Jerilee Evanson-Kellman
Image attribution: Nigel Wallace
Jerilee Evanson-Kellman is the Director of Pehñyo Productions, a company created to provide further opportunities for dancers locally, in both training and performing. To this end, Pehñyo plans, coordinates, and facilitates local and international workshops throughout the year. She recently instituted the Pehñyo Dance Centre – a school catering to those desirous of pre-professional and professional training. Students range in age from two(2) years to adult. The Centre is focused on providing premium dance training while inspiring and building confidence and wholeness in the dancer. Jerilee is also the Director of the Pehñyo Dance Company – the performing arm of Pehñyo Productions which is quickly gaining acclaim for their stellar dance performances.
Jerilee began her training here in Barbados at the tender age of five (5) and studied the disciplines of Ballet, Jazz,Tap and Contemporary Ballet, under the tutelage of Elizabeth Bayley, Adonia Evelyn and Nicole Simpson. She has also studied with acclaimed dancers and choreographers in the United States including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City; Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City; The New York Institute of Dance and Education, Auburn and the Ad Deum Dance Company, Texas.
Jerilee holds an Associate Degree in Theatre Arts (Performing Arts) from the Barbados Community College, and a Diploma in Dance from the University of the Nations, Montana, USA. She is currently in the process of completing her Associate designation with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD).
She is a prominent and vocal member of the dance community in Barbados as a teacher, choreographer, performer, and producer. She has danced and choreographed for many large and small-scale productions including: Pic-O-De-Crop Finals, Party Monarch, Just Dance Productions, and Glorious! Productions, to name a few. Jerilee performed with the Plantation Theatre’s Internationally recognized, Bajan Roots and Rhythms Show as well as with Barbados Dance Machine. She is also known for her lead role in the award winning musical, Speak Life, with which she toured the Caribbean and New York. Jerilee has made many memorable appearances at NIFCA as a soloist, choreographer, and as the Director of the Company.
In keeping with her philosophy of continuous training, Jerilee successfully undertook vocational Modern Dance exams with the Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance under the tutelage of Shama Harding, receiving Distinction and Merit. She has also trained and entered students in both Ballet and Modern exams for the I.S.T.D. She continues to instruct, choreograph and perform in various forums throughout Barbados and is also a part-time tutor at the Barbados Community College’s Associate Degree in Dance program, in addition to several other initiatives produced by her company.
Beyond all of this, Jerilee considers her greatest roles in life to be those of wife and mother. For these tasks, she states, “Nothing can compare…”
Sasha Holford
Image attribution: Shamair Thornhill
Sasha, has been a member of the Pehñyo Dance Company since its inception. She began her training at the age of eight years old and at The Louise Woodvine Dance Academy and The Dance Place she studied the disciplines of ballet and jazz. She was trained in modern at Praise Academy of Dance Barbados where she was given the opportunity to perform locally and internationally. She has danced and choreographed for many productions including:, Glorious Productions, Relentless Productions and the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts, to name a few.
Sasha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and an Associate Degree in History & English Literature from the Barbados Community College. She successfully completed her vocational Intermediate Modern Theatre dance exam with the Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance under the tutelage of Jerilee Evanson-Kellman at the Pehñyo Dance Centre.
At the Pehñyo Dance Centre, Mrs. Holford is a Ballet, Modern Dance and Body Conditioning Instructor. She also holds the position of dance teacher at Providence Elementary School and Hilltop Primary School. She is also a main choreographer and Assistance Dance Leader in the New Dimensions Dance Ministry.
Sasha had lead several Dance Camps at PDC, including Pehñyo Productions annual Easter Blitz Dance Intensive where she choreographed dance for film for International Dance Day 2016.
Sasha's dream is to become a certified Dance Therapist, and will be undertaking her Masters in Counseling Psychology at the UWI, Cave Hill in September
Tiffany Brathwaite
Image attribution: Jerilee Evanson-Kellman
Tiffany Brathwaite began her dance training at the age of four in ballet and modern classes. At the age of 11 she received further training in ballet, modern and African under the tutelage of Shama Harding, Jerilee Kellman and Zahra Trotman. She has also participated in the Pehñyo Dance Centre’s dance intensives, where she acquired further knowledge in Hip Hop, Jazz, Horton, Graham, Dunham and Limon technique.
Subsequently she participated in dance workshops with Sean McLeod and Steve Rooks. Tiffany has performed with Praise Academy Of Dance, Dance Strides Barbados and Pehñyo Dance Centre. She has undertaken multiple examinations with the Imperial Society Teachers Of Dance and will continue to do so in the future.
Academically, Tiffany was the Deputy Head Girl and an Honor Student at her alma mater and was the recipient of the Canadian Alumni Scholarship (2016). While there she was a member of her school band, where she played the harmony with her clarinet. She also tackled the Royal School Of Music examinations until grade 5.
Tiffany played the sport of Judo growing up, where she competed on a regional level. She was a green belt when she discovered that she had soft tissue damage to her ribs and idiopathic scoliosis. As a result of these injuries she was unable to dance and play the sport of judo. Nevertheless after months of physical therapy Tiffany decided to return to dance. She believed that it would make a significant contribution to to her recovery, while doing a sport that she loved dearly. She says that dance has helped her to grow as an individual and to spread love and happiness wherever she goes. She believes that determination drives passion.
Tiffany is currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Arts at the Barbados Community College in Spanish for Business and Tourism and Sociology. Tiffany lives by the Walt Disney quote, “if you can dream it, you can do it”.
Tania Wallace, A.I.S.T.D
Image attribution: Nigel Wallace
Raised and trained in Canada, Tania has competed in major championship competitions across Canada and the United States in jazz, tap, ballet and lyrical from age 5. She is an I.S.T.D. Associate teacher in tap and has completed the I.S.T.D. Modern syllabus, the I.S.T.D. Jazz Awards, and has trained under both the I.S.T.D. and the major RAD Ballet syllabi. Her love for hip hop and contemporary dance and choreography was born while she was the captain of the University of Western Ontario competitive dance team.
Since moving to Barbados in 2006 Tania has been a teacher and choreographer at The Dance Place and has been involved in five productions of Just Dance. She has also had the privilege of performance training Barbadian music artists Cover Drive, Livvi Franc and Vita Chambers both pre and post signing with International Labels and has choreographed for music videos including for Canadian R&B star, Dru.
Tania has a Bachelor's in Business Administration with a specialisation in finance and strategy from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada. She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Real Property Valuations. Tania has recently started her own company, Polaris Caribbean Consulting Inc.
At the Pehñyo Dance Centre, Mrs. Wallace is the Hip-Hop Instructor. Keen to help provide further development opportunities for dancers in Barbados, she has coordinated and taught a number workshops in partnership with Pehñyo Productions with a number of North American master teachers and choreographers.
Stefanie Takei-Taylor
Image attribution: Nigel Wallace
Stefanie was born in Pasadena, California where she trained at Pasadena Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, and Austin Ballet. She received a BFA in dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she fell in love with modern dance. Stefanie has worked with choreographers Laurence Blake, Cherylyn Lavagnino, Doug Nielsen, Stephen Petronio, Cassandra Phifer, T. Lang, Brook Notary, Kyle Abraham, and Johannes Wieland. She is a founding member of Diesel Fusion Dance Theatre with Ihaia Miller. Currently, she is performing with the Barbados Dance Project run by John Hunte and Tara-Jane Herbert.
At the Pehñyo Dance Centre, Mrs. Takei-Taylor is a Ballet Instructor. She also teaches ballet and theory at the Barbados Community College, and The Dance Place.
Sadé-Maria Edwards
Image attribution: Nigel Wallace
Sadé-Maria is a recent graduate of Hofstra University with a Bachelors of Arts in Dance. She began her dance training at Praise Academy of Dance and the Dance Place in her hometown of Barbados. While training and performing with those two studios, Sadé was trained in Ballet (Royal Academy of Dance, Grades 5 through 8), Modern (International School of Teachers of Dance, Intermediate Level), Tap, Jazz and West African dance. During her time at Hofstra University she has performed works by Doug Varone, Frederick Earl Mosley, Karla Wolfangle, Adam Barruch, Stormy Brandenberger, Dyane Harvey Salaam, Maxine Steinman, and Judith Moss. She has attended several intensives which have given her the opportunity to perform works by Larry Keigwin, Paul Taylor, David Parsons and Sean McLeod.
When in Barbados during the summer, Sadé has taught and been Assistant Director at several summer intensives with Pehñyo Dance Company (2013-2016). Sadé has been awarded two bronze awards in Barbados’ National Independence Festival of Creative Arts for her choreographies “In Memory Of...” (2011) and “Depth” (2015). Post graduation, Sadé-Maria is looking forward to immersing herself in the dance world of New York City.
Shama Harding
Image attribution: Jerilee Evanson-Kellman
Shama has performed both locally and internationally with the Barbados Dance Centre, Dance Strides Barbados, University Dance Society at the Cave Hill Campus, DanceWorks the performing Corps of EMCVPA, Sankofa -African dance and drum ensemble, The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, Jamaica Musical Theatre Company, Father Ho Lung and Friends, and The Walt Disney World Company. Shama holds a Diploma in Dance education from Edna Manley College in Jamaica, and a Master of Arts in Dance Studies from the State University of New York College at Brockport. Her teaching credits include Edna Manley College, Excelsior Community college (Jamaica) and the Barbados Community College.
As part of her continued training Shama has received level 1 certification in Reinforced Motor Function and MT Modern technique from The New York Institute of Dance and Education and has recently completed her Advanced 1 Vocational Graded Exam through the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance. She is currently a candidate for certification in The Dunham Dance Technique.
Along with teaching Shama has had the privilege of facilitating various training and developmental workshops in the region through such organisations as Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, Caribbean Examination Council, Joint Board of Teacher Education (Primary Teachers Integrated Arts Program), Barbados Ministry of Education (PEACE Program), as well as judging the NIFCA Dance Competition. Shama joined Praise academy of Dance Barbados as a teacher in 2002 and upon moving to Jamaica in 2005 continued her work with Praise Jamaica. In August of 2009 Shama returned home and took up the position as Principal of Praise Academy of Dance Barbados where she remained until September 2013.
Shama is currently the Coordinator of the dance program at Barbados Community College Division of Fine Arts and also teaches Modern Dance to the members of Praise Academy Barbados and Dancin’ Africa, Pehñyo Dance Centre, and other church and community groups around the island.
Steve Rooks
Image attribution: Nigel Wallace
Steve began his dance training in Washington, D.C. He continued his training in New York City as a scholarship student at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Mr. Rooks danced and toured with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, and the Martha Graham Dance Company, where her performed for over a decade and achieved the rank of Principal Dancer.
Mr. Rooks has created a number of dances including “Cool River” that premiered at Lincoln center in 1996, and later became a part of the Graham Company repertoire. He was a 2004 winner of the National Choreographic Competition at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and created two solos for the 2004 Youth American Grand Prix Ballet competition.
Mr. Rooks is currently Chair of Dance and Resident Choreographer at Vassar College, and a guest teacher with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company, American Academy of Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Mexico, and the International Summer School in Sydney, Australia. He has been awarded Vassar Research grants to travel to Riga, Latvia, Lusaka, Zambia, and Turku, Finland in 2014, where he choreographed “Plate Tectonics” on 24 dancers. Mr. Rooks has served as an adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival, and a solo “Vista” premiered at the 2014 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.
In 2015-16, Mr. Rooks created four contemporary solos for the upcoming semi-finals for the Cecchetti International Competition. He was also a guest instructor at the Arkansas Arts Academy, Project Dance in Lima, Peru, and was an Artist-in-Residence at the Escuelas Adolfe Prieto and the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza in Monterrey, Mexico."
Mr. Rooks currently lives in New York with his wife Desiree and two daughters Kirstin and Arianna.
