Faculty and Staff
Program Director
Email: john.deamond@montgomerycollege.edu
Phone: 240-567-5188
Office Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, CF 134
Biography
John Deamond is dedicated to the idea that the arts are for everyone. He seeks to provide avenues into the arts, whether for personal practice or a career. His artwork manifests as photography, digital art, sculpture, and installation. John holds an MFA in photography from Parsons School of Design, and a BA in art & art history with a minor in theater from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. John’s work has been shown in galleries and museums in over a dozen states and Canada. He is a winner of the 2013 New York Photo Awards, the 2107 Maryland Individual Artist Awards for sculpture, and received an honorable mention in the 2014 International Photography awards. In his non-professional arts life, John plays music, builds furniture, and sews. He is a hopeless painter and dancer.
Instructors
Biography
Christina Arellano is a professional video editor and producer. She has been teaching Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects for the past 4 years as a part-time instructor in the Community Arts Department. Her background in video production spans over 10 years with experience covering pre-production to post-production. She has worked on various projects for broadcast including television shows airing on the History Channel and the DiY Channel. Currently, she is the Senior Editor for a PR agency producing content for both internal and external communications. Christina loves the mastery of visual storytelling and hopes to share that same passion with her students.
Biography
Iranian artist Phaedra Askarinam was born and raised in Tehran. She remembers sitting down as a young girl to sew outfits for her dolls. She grew up loving the arts. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in psychology and fine arts. She holds an MFA from American University and resides in Bethesda, Maryland.
Ms. Askarinam experienced powerlessness as a girl and as a young woman and also, being Jewish, as a religious minority. She speaks out with her voice and via her art since she now resides in a nation where she can do so without restriction. She produces work that aims to give all individuals inclusion and self-worth. Recently she has been focusing on the issue of human rights in Iran, in particular, the rights of women. The ideals of freedom and inclusion are central in her values and fuel her art.
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Educational Background
MFA Studio Art, American University
Biography
Yorkshire metalsmith Nick Grant Barnes and his wife Diane; two brilliant heir apparent,
a couple of cats & Bethany the pup have made their home & workspace in Maryland, USA
since 1995.
Through teaching & creating one off commissions for customers & exhibitions, he has
developed his style working with a myriad of mediums from precious metals; plastics;
woods & not too precious materials that are fun to play with.
His work has been collected & exhibited internationally, as well as featured in numerous
publications.
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Biography
I have been working with glass for nearly 10 years now. I started out as a hobbyist and recently transitioned into a full-time artist. Primarily, I work in fused glass (glass that is melted in a kiln), although I still work with stained glass on a regular basis. I am proficient in both forms of stained glass: the leaded stained-glass method and the copper foil stained-glass method (invented by Tiffany). I often include fused glass pieces in my stained-glass panels. I also do repairs on existing stained-glass panels. I hold teaching positions at local colleges as well.
Instagram: @glass_by_dave
Biography
A native of Taiwan, Dr. Hanyin Chen won top prizes in various young artist competitions and appeared in solo concerts and with orchestras. Her musical training continued at the prestigious Indiana University School of Music. At Indiana she was a featured soloist in the Mozart Festival. She graduated, with a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Piano Performance. In addition to a Doctorate in Piano Performance, she holds a master’s degree in computer science.
As a teacher she has over 20 years of one-on-one group teaching experience. She has taught in various music schools and colleges and has served on the piano faculty of the 蘑菇视频 since 2010. As a passionate performer, she has been a Solo Performance Member of the venerated Friday Morning Music Club since 2004. Performing extensively in solo recitals and in FMMC concert series, both as solo pianist and in chamber groups, she recently performed J.S. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations.
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Biography
STEVE CHURCHILL graduated summa cum laud from The Catholic University of America and received his Masters degree in oboe in 1993. He has played oboe, saxophone, clarinet and flute in the Kennedy Center Opera House and Show Orchestras, The National Theater Orchestra, national tours of Broadway musicals, and network television shows, performing with artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Nat Adderly, Charlie Daniels, Marvin Hamlisch, Loretta Lynn, Steve Lawrence, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Mathis, Sam Moore, Kenny Rogers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, and the Bolshoi Ballet. He has played principal oboe in the Maryland Symphony and at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. He currently performs with the Chesapeake Saxophone Ensemble, a “supersax” group specializing in the bebop jazz of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
In addition, he has taught at Catholic University and Howard County Community College and has been on the faculty at 蘑菇视频 for the past 30 years.
Biography
Alice’s classes at 蘑菇视频, Art in DC and Art Collecting, aim to increase accessibility through field trips and firsthand meetings with art professionals. In addition to teaching, she is a practicing artist, with an MFA in Painting and Drawing from UCLA. From 2016 to 2020, she was a regular contributor to the magazine DC Modern Luxury, writing about art exhibitions across the city. Previously, she was a Gallery Educator at the Getty Center, engaging visitors with the museum's collection through interactive courses and tours.
Biography
Dr. Ronald Collé is an internationally recognized research scientist in radiochemistry and nuclear chemistry with over 130 research publications in science journals, and has worked at a national laboratory for over 40 years. He has taught mathematics in both private schools and universities, and has tutored students for many years. He has studied, been an aficionado, and a collector of art throughout his adult life. His background and interests make him an ideal candidate to teach ADS 423, Mathematics in Art and Design, a unique course that he developed and teaches.A brief biography can be found in a new window.
A more complete science profile can be found at new window.
Biography
Wendy Daniels is a visual artist trained in Fine Arts at Howard University and the University of Maryland – College Park. She works in watercolor acrylics, pen/ink, mixed-media collage, lost wax jewelry, and sculpting one-of-a-kind figurative images. She has conducted graduate research in Art History and Art Education. Her concentration was on the Artists of the Harlem Renaissance and Mural and Printmaking Divisions of the federal Works Progress Administration.
Ms. Daniels’ career was as a Creative Art Director in graphic design and the print production industries. Over the last three decades, she has devoted herself to artwork and teaching art. She has had the opportunity to provide instruction to specific populations: cancer patients; medical staff; Deaf and Dyslexic individuals. Currently, she teaches courses in watercolor, aqueous media collage and drawing at 蘑菇视频.
Ms. Daniels was on a panel discussion of Doll-makers in October 2019 at the Annual
American Folklore Society.
Biography
Lucy is the Coordinator of the Jewelry and Metalsmithing/Crafts Area at Montgomery
College (MC), Rockville. Additionally she is the advisor to the MC club, Student Art
League. Lucy is also a board member of the non-profit organization Ethical Metalsmiths
(EM), acting as facilitator to multiple chapters of EM Students around the world.
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Biography
Native Washingtonian Naima began sewing in middle school. Although she didn’t like it at first, she took another class in high school and fell in love with the craft. She studied Fashion Merchandising before switching her focus to Communications, but she never lost her passion for fashion.She created her business, Fearless Threads, in 2011 and began teaching sewing in 2021. She has taught sewing to everyone from ages 8-80. Sharing this gift with others is one of her greatest passions. Her classroom motto is “It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you don’t know how yet,” as she believes everyone who wants to learn to sew can.
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Biography
Leland Edgecombe has been teaching as a part-time instructor on the music faculty
at 蘑菇视频 since 2011. Mr. Edgecombe joined the department as a guitar
instructor who came from the Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz (Washington, D.C.).
At MC, Instructor Edgecombe teaches several courses to include music appreciation
and class guitar. He has also created various workforce development, continuing education
music courses to include American folk-life guitar studies, and music production business
and technologies.
Since his arrival at MC, Instructor Edgecombe has been the recipient of the 2015-2016
Smithsonian Institute Faculty Fellowship Award through the Paul Peck Institute for
Humanities where his work primarily focused on jazz studies education, and African
American history and literature.? Instructor Edgecombe is a graduate of the Master
Guitarist curriculum from the Berklee College of Music’s Professional Studies Program
in Boston, MA,; and holds a Master’s Degree in Urban History and Planning from the
University of Pennsylvania’s School of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA.
Biography
Greta Ehrig holds an MFA in Creative Writing and BA’s in Visual Arts and Psychology. A lifelong artist, she began teaching piano and other arts while in elementary school. It wasn’t until 2000, however – when folk icon Tom Paxton called her work “Really terrific!” – that she began performing her original music out. Since that time, Ehrig has graced stages from the Baltimore Book Festival to the Boulder Museum of Art. She’s won numerous awards and taught over a thousand students, of all ages. Ehrig is particularly interested in the ways that an artist’s vulnerability and authenticity can change lives.
Here she is solo and “live”: 
Biography
Betsy Garcete holds a Master's in Business Management from the Catholic University of America.She founded ZOPHIA, a custom clothing business for women in Washington, D.C., following her graduation in 2010.
With a diverse background spanning various sectors, Betsy has experience in managing operations, design, and teaching art.
She is particularly passionate about promoting women in business, sustainable fashion practices, and the principles of design thinking. Now, she brings her expertise to the classroom, teaching the innovative processes of design thinking.
zophiaonline.com
Biography
As a multi-instrumentalist, Rockville native Scott Giambusso has been a member of the 蘑菇视频 Adjunct Jazz Faculty since 1999, teaching advanced bass and beginning and intermediate guitar classes. He has performed as a sideman and leader in the Washington area since the late 60’s on guitar, bass (electric and upright), tuba and ukulele and vocals, playing as many as 240 gigs yearly. Although the pandemic has temporarily ended his playing career, he has mastered the ability to teach clearly and is always willing to share his knowledge of music.
Biography
Angela, originally from Pittsburgh, is a life-long dancer and a master instructor. She trained in the Cecchetti Style of Ballet. Interested in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian dance she traveled to Cuba, and Brazil studying the folkloric dances. Angela has taught at the U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Naval Intelligence, DC Dance Collective, Flow Yoga Center, George Mason University, and George Washington University. She has performed at Fiesta Latina at the White House for President Obama. She lectures and choreographs on stories of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban dance. She applies traditional and folkloric techniques, and her experiences to her instruction of Ballet, Modern, Fosse and Luigi-styles of Jazz. Angela encourages her dancers to understand the cultural context of their dance style to reach a higher quality of movement and to connect with the experiences that originated the dance technique they are bringing to life.
Biography
Dr. Youngik Jang is an award-winning multi-faceted guitarist, educator, and composer in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C, who has been globally performing as a soloist and chamber musician, along with many international award achievements, notably the first prizes at the Seoul Baroque Competition and small ensemble division at Guitar Foundation of America, and second prize at Edwin H. & Leigh W. Schadt String Competition, along with his composition premier for the electric guitar at Peabody Institute and industrial experiences in K-pop and film scoring in South Korea. Youngik received the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at Peabody Institute and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Shenandoah University under the tutelage of Julian Gray.Youngik is currently active in the emphases of performance, composition, and education as a Professor of Music at 蘑菇视频.
Biography
Mark is a theatre director and teacher based out of the DC area. Since moving to the DC area, he has worked with The Source Festival, Molotov Theatre Group, Peter’s Alley Theatre and Adventure Theatre MTC. He was nominated for Best Director of a Professional Production by Broadway World DC.
Mark earned an MFA in Directing from Indiana University. While in graduate school, he directed/worked with Indiana Repertory Theatre, The Jewish Theatre of Bloomington and Bloomington Playwrights Project. Prior to graduate school, he acted and directed in Chicago for nine years. He was fortunate to direct sketch comedy at Second City Chicago.
Mark has taught theatre, fine and performing arts and public speaking at Carrol Community
College, Community College of Baltimore County and 蘑菇视频. As an assistant
editor, he helped put together Scenes and Monologues from Steinberg/ATCA New Play
Award Finalists, 2008-2012.
Biography
Maryland-based multidisciplinary artist Racquel Keller is inspired by a love of nature
and vintage ephemera. She is a storyteller whose work—primarily painting, collage,
and assemblage—focuses on the passage of time, its effect on memories, and the resulting
sense of nostalgia. Racquel earned her B.S. in Graphic Design, with a concentration
in Fine Arts, from The American University, and also holds a Certificate of Leadership
Coaching from Georgetown University.
She actively exhibits her work and it can be found in numerous private collections
throughout the US as well as internationally.
Website: 
Biography
Wanjin Kim grew up in Seoul, Korea and moved to the US in 1993 to pursue an art career. She began her studies in English and Art at 蘑菇视频, eventually completing a BFA degree at the Pratt Institute and an MFA degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Her works examine the latent beauty of the natural world that surrounds daily life. Over the past two decades, Wanjin has exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions.
Currently, she teaches Jewelry Making, Crafts classes, and Drawing at 蘑菇视频.
Biography
Alexis Leder has been creating all types of art for her entire life and is trained as an actress, singer, writer, and visual artist. Her main passion lies in uniting art with musical theatre. An experienced children’s book illustrator, Alexis currently serves as the art director at a small publishing company. Alexis earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at American University. She lives with her family near Washington, D.C.new window
Biography
Natacha Lo was born and raised in Taiwan. Under the influence of her father, she
started lessons with several masters practicing Hua-Niao (Flowers-Birds), Shan-Shui
(Landscape) and Chinese Calligraphy. In her early days, Natacha specialized in Hua-Niao.
After moving to Maryland, she taught in a local Chinese school for 16 years. Natacha
served as executive director of Harmonious Art Group—a local Chinese art club—and
has been invited by several organizations to perform live demos and seminars.
Biography
I was born and raised in Jamaica where I took an interest in photography; I saw a print being made in a developer tray and I was hooked. At around 19, I moved to NYC where I bought my first camera and proceeded to shoot everything; I studied at the NY Institute of Photography. I have a degree in Journalism from Howard University and an Associate’s degree in photo editing from the International Photo College. I was manager of photo and imaging at Washington National Cathedral. I have taught photography at the Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts and Digital Photo Academy. For the past 8 years, I have been adjunct professor of photography at 蘑菇视频. I was a member of the board of the American Society of Media Photographers, DC Chapter. When I'm not making photos, or teaching, more than likely I'm playing my bass.
Biography
Gizelle’s love for dance directed her path to the ballroom dance arena 10 years ago,
where she managed a top ballroom dance studio and became a DVIDA certified instructor.
She participated in numerous ballroom competitions and showcases and won 1st place
in the Solo Exhibition category to her and partner’s rendition of Smooth Criminal
by Michael Jackson. She continued pursuing her love for performing by joining the
ProAm Dance Team USA performing Latin inspired numbers during halftime at NBA/WNBA
games. Gizelle has taught at social and corporate functions, for group and private
instruction, and choreographed first dances for wedding couples.
Biography
Karen Middleton began quilting in 2014, following her return from a deployment to Afghanistan. Faced with the challenges of reintegrating into American society, combined with significant economic challenges as a lower-ranked enlisted individual, quilting became a therapeutic outlet that quickly evolved into creative expression. With a Master’s in Textiles from NC State and a B.A. in Anthropology from UMD, she merges anthropological insight with her experiences as an OEF Veteran.
Beyond the utilitarian aspects of quilting, Karen explores narratives surrounding mental health, escapism, and social connection in her work. She often blends modern and traditional quilting techniques from various cultures, while integrating anthropological insights into her artistic process, to create narratives highlighting the storytelling potential of textiles and adding layers of meaning to each piece. Dedicated to advancing textile arts, she regularly exhibits around the DMV, and is a member of both SAQA and the Annapolis Quilt Guild.
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IG: @kmiddletonartquilting
Educational Background
- MA Textiles, North Carolina State University
- BA Anthropology, University of Maryland
Artworks
Biography
Biljana "B" Milenkovic is an accomplished multi-media professional with more than two decades of experience. Professor "B" teaches Intro to Television Production and several Community Arts classes, including Smartphone Video Production and Personal Digital Archiving, at 蘑菇视频, her alma mater.
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Biography
Rissa Miller is a multi-disciplinary artist, art historian and chef. She holds graduate degrees in studio arts, art history, and a diploma in culinary arts. Her drawings, paintings and ceramic sculptures have been exhibited in multiple galleries in the U.S. and Italy, and speak to intuitive processes and peripatetic states. Her research on the intersection of folk art and food culture will be published in the upcoming East-West Cultural Passage Journal, 2021. Passionate about both teaching and Mediterranean culture, Rissa runs art, art appreciation, and writing workshop retreats every summer in the Roman countryside.
Biography
Tirazheh Mofid (she/her) is an Iranian-American artist and emerging art therapist whose work bridges
visual arts, somatic healing, and cultural storytelling. She holds a BFA from Virginia
Commonwealth University and is currently pursuing graduate studies in psychology and
art therapy. Rooted in her Persian heritage and trauma-informed practice, Tirazheh
emphasizes process-based art as a tool for connection and emotional resilience. Outside
the classroom, she actively contributes to the DMV’s underground nightlife scene through
live painting, body art, vending, and event curation, using art to foster community,
joy, and cultural expression.
Biography
Artist Clare Nicholls is a weaver, lace maker, and poet exploring textiles as texts. She writes poems in dream-like fragments, and embraces textiles as evocative holders of cultural memory. Layering handmade lace with silk painting, her work speaks concurrently about surface, image, and object as a complex and entangled whole. Clare’s fiber objects and images are grounded in personal research in witchcraft and somatic traditions, with emphasis on experimental poetry, mythology, and oral histories.Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, she earned an MFA in Fiber & Materials Studies at Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2022. Previously, she obtained a BA in Art and Art History from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2010, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate from MICA in 2013. Her work has been exhibited nationally, most recently at Axis Gallery in Sacramento, CA. She lives and works between Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.
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Biography
Daniel Paredez is Furia Flamenca Dance Company’s assistant director, lead male dancer, and soloist. He teaches at 蘑菇视频, Seber Dance Academy, and Maryland Youth Ballet. He has performed in the US, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua, including at the Kennedy Center and with Washington National Opera. Daniel is also experienced in ballet, modern, and aerial dance.new window
Biography
Carrie Rennolds teaches illustration and graphic design, and is the creator of the Fake New Yorker; an unedifying parody publication which explores problems and failures in modern society. She has a degree from Lawrence University in Printmaking, and an M.F.A. from UMBC in Imaging and Digital Art, and loves bad ideas.
Website:
Biography
Andrés Felipe Roa (he/him) is a queer, Colombian-American, DC-based actor, director, and educator. A classically-trained actor (MFA, University of Houston’s Professional Training Program), Andrés has worked regionally and will make his DC-theatre debut this fall in We Happy Few’s “La Llorona.”
Website:
Biography
Elaine Robnett Moore is a fifth-generation artist, acclaimed jewelry designer, writer, international consultant, and master teacher to creative makers. She is the author of three books, including The Art of Bead Stringing: Artist to Entrepreneur. She serves on the board of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (Maryland). Elaine is a Fulbright Specialist.new window
Biography
Alzira Lena Ruano teaches Photography and Adobe CC Software at 蘑菇视频. She was born in Washington, DC, and raised in Montgomery County, MD. Ruano is an alum of the Visual Art Center program at the Albert Einstein High School. She began attending 蘑菇视频 at Rockville and Takoma Park Campuses upon graduating high school. Where she explores multiple media, concentrating on Printmaking. Ruano continued her studies at Art Center College of Design, shifting her media focus to moving image, primarily video. Ruano transitioned to a primarliy still photographic practice while earning an MFA at the University of California, Irvine.Ruano is a multimedia artist, scholar, and educator. Her practice revolves around topics of gender, body image, heritage, relationship dynamics, memory, class structures, and domesticity.
Biography
Originally from Frederick, MD, Molly studied fine art at James Madison University
where she graduated with a BFA concentration in Metals and Jewelry. Molly began working
at the Baltimore Jewelry Center as a Youth Instructor for the After School Program.
She now supervises multiple youth programs, teaches classes, and responds to calls
for commissioned pieces of jewelry. Working closely with kids and teens helps to remind
her of why she wanted to be in this field - the simple thought that jewelry is fun
(fun to design, fun to make, and fun to wear). In her production work she relies heavily
on shape and color. Her new line of work looks at the social phenomenon that is reality
TV and the hold it has on her generation. For most of her teen years and adult life,
Molly has been a consumer of reality programming. Her love of the genre has pushed
her to look deeper into the content and its success among a specific generation.
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Biography
Rebecca is a freelance illustrator of children's books, young adult book covers, and magazine stories. She also does product packaging illustration, character design for games, and concept art for films. Her clients range from large publishers to self-published authors. She enjoys bringing all sorts of stories into visual life, and has a special interest in folk tales and just plain loves to draw!
Rebecca primarily paints traditionally in mixed media. She received her BFA and MFA in Illustration from the Hartford Art School. Rebecca teaches classes in illustration and drawing at 蘑菇视频 and at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, VA. She is a regular guest speaker at colleges and art guilds.
Her clients include Penguin Random House, Spider Magazine, Highlights Magazine, Cengage Learning, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Locomotion Press, Herald Press, and Columbia University.
Biography
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Katja Toporski is a jewelry maker, professor, curator,
and writer with a MFA from Towson University. With her work she aims to investigate
the limits of our understanding of the visual world, using a metaphysical approach
to the question of knowledge. It has been shown in numerous exhibitions across the
US as well as internationally and has been honored with a number of awards, most recently
for her work in the Gioielli in Fermento exhibition in Piacenza, Italy, by the Italian
Association for Contemporary Jewelry. She teaches jewelry related classes and workshops
in the Washington/ Baltimore area and lives just outside Washington DC.
Biography
Holly Trout’s studio practice focuses on sculpture and drawing. Her work has been exhibited at Arlington Arts Center (Arlington, VA), Stable Arts (Washington, DC), and Target Gallery (Alexandria, VA). Holly attended an artist residency at Vermont Studio Center in 2018 and has been published in ArtMaze Magazine. She received her MFA from American University (2018) and BA from Mount Holyoke College.
Website: 
Biography
Jerry Truong is an interdisciplinary artist, whose work deals with history and memory as they relate to the exercise of power and the residuals of trauma. Truong received his M.F.A. in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. His work has been shown at venues such as the Arlington Art Center (VA), American University Museum (DC), and CUE Foundation (NY). He participated in a fellowship at Hamiltonian Artists from 2012-14. He was also a former member of the Sparkplug Collective at the DC Arts Center, where he currently serves as Program Manager.
www.jerrytruong.com
Biography
Wanda trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, earned a BFA in Theatre Arts from Howard University, a MS in Business Management, and in 2022, an EdD in Leadership for Change. She has performed professionally at the Olney Theatre Center, the Arena Stage and the Round House Theatre. She was a judge for the NAACP Actso competitions for two years and presenter at the University of Maryland Black Theatre Symposium on the state of Black Theatre in America.She is a founding and current Board member of the Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring, Inc. and the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., and is currently on the Advisory Board. Wanda was employed at Discovery Communications, Inc. for 15 years as a Director/Editor. Wanda and her husband, Arthur Seaman owned and operated the Bonifant Theatre Space in Silver Spring, MD.
Biography
Baakari Wilder is internationally known for starring in the Broadway musical Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk. He received a Bessie Award for his performance, and later assumed the lead role for a year. He has also received the Pola Nirenska Award for achievement in dance. Baakari's dancing has delighted audiences around the world in places such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, France, Africa, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Russia. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from the University of Maryland at College Park. He shares his knowledge of tap dancing through his role as assistant artistic director of the Washington D.C. based company Capitol Tap. He recently directed a weekly production entitled the”Essential Jazz and Hoofers House.”