public schools. Kendra joined UBW in 2010.

Samantha Speis. Samantha is a dancer, performer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated with a B.F.A in dance and choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005. Samantha has performed with Gesel Mason Performance Projects, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Pearson Widrig Dance Theater and Shani Nwando Ikerioha Collins (Eternal Works). Her work has been featured at the Kennedy Center, the American Dance Festival, Dance Bethesda, Long Island University, Joyce SoHo, Hollins University, Danspace Project and Dance Place. Samantha has taught master classes for UBW throughout the U.S. and Germany, and has taught at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Studios, Florida State University and Towson State University. She joined UBW in 2008.

Keisha Turner.  Keisha hails from Chicago and studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a B.F.A in dance. She has studied with Germaine Acogny, Cynthia Oliver, and Gerri Houlihan among others, and has performed with Chicago Dance Crash, Corpo Dance Company, and Margaret Morris Dance. Keisha frequently performs with Inner Child, a collaborative, multi-disciplinary performance trio with creative partners Onome Djere and Margaret Morris. She is honored to be sharing stories of social relevance and cultural celebration as a performer with UBW, which she joined in 2008.

Bennalldra Williams. Bennalldra began her dance training in her home town of Birmingham at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She received a B.F.A in dance and a B.S. in exercise science fitness and nutrition from Florida State University. Bennalldra has worked and trained with many artists including Lynda Davis, Ronald K. Brown, Christopher Huggins, Kevin Jeff, and Alex Ketley to name a few. She has worked with the Alabama Ballet and was a member of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. She has conducted master classes throughout the U.S. and Europe. Bennalldra has been touring with UBW since 2006.

_{Photo credits (all): Crush Boone}