Ms. India, Ms. Angelika, and Ms. Jahnaye Inspire in "Spirit of Our Bones"

Over the last ten months, UMBC alumnae and Dance Expressions teachers Ms. India Blake, Ms. Angelika Albertorio, and Ms. Jahnaye Samuel have been collaborating with their former dance professor, Shaness D. Kemp, on an interdisciplinary evening-length work of choreography and storytelling concepts.

The moving work entitled, Spirit of Our Bones, debuted October 25th and 26th, 2024 at UMBC. The performance stemmed from Kemp’s choreography of a shorter piece also entitled, Spirit of Our Bones in 2020, a response to the tragic death of George Floyd. The original work used dance as a conduit to convey the pain of mothers whose children have been lost to police violence. Expounding on her studies of African American history, Kemp brilliantly expanded the work, adding more choreography encompassing the broader story of trials of the African American experience from its beginnings to the present. The performance culminated in a portrait of hope and celebration of the future to come.

Artist Marvin Brown narrated the hour and fifty minute long dance performance in collaboration with Kemp and the dancers. His compelling and creative storytelling brought the audience on a journey of emotions. Through poetry, drama and humor Brown, invited the audience to participate in an array of emotions reflecting on and connecting with the deep emotions of the African American experience.

The performance also incorporated the use of dazzling projection, enthralling videography, and creative lighting design.  Ms. Angelika helped Professor Kemp as rehearsal assistant as well as editing the music and videos. Dance Expressions’ alumna and current UMBC student Nyah Brown ran the sound and projection for the performance as well.

Ms. India, Ms. Angelika and Ms. Jahnaye along with 3 other dancers, were absolutely breath-taking in their performance and captivated the entire audience. They made the evening length work of dancing look effortless. The 6 member cast impressed the audience, showcasing not only their technical ability as dancers but also their capacity to seamlessly and precisely express varying movement qualities, styles, and emotions.

Reflecting on the experience, Ms. Angie commented that the performance, “helped to stretch her as a dancer. She grew in her ability to portray different emotions through dance.” In preparing for the evening length work she also remembered, “how important taking class was to build her stamina.” She even dropped into some DE student classes which helped her prepare physically for the show.

Ms. Jahnaye shared, “I’m grateful for the experience. I think it has pushed all of us to find a different strength within ourselves and encouraged us to stand in our truth.”

And Ms. India expressed, “I am grateful to have worked on a project that lets me do what I love—dancing—while also offering the audience a vision of hope and change for a better future.”

Dance Expressions could not be more proud of all three of these talented teachers and their outstanding, professional performance. We are beyond grateful for how they pour everything they learn from these amazing experiences back into our students. They continue to inspire the love of dance both here at Dance Expressions and on the broader stage of the dance world.

Photo by Alex Abdoulaev 

Cast of “Spirit of Our Bones” Marvin Brown, Victoria Davies, Angelika Albertorio, Jahnaye Samuel, Choreographer-Shaness D. Kemp, Hadassah James, Brionna Spence, India Blake