T.U.P.A.C. Faculty
KLAIR ETHRIDGE, T.U.P.A.C. Co-Founder and Director
Klair Ethridge has always worked in the arts/entertainment fields. She began her dance training at the American Ballet Theatre School, the High School of Performing Arts, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and various other schools of dance in New York City. Klair danced in numerous stage, television, commercial, and feature film productions.
Klair always wanted to be a producer and worked with Broadway Producer, Ashton Springer and Director Otis Sallid in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. She assisted Director, Bill Duke on the feature film, Deep Cover, and was the Assistant to the Executive Producer of, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, before she went on to Produce & Co-Write the Short Film Conversations, which featured James Earl Jones, Harvey Fierstein and Obba Babatunde. Klair went on to produce for Sony Pictures, Dick Clark Corporate Productions and numerous other companies.
Klair has also always been fascinated with sound and became a microphone boom operator, she was on the Emmy Award nominated Sound Team for Season I of LOST as well as a recipient on the Emmy Award winning Sound Team for Season IV of LOST. Desperate Housewives, the uproarious comedy, Next Day Air directed by Benny Boom, starring Mike Epps and Mos Def as well as numerous other Television Shows, Feature Films and Commercials are among her credits.
JADE SOLOMON CURTIS, T.U.P.A.C. Interim Artistic Director
Jade Solomon Curtis, born in Texas, is a choreographer, dance artist and founder of Solo Magic, a non-profit arts initiative collaborating with innovative artists to create socially relevant multi-disciplined performances highlighting dance; “Activism is the Muse". A celebrated soloist of Donald Byrd’s Spectrum Dance Theater for four seasons, Curtis is also the subject of an Emmy Award winning short film, Jade Solomon Curtis directed by, Ralph Bevins.
Curtis received her BFA in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University and is the recipient of fellowships and grants from the University of South Carolina, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Artist Trust and 4Culture. Curtis is currently the Director of the Arts Program for the Pan African Center for Empowerment (PACE).
Curtis has also performed as a member of Alison Chase Performance, Opus Dance Theater, Wideman/Davis Dance and for Seattle’s highly respected 5th Avenue Theater’s productions of Oklahoma!, Carousel and Man of La Mancha. A sought after teacher internationally, she teaches children through adult professionals in contemporary dance, ballet and creative dance processes; and was the Program Director of the Professional Division of the School at Spectrum Dance Theater.
She is honored to be contributing to the foundation on which Kabby's Legacy with stand.
ERRICKA TURNER DAVIS, Ballet Instructor
Erricka Turner Davis has performed with Poetry+Motion, 5th Avenue Theatre (Hello Dolly), Village Theatre (Showboat), Chamber Dance Company, Intiman Theatre (Black Nativity, Mary, Angel), Seattle Opera (Un Ballo En Maschera, Rigoletto, and Florencia of the Amazons), Sankofa Theatre (Maafa Suite), Oakland Ballet, and Spectrum Dance Theater. She is Miss October in Project Ensemble’s 2000 Black Ballerinas of the 20th Century Calendar. She received her BFA in Ballet Education with honors from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, and her MFA in Dance from The University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Erricka is a ballet, jazz, and creative movement instructor at SOAR Academy, Tacoma, WA. She has choreographed, taught, and lectured at 2016 Jack and Jill of America Honoree Ball, Seattle Chapter, Broadway Performing Arts Center (11 Days of MLK, Jr.), Harlequin Theatre (Soul on Fire, Let the Good Times Roll), Spectrum Dance Theater, Northwest Tap Connection, ARC Dance Productions/ARC School of Ballet, Tacoma School for the Performing Arts (SOTA), Allegro Performing Arts Academy, Ensemble Ballet Theatre, Evergreen City Ballet, Rainier Dance Center, Northwest Dance Intensive, Irene’s School of Dance, Evergreen State College, University of Washington, and other venues throughout the Northwest.
VANIA C. BYNUM, Liturgical Instructor
Vania C. Bynum is a former computer engineer who utilizes the ingenuity of making software to create dance. A graduate of Cornish College of the Arts, Bynum has danced, taught, and choreographed throughout the Greater Seattle area, performing in venues from the renowned stages of the Paramount & Moore Theaters, Intiman Theatre, Benaroya Hall, the Meydenbauer Center, Renton Ikea Performing Arts Center, and the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, to the reverent and intimate space of local churches. She also performed in popular shows such as The Black Nativity, Hip-Hop Back to Its Roots!, Dance This!, and the Ballet Bellevue American Jazz Nutcracker. Other work includes choreography for the production of CATS (2009), produced by Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre, and several productions with the Northwest Tap Connection.
Bynum was a featured dancer in Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center's inaugural African American Master Choreographer series, featuring choreography by Kabby Mitchell, who described her performance as "a remarkable dance presence for the audience that was inspirational and a pleasure to behold." With grants from 4Culture - King County, WA, the Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Bossak Heilbron Foundation of New York, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, the Central District Forum CREATION PROJECT Grant, and individual contributors, Bynum produced her second full length show, Excerpts from the Soul of A Woman (A powerful story of the human experience expressed from the heart of a woman through the artistry of music, dance, and poetry), which premiered at the Broadway Performance Hall on July 11 & 12, 2008. Bynum has also performed in the televised Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations for King County as well as the City of Tacoma. In addition to her independent work, Bynum choreographed for the Hal Jackson Talented Teens of Washington, the Eastside Lyric Opera, Jerboa Dance, Mount Zion Baptist Church, and the New Beginnings Christian Fellowship of Renton, WA, serving as Director of the Adult Liturgical Dance Ministry for 10 years. Bynum has also worked with distinguished artists including Donald Byrd, Sonia Dawkins, Wade Madsen, Michele Miller & Deborah Wolf. She is honored to contribute to the Legacy of Kabby Mitchell III.
Bynum, a featured dancer in the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center's inaugural African American Master Choreographer series, performed choreography by Kabby Mitchell III, who described her performance as "a remarkable dance presence for the audience that was inspirational and a pleasure to behold."
ETIENNE CAKPO, West African Instructor
Originally from Benin, Etienne is the Director and Lead Choreographer/dancer of Gansango Music and Dance. Etienne has been building his repertoire of traditional and modern dance for over thirty years. As Director of Gansango Music and Dance, Etienne leads the company's work with dozens of public libraries, schools and independent arts agencies locally and nationally to make performances of dance and music from Africa available to a wide range of audiences, including young children.
ANGEL ALIVAR-LANGLEY (aka ‘Moonyeka), Hip Hop Instructor
Angel Alivar- Langley is a Filipina-American street-styles dancer who utilizes art creation and organizing to realize a more inclusive and intersectional world for the communities she comes from.
Her current projects include “WHAT’S POPPIN’ LADIEZ?!” an ethnographic research project and community event series focused on the female popping experience and BASTOS (2017) -- meaning "rude" or "disrespectful" sa tagalog, is an archipelago/collection of experiences exploring Filipinx diaspora, ancestral memory, kapwa , and circumstance, walang hiya. Moonyeka is also a choreographer and dancer of Au Collective – a dance collective that puts women, queer folks, and POC at the forefront.
As a street dancer, Moonyeka participates in local and national dance battle competitions and exhibitions and was recently an invitee to MEMPHIS vs EVERYBODY battle and QUEEN OF THE HILL exhibition.
When not battling, Angel is a teaching artist for Arts Corps + Spectrum Dance Theater, helps runs an open dance session (VIBE) for immigrant youth at Yesler Terrace, and coaches REMIX – a young brown girl competition team.
Also, as a team member of Moksha, a Seattle art space and local boutique owned by Karleen Ilagan and Robin Guilfoil, Moonyeka expands her artistry outside of dance by supporting Moksha’s mission to foster the next generation of Seattle artists through event curation and creative direction.
Moonyeka is a DANCE CRUSH selected by Seattle Dances, the 2017 Tina La Padula Fellowship recipient, Ubunye Project 2017 contributor, Mary Gates Leadership awardee and George Newsome Humanitarian scholar.
ALEASE AUBREY FRIESON, Pilates Instructor
Alease Aubrey Frieson, began studying Pilates apparatus 6 years ago with Meli-Tashi of Maitri Practices and Integrated Pilates Tacoma, where they study and practice in the lineage of Joseph Pilates' student, Eve Gentry. Alease first discovered Pilates as a matwork practice over a decade ago and fell in love with Rebecca Cargill's way of teaching the method in the standing / mat form and went on to study the apparatus work and deeper Pilates teachings with Meli-Tashi for 5 years before certifying as an apparatus and matwork teacher. Her goal with T.U.P.A.C. students is to help them establish somatic-awarness which will ewnhance their every movement practice, using Pilates catalyst.
T.U.P.A.C. Guest Artists
Afro Contemporary, Thursday July 13, 2017
SHERMAN D. WOOD, Dancer and Instructor, took his first dance class at Divine Dance Institute at the age of nine under the direction of Amanda F. Standard. Starting with African and tap dance, he was encouraged to try modern and ballet and has been in love ever since. Following his graduation from The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 2011, where he studied in the dance department under Charles Augins, Sherman first attended the Ohio State University before transferring to The Boston Conservatory. He has worked with great choreographers and instructors including Dwight Rhoden, Darell Grand Moultrie, Adrian V. James, Christopher Huggins, Dwana Smallwood, and Camille A. Brown, among others. Sherman has performed with BodyMoves Contemporary Dance Company, BODYART, SoundX-Pressed Dance Company, and Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence, A Dance Company. Sherman recently completed his first season with Donald Byrd's, Spectrum Dance Theater.
Musical Theater, Monday July 17, 2017
DAVIONE GORDON, Dancer and Singer
Introduction to Acting, Monday August 14, 2017
LAUREN DuPREE, Actor, Singer and Dancer
Originally from Seattle, Lauren has been involved in the arts since childhood. Her senior year of high school she had the privilege of joining the cast of the PBS nationally syndicated show Biz Kid$. After graduating high school Lauren moved to Washington, D.C. to study theatre at Howard University. Upon graduating, Lauren began her professional career in Washington, D.C. with the musical revue Ain't Misbehavin'. Since then she has been blessed to work consistently in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area at theaters such as Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, Ford's Theatre and the Kennedy Center. One of her most memorable roles was Orphie in Orphie and the Book of Heroes at The Kennedy Center. Since moving back to Seattle Lauren has been seen as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls and Kanika in My Heart Is The Drum at Village Theatre and Antonia in Man of La Mancha at 5th Avenue Theatre. You can catch her next in Ragtime at 5th Avenue Theatre.