THE COMPANY
The Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble (KKDE) was founded in 1996 by Kendra Kimbrough Barnes. The Ensemble’s mission is to bridge diverse cultures and communities through thought-provoking performances that address the common human experiences of its audience. KKDE represents a range of ages and body-types and incorporates a variety of dance styles to inform audiences about a variety of sociocultural issues. The Ensemble creates and presents dance works that build upon a wide array of dance genres, including a fusion of modern dance with movement from African, Brazilian, and North Indian cultures.
Since its founding, KKDE has self-produced numerous home seasons in Oakland, as well as producing concerts and collaborations in San Francisco. Artistic Director Barnes has worked in collaboration with dancers, musicians, and poets in order to realize her vision. KKDE has toured throughout Southern and Northern California and in Salvador, Bahia Brazil, and performed in several Bay Area dance festivals, including the East Bay Dance Series, Oakland Arts Festival, WestWave Dance Festival, Black Choreographers Festival, and ODC’s Pilot and House Special. Barnes is also an alum of the Artist in Residency program at Headlands Center for the Arts and at CounterPULSE/SF. With these critical resources and the mentorship of Rhodessa Jones of Cultural Odyssey, Barnes developed Home Is That Way?! (2010), a dance-drama exploring the effects of the incarceration of a loved one on a family. KKDE creates socially conscious works most recently including In The Meantime, a dance-drama about breast cancer prevention and awareness as well as ANGST: 3 AM which intimately looks at anxiety in and among African American boys, during their self-identity formation, and how it affects the relationships within their families and the community - both in creative collaboration with Delina Patrice Brooks.
The Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble (KKDE) was founded in 1996 by Kendra Kimbrough Barnes. The Ensemble’s mission is to bridge diverse cultures and communities through thought-provoking performances that address the common human experiences of its audience. KKDE represents a range of ages and body-types and incorporates a variety of dance styles to inform audiences about a variety of sociocultural issues. The Ensemble creates and presents dance works that build upon a wide array of dance genres, including a fusion of modern dance with movement from African, Brazilian, and North Indian cultures.
Since its founding, KKDE has self-produced numerous home seasons in Oakland, as well as producing concerts and collaborations in San Francisco. Artistic Director Barnes has worked in collaboration with dancers, musicians, and poets in order to realize her vision. KKDE has toured throughout Southern and Northern California and in Salvador, Bahia Brazil, and performed in several Bay Area dance festivals, including the East Bay Dance Series, Oakland Arts Festival, WestWave Dance Festival, Black Choreographers Festival, and ODC’s Pilot and House Special. Barnes is also an alum of the Artist in Residency program at Headlands Center for the Arts and at CounterPULSE/SF. With these critical resources and the mentorship of Rhodessa Jones of Cultural Odyssey, Barnes developed Home Is That Way?! (2010), a dance-drama exploring the effects of the incarceration of a loved one on a family. KKDE creates socially conscious works most recently including In The Meantime, a dance-drama about breast cancer prevention and awareness as well as ANGST: 3 AM which intimately looks at anxiety in and among African American boys, during their self-identity formation, and how it affects the relationships within their families and the community - both in creative collaboration with Delina Patrice Brooks.
CURRENT COLLABORATORS AND KKDE MEMBERS
KENDRA BARNES, DIRECTOR has studied Contemporary, African, Brazilian, Indian, Dunham & Horton Techniques. She has performed with the late Malonga Casquelourd’s Fua Dia Congo, Chitresh Das’ Chhandam School of Kathak Dance, and Carlos Aceituno as well as projects with Donald Byrd, Robert Moses, Bebe Miller, Bill T. Jones, and Rosangela Silvestre.
In 1996 she founded the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble (KKDE). Most recent works include notable dance-dramas: ReDzONE, In The Meantime, and Angst in collaboration with Delina Patrice Brooks. Currently Ms. Barnes is collaborating with Oakland veteran vocalist Jennifer Johns on Resilience In-Joy, cultivating and choosing joy in the midst of struggle.
She has been a guest choreographer for San Francisco State University Dance Department, Dimensions Extensions Youth Performance Ensemble, Move Dance Theater of Oakland, and Abundant Life Christian Fellowship (staging a 100+ cast for a 4,000+ audience). KKDE has presented work at the East Bay Dance Festival, Alice Arts Center, the Black Choreographers Festival, Summerfest/WestWave Dance Festival, ODC Pilot, PUSHfest and Dance Mosaic.
Barnes has taught dance to adults and children of all ages through Dimension’s Rites of Passage program in Oakland at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts and jazz, Pilates and yoga at San Mateo, Laney and SF City Colleges. She has been an artist in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts and CounterPULSE.
Her work as co-choreographer (with Latanya d Tigner) for CalShakes’ Black Odyssey was a finalist for the Theater Bay Area Best Choreography Award and she was the 2018 recipient of a Broadway World award for Best Choreography as Choreographer for the African American Shakespeare Company’s (AASC) production of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Other work includes AASC's "Black Eagles" and Crowded Fire Theater's "INKED Baby"
Barnes is also co-founder/director for the Black Choreographers Festival (BCF), along with Laura Elaine Ellis (AAAPAC). Since 2005 BCF has served local, national and international artists with over 150 public events, acknowledging the diverse artistic expression within the context of African and African American dance and culture. Under her direction, K*Star*Productions, the presenting organization for BCF and KKDE, has received funding from the City of Oakland Cultural Arts Program, CA$H, The Irvine Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Fund, Alameda County Arts Commission, East Bay Community Foundation, California Arts Council, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, and The Walter and Elise Haas Fund Foundation.
Barnes holds a BA in Dance from San Francisco State University and a MA in Arts Administration from Golden Gate University. She graduated with honors and is a recipient of the "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges" Award and "Who's Who Among American Women.”
A long time community and adjunct dance instructor she currently teaches dance at UC Berkeley and freelances as an administrator, teacher, and choreographer.
KENDRA BARNES, DIRECTOR has studied Contemporary, African, Brazilian, Indian, Dunham & Horton Techniques. She has performed with the late Malonga Casquelourd’s Fua Dia Congo, Chitresh Das’ Chhandam School of Kathak Dance, and Carlos Aceituno as well as projects with Donald Byrd, Robert Moses, Bebe Miller, Bill T. Jones, and Rosangela Silvestre.
In 1996 she founded the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble (KKDE). Most recent works include notable dance-dramas: ReDzONE, In The Meantime, and Angst in collaboration with Delina Patrice Brooks. Currently Ms. Barnes is collaborating with Oakland veteran vocalist Jennifer Johns on Resilience In-Joy, cultivating and choosing joy in the midst of struggle.
She has been a guest choreographer for San Francisco State University Dance Department, Dimensions Extensions Youth Performance Ensemble, Move Dance Theater of Oakland, and Abundant Life Christian Fellowship (staging a 100+ cast for a 4,000+ audience). KKDE has presented work at the East Bay Dance Festival, Alice Arts Center, the Black Choreographers Festival, Summerfest/WestWave Dance Festival, ODC Pilot, PUSHfest and Dance Mosaic.
Barnes has taught dance to adults and children of all ages through Dimension’s Rites of Passage program in Oakland at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts and jazz, Pilates and yoga at San Mateo, Laney and SF City Colleges. She has been an artist in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts and CounterPULSE.
Her work as co-choreographer (with Latanya d Tigner) for CalShakes’ Black Odyssey was a finalist for the Theater Bay Area Best Choreography Award and she was the 2018 recipient of a Broadway World award for Best Choreography as Choreographer for the African American Shakespeare Company’s (AASC) production of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Other work includes AASC's "Black Eagles" and Crowded Fire Theater's "INKED Baby"
Barnes is also co-founder/director for the Black Choreographers Festival (BCF), along with Laura Elaine Ellis (AAAPAC). Since 2005 BCF has served local, national and international artists with over 150 public events, acknowledging the diverse artistic expression within the context of African and African American dance and culture. Under her direction, K*Star*Productions, the presenting organization for BCF and KKDE, has received funding from the City of Oakland Cultural Arts Program, CA$H, The Irvine Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Fund, Alameda County Arts Commission, East Bay Community Foundation, California Arts Council, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, and The Walter and Elise Haas Fund Foundation.
Barnes holds a BA in Dance from San Francisco State University and a MA in Arts Administration from Golden Gate University. She graduated with honors and is a recipient of the "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges" Award and "Who's Who Among American Women.”
A long time community and adjunct dance instructor she currently teaches dance at UC Berkeley and freelances as an administrator, teacher, and choreographer.
JENNIFER JOHNS
ReD zONE & "Resilience In-Joy" Musical collaborator (lyric, poetry and sounds)
Jennifer Johns is a siren, a call to worship, the horns before battle, your spirit’s amplifier. Vacillating between soul, hip hop, afro beat, dancehall, reggae, deep house and all rhythms in between, this sultry powerhouse produces sounds and experiences that are sure to stir your soul, inspire your mind and move your body. Jennifer has taken her global movement music around the world rocking stages from Denver to Dusseldorf, Los Angeles to London, Kuala Lumpur to Kampala opening for some of the best in the business including the likes of Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def, Capelton, Ziggy Marley, Gil Scott Heron, Wyclef, Bebel Gilberto, Les Nubian, MeShell Ndegeocell, De La Soul and Common to name just a few.
Today, Jennifer Johns is in the midst of creating a new body of work. Borrowing from all manner of “Afro Diasporic” sounds and rhythms, her lyrics span topics of love, power, freedom and fun..... stay tuned!
http://www.jenniferjohnsmusic.com/
ReD zONE & "Resilience In-Joy" Musical collaborator (lyric, poetry and sounds)
Jennifer Johns is a siren, a call to worship, the horns before battle, your spirit’s amplifier. Vacillating between soul, hip hop, afro beat, dancehall, reggae, deep house and all rhythms in between, this sultry powerhouse produces sounds and experiences that are sure to stir your soul, inspire your mind and move your body. Jennifer has taken her global movement music around the world rocking stages from Denver to Dusseldorf, Los Angeles to London, Kuala Lumpur to Kampala opening for some of the best in the business including the likes of Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def, Capelton, Ziggy Marley, Gil Scott Heron, Wyclef, Bebel Gilberto, Les Nubian, MeShell Ndegeocell, De La Soul and Common to name just a few.
Today, Jennifer Johns is in the midst of creating a new body of work. Borrowing from all manner of “Afro Diasporic” sounds and rhythms, her lyrics span topics of love, power, freedom and fun..... stay tuned!
http://www.jenniferjohnsmusic.com/
MEET THE COMPANY
Linda Steele II (Principle Dancer) is an improvisational dance artist, movement creator and storyteller, formally trained in various movement technique languages including Western Classical Dance, Jazz, Tap, Flamenco, and Modern at Marin Ballet and Marin School of the Arts before receiving her BFA from Dominican University of CA where she also studied Art History. She has been honored to have performed original works by Alonzo King, Drew Jacoby, Maurya Kerr, Sidra Bell, Katie Faulkner, LEVYdance and more recently with Capacitor Performance SF, Mathis Reed Dance, dazaun.dance, Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble, among others. Linda II has presented her movement in various festivals and art events including Ebony Magazine's renowned Ebony Fashion Fair.
As a movement creator, she has created numerous dance works/offerings, studied and choreographed Dance for Film and performed internationally with MADE In France, Urban Jazz Dance Company, Quimera Tribe, Corina Kinnear and others. She is deeply grateful to have met and collaborated with such amazing artists and humbly continues to serve and guide youth artists through artistic enrichment. Her journey continues...
As a movement creator, she has created numerous dance works/offerings, studied and choreographed Dance for Film and performed internationally with MADE In France, Urban Jazz Dance Company, Quimera Tribe, Corina Kinnear and others. She is deeply grateful to have met and collaborated with such amazing artists and humbly continues to serve and guide youth artists through artistic enrichment. Her journey continues...
Olivia Eng's greatest passions are dancing, music, traveling, photography and poetry. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine, focusing on Dance Performance and Sociology. She is grateful to have studied with and performed works by Donald McKayle during her time there. She loves and continually studies West African, House, Hip-Hop, Modern, Bhangara, Bollywood, Afro-Brazilian, and Salsa dance.She has performed throughout the U.S., Singapore, Mexico, Cuba, and New Zealand, with various companies and has studied dance in Africa and Europe. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area as a freelance dance artist, performer, choreographer, and teacher.
During a hiatus after a series of traumatic surgeries for a congenital spine defect, she was inspired to begin developing the S.C.A.R.S. (Strength, Courage, and Resilience of the Soul) Project, with a mission to highlight the power of healing through the intersection of art, dance, storytelling and cross cultural exchange. She is deeply grateful to be dancing and performing again. She also dances with See Through Soul and Duniya Dance and Drum Company. Dance and art is a healing practice for Olivia and she feels blessed to share her creative passion as a way to overcome struggles, bring together community, connect people from around the world, and offer a platform for others to heal. Olivia also teaches Pilates, with an emphasis in rehabilitation, to help people heal from their injuries.
During a hiatus after a series of traumatic surgeries for a congenital spine defect, she was inspired to begin developing the S.C.A.R.S. (Strength, Courage, and Resilience of the Soul) Project, with a mission to highlight the power of healing through the intersection of art, dance, storytelling and cross cultural exchange. She is deeply grateful to be dancing and performing again. She also dances with See Through Soul and Duniya Dance and Drum Company. Dance and art is a healing practice for Olivia and she feels blessed to share her creative passion as a way to overcome struggles, bring together community, connect people from around the world, and offer a platform for others to heal. Olivia also teaches Pilates, with an emphasis in rehabilitation, to help people heal from their injuries.
Yeni Lucero was born in the small town of Chalchuapa. Coming to the Bay Area later in life, she began her training in West African dance at the age of 15 and soon pursued a more versatile training at San Francisco State University, in which she obtained a BA in Dance and Choreography. Yeni also had the opportunity to extend her training at the Alvin Ailey School during the summer of 2006. She has performed work by Diamanou Coura/West African Dance Company, Paco Gomes, Annie Rosenthal, Jacinta Vlach, Robert Moses'Kin and Ron K. Brown.Yeni has taught at Lines Ballet/SFDC, Dance Mission, Sonoma State University, Juvenile Detention Center in the East Bay, High Schools in Oakland including Head Royce, Fremont, McClymond, Elementary School Berkeley Arts Magnet, SF Fitness and Bay Functional Fitness.
In addition Ms. Lucero is also a Teaching Artist Specialist for the Alameda County Office Of Education, and a proud full time dance teacher for OUSD at middle school Elmhurst Community Prep School. Yeni embraces her talents and gifts and humbly gives thanks to all her master teachers, family and community.
In addition Ms. Lucero is also a Teaching Artist Specialist for the Alameda County Office Of Education, and a proud full time dance teacher for OUSD at middle school Elmhurst Community Prep School. Yeni embraces her talents and gifts and humbly gives thanks to all her master teachers, family and community.
Frances Sedayao is a queer multi-disciplinary dance artist who has performed and toured with many wonderful Bay Area notables over the past 20 years. She has done collaborative and independent dance works both locally and internationally, is an alumna of Alvin Ailey Dance School and CSU East Bay where she now teaches. Frances was a Serpent Source grant recipient, Featured Dance Artist for SF Apature, and Dance Resident of Art OMI International in NY. She currently works with Bandelion Dancetheater, Alleluia Panis’ Kularts, and Sarah Bush Dance Project. Her work, ‘I Am But a Mighty Bird’ revamped in 2018 for the SF National Queer Arts Festival & she recently presented for Shawl- Anderson’s first Queerfest in 2019. Frances is deeply honored to return to KKDE 18 yrs after her first collaboration w/ Kendra Kimbrough Barnes in 2001.
Korea Venters Originally from Oakland, California, Korea says her love of dance started in middle school while attending Oakland School for the Arts. Korea graduated from the University of San Francisco, majoring in Performing Arts and Social Justice with a concentration in Dance. She is a current dance instructor at North Oakland Community Charter School, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, and Temescal Arts Center in the Bay Area. As a current member of KKDE, Rae Agency Dance Company, and See Through Soul Dance Company, she hopes to continue using her art as a platform for community healing and education. She has performed at many festivals, including: Art & Soul Festival, Broad Statements Dance Festival, SF International Hip Hop Festival, and Versa-style Hip Hop Dance Festival.
ADMINISTRATORS
Ashley Gayle Crockett Since graduating from UC Irvine with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and a minor in Business Management in 2012, Ashley Gayle has been busy tackling her many passions. After moving back home to the Bay Area, she’s performed with many local companies; the Alayo Dance Company, PUSH Dance Company, LV Dance Collective, the David Herrera Dance Company, Mix'd Ingrdnts, and Urban Jazz Dance Company. When she is not onstage, Ashley Gayle enjoys teaching for local studios and school outreach programs throughout the Bay Area; including Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, John Muir Elementary, UC Berkeley/CalPerformances Ailey Camp, amongst others. Her current endeavor is building her own dance company, Visceral Roots, and presenting choreography rooted in telling stories inspired by social justice for minorities.
Skylar Jones is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in music, theater, and visual media. She has worked in education, and is currently studying media communications at Laney College.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Nate Barnes
Delina Patrice Brooks
Tasha Henneman
Kysha Mitchell
Deborah Vaughan
Fiscal Sponsor
Dimensions Dance Theater
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Nate Barnes
Delina Patrice Brooks
Tasha Henneman
Kysha Mitchell
Deborah Vaughan
Fiscal Sponsor
Dimensions Dance Theater