HSA Dance Department Faculty

Dance Department: Faculty

Marcela Alvarez received her B.F.A. in Dance Performance from the State University of New York at Purchase College where in addition to professional dance training, she took classes in dance history, music theory, dance production, lighting design, choreography and improvisation. Prior to that, she graduated from LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and received professional ballet training from the Joffrey Ballet School. Upon her college graduation, Ms. Alvarez joined Verb Ballets in Cleveland, Ohio, where she performed repertory that included works by Antony Tudor, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, David Parson and Sean Curran. While a company member with Verb Ballets, Ms. Alvarez actively engaged in outreach activities for schoolchildren and seniors. She was an adjunct faculty member at Lakeland Community College where she taught various dance techniques and a dance history course. She was also on faculty at Emjaez Dance Studio where she taught ballet, pointe, jazz, tap and modern to a wide range of age groups. Currently, Ms. Alvarez teaches the Kinderdance and Kindergym curriculum to children ages 2 to 10. She teaches Dance I and Ballet IB at HSA and is an alternate teacher for Ballet 1, Ballet IA, Modern 1 and Modern 1A.

Mouminatou Camara founded Seewe African Dance Company, for which she is Artistic Director and choreographer, in September 2005, and is praised as the pre-eminent female instructor of Guinea dance in the United States. She was the principal dancer for 20 years at the world renowned Les Ballets Africains. She also performed with Ballet Djoliba and the Ballet de L’Armee. Both an instructor and performer of West African Dance and Drum, Ms. Camara has performed and taught workshops extensively in the US, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Martinique and the West African countries of Senegal, Mali and the Ivory Coast. Ms. Camara teaches African Dance for Parents and Children, African Dance IB, African Dance IIB, West African I and West African II at HSA.

Yvonne Curry has been a member of the HSA faculty since 1998. She earned her BA in Dance from Brooklyn College and worked for more than 15 years internationally, training dancers for television, stage and theater. Ms. Curry was the tap instructor/ choreographer for Ballet of Venevision (Channel 4) in Caracas, Venezuela and jazz instructor/ choreographer for Leona Laviscount School of Dance and Antenna 3 television in Milan, Italy. She had also taught at the Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. Ms. Curry is also a faculty member of Third Street Music School Settlement and has served as Cultural Attaché for the American Embassy in Venezuela. Ms. Curry is a Board member and former Co-President of the New York coalition of Professional Women in Arts and Media and a board member of the American Dance Guild. She is also a member of the International Tap Association and holds a union membership to the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. She teaches Tap I, Tap IA, Tap IB, Tap II and Boys’ Tap at HSA.

Belinda He, originally from Singapore, graduated with an M.F.A. in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College. During her time in New York, she has performed at the Joyce Theater, La MaMa E.T.C., Brooklyn Arts Exchange and in the Dumbo Dance Festival 2008. She also choreographs, and has presented her work in the HATCH series at the Jennifer Muller studios. Her choreography had been accepted to be presented at the International Salsa Congress in Los Angeles in 2005 and 2007. Prior to her endeavors in New York City, Ms. He was the administrative assistant to the General Manager of Singapore Dance Theatre. Ms. He studied ballet at the Singapore Ballet Academy, which taught the Royal Academy of Dance (UK) syllabus. She later studied jazz, hip hop and salsa under Lionel Araya, and taught these styles while working towards her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the National University of Singapore. Currently, she is on faculty at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, teaching creative movement and modern. She is also the technical liaison for the Sarah Lawrence College Dance Department, coordinating the technical crews of each dance concert that the department produces. Ms. He teaches Jazz at HSA.

Ismael Kouyaté was born in Conakry, Guinea into a family of griots and musicians. He began dancing and singing at the age of six. He spent much of his childhood in the Malinke village of Farranah, in upper Guinea, and toured the country as the lead singer of a prominent youth ensemble. Mr. Kouyaté worked with the Ballet Communale de Matam, one of the most acclaimed private companies in the city, where he stayed for nine years as principal dancer, choreographer, and singer. In 2000, he was recruited by the National ensemble Les Percussions de Guinea, where he spent three years as the group’s lead dancer and griot. He taught dance and song to international groups visiting Guinea, and traveled to Senegal and France teaching and performing. In 2003, he was chosen to participate in a trans-continental contemporary dance forum, through which choreographers from the Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Guinea were exposed to modern dance, and together created pieces fusing dance styles. Mr. Kouyaté later took his talents to the national company, Les Ballets Africains, with whom he toured, performing throughout Guinea and the United States. Mr. Kouyaté currently performs with the Mandingo Ambassadors in New York City, and he is in Fela!, the Off-Broadway musical going to Broadway, conceived, choreographed and directed by Bill T. Jones. Mr. Kouyaté is the alternate teacher for Mouminatou Camara teaching African Dance and West African dance classes at HSA.

Keith Lewis, a proud native of Harlem, graduated from Brooklyn Technical High school and attended the Cornell University College of Engineering. He studied classical ballet with Madame Gabriela Taub-Darvash and at the Dance Theater of Harlem and was accepted into the certificate program at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center where he studied ballet, modern and jazz dance. He continued his training with Alfred Gallmen and performed with the Alfred Gallmen Newark Dance Theater. He also danced with Melissa Vaughn’s Eclectic Dance Theater, Nanette Bearden Contemporary Theater and Vissi Dance Theater and studied African dance with Diarra Abu. An experienced teaching artist, Mr. Lewis has worked with aspiring dancers at the New York City Mission Society, The Children’s Aid Society, Thurgood Marshall Academy, The Ailey School, and The New York City Ballet. He has traveled extensively across the United States as a teaching artist with the Revelations Curriculum Tour and has taught master classes at The Ailey School, City College, Adelphi University, Marymount College, and Winthrop University in South Carolina. Mr. Lewis was selected as a 2003 emerging choreographer for the E-Moves series at Aaron Davis Hall. His work has been performed at City Center in Ballet Arts’ annual Choreographers’ Showcase, at The Ailey School, Borough of Manhattan Community College and the Dance Now Festival in Marcus Garvey Park. Currently Mr. Lewis is studying Business Administration at Lehman College. Having been on the HSA faculty for 10 years, Mr. Lewis currently teaches Hip Hop II, Hip Hop III, Modern II and Modern III here.

Emilio Mercedez is a native New Yorker and a student of Master teacher Robin Dunn, who has mentored and guided his career as a dancer and teacher. Mr. Mercedez has been the assistant choreographer to Ms. Dunn in such projects as Teen Vogue featuring Chris Brown, Robin Dunn’s Middleground performance, and various TV productions. He has also studied extensively with Frederick Earl Mosley. Mr. Mercedez has choreographed and performed at Earl Mosley’s summer school, the Institute of the Arts, and with Earl Mosley’s company Diversity of Dance. He enjoys playing sports and playing the drums, and is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree at Long Island University. He teaches Hip Hop I at HSA.

Keisa Parrish began her dance training with Paul and Arlene Kennedy of Universal Dance Designs where she performed with the likes of Michael Jackson and Cece Winans. She then moved on to study with Cyd Glover-Hill, of Hawthorne Dance Academy/Art in Motion who choreographed the solo that won her the title Miss Hal Jackson Talented Teen International California State Queen 1995. Ms. Parrish attended the LA County High School of the Arts, where she was mentored by Karon Brown Lehman, and performed a leading role in Debbie Allen's "Pepito Story." While earning a BFA degree from Fordham’s joint program with The Ailey® School, and performing at The Ailey School’s Spring Gala with Ronald K. Brown, she became a Radio City Rockette. During her four seasons with the Radio City Rockettes, Ms. Parrish performed in the Christmas Spectacular, did a print ad for Bloomingdale's, performed and made special appearances all over the tri-state area. Since residing in New York, she has performed with Genesis Dance Company, Laverne Reed Productions, Tattooed Ballerinas and more. Ms. Parrish has been teaching for the past 12 years and her various schools include Dancer's Inc, Pathway to the Arts, (E)motion by Design and The Rockette Experience. Ms. Parrish teaches Ballet I, Ballet IA, Modern I and Modern IA at HSA.

Cynthia Shipley began dancing in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 13 under the tutelage of Vernice Matthews. She later joined the Baltimore Dance Theatre, a modern company where she began touring nationally and worked with choreographers Eleo Pomare, Rod Rodgers, Blondell Cummings and Eva Anderson. While dancing in Baltimore, Ms. Shipley formalized her training by attending the Peabody Conservatory of Music and then The Dance Theatre of Harlem’s (DTH) four year accredited program. During the course of her training at DTH, Ms. Shipley performed with their Ensemble Company then joined the main company, with which she toured extensively, both nationally and internationally. Ms. Shipley has also had the pleasure of performing with the Eglevsky Ballet, The Maryland Ballet, Louis Johnson, The Metropolitan Opera (as a swing dancer in Porgy and Bess), and toured nationally with Aretha Franklin and the Spotlight Theatre (Equus). During her career in dance, Ms. Shipley has taught at the Baltimore Dance Theatre, The Henry Street Settlement, The Dance Theatre of Harlem and The National Dance School in Nassau Bahamas. Ms. Shipley joined the HSA faculty in 1992. She is currently a Level III Pilates teacher with Romana’s Pilates, where she is a teacher trainer and licensed to travel internationally to teach seminars and workshops. Ms. Shipley teaches Dance I, Dance IA, Ballet I, Ballet II, Ballet III and Pilates at HSA.

Joseph Webb, an award-winning actor, dancer, and poet, performed in the Tony Award winning Broadway production, Bring in 'Da Noise Bring in 'Da Funk with notable tap dancer, Savion Glover. Following his Broadway success, Mr. Webb ventured into acting and appeared in the Martin Scorsese film Bringing Out The Dead and numerous print and television ads. He has also performed on talk shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. Mr. Webb is also a musician who formed his own band, The Joseph Webb Quartet, which performs a blend of hip-hop, jazz, soul, tap dance and spoken word. He is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar, one of the National Foundation For Advancement in the Arts Level I awardees, and a Presidential Scholar. Mr. Webb is a 2001 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater Arts. Currently, he is a Full Time Lecturer at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY. Most recently, he was a special guest artist at the 25th Anniversary of Gala Des Etoiles Dance Gala in Montreal Canada. Understanding that his talent and achievements are attributed to more than his commitment and contribution to the journey, Mr. Webb thanks The Most High for all of his blessings. He has been on the faculty of HSA for the past six years, and teaches Boys’ Tap (Advanced).

Guest Faculty

Robin Dunn is a F.A.C.E. Coach, Choreographer and Dance Teacher. Ms. Dunn, a graduate with a BBA degree in Marketing from Bernard M. Baruch College, has appeared in and choreographed several Off Broadway and Dinner Theater productions. She later became the Director of Amateur Night at the world famous Apollo Theater and has worked with Saturday Night Live, Pepsi, Nickelodeon, Missy Elliot, The Braxton’s featuring Jay Z, Teen Vogue featuring Chris Brown, Raven Symone, Sean Kingston and more. Ms. Dunn teaches Hip Hop dance at The Ailey School, The Ailey Extension, Hunter College and Steps on Broadway in New York City. She is currently a teaching artist on faculty with Young Audiences New York, and Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts. In keeping with Robin’s innovative nature, she was the first to introduce the art of Hip Hop dance to the east coast at New York’s Broadway Dance Center and The Ailey School. Dunn has also taught at NYU, Syracuse University, East Stroudsburg University/PA Dance and Connecticut Ballet in Stamford, CT. Ms. Dunn believes “a teacher’s job is to shape lives, build dreams and give hope for the future.” She teaches Professional and Career Tools for Dancers to the College Prep dance students.

The Harlem School of the Arts is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City Council, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, The Carnegie Corporation, The After-School Corporation, Altman Foundation, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, United Jewish Appeal and other corporate, foundation and individual partners. HSA is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.