The Uprooted Experience
The Uprooted Experience
Presented in collaboration with Dancinema, Frameform Podcast & The JaM Youth Project
Sunday October, 13
10 am - 5 pm
UPROOTED: THE JOURNEY OF JAZZ DANCE
film screening & panel discussion
with Faculty & Lisa Donmall-Reeve
*Live recording for Frameform Podcast*
African Dance
with Robin Gee
African American Social Dance
with Catherine Foster
Tap Dance
with Germaine Goodson
For Ages 13+
Full day attendance required
Limited to 20 spots - don't wait to register
$150 for non-JYP members
Scholarships available
Questions? E-mail thejamspacedmv@gmail.com
Robin Gee holds an MFA in Contemporary Dance Choreography and Performance from Sarah Lawrence College and specializes in African, Caribbean, and Modern dance techniques. She is an Associate Professor of Dance at UNC Greensboro where she teaches African and Modern dance and has developed the schools Screendance curriculum.
Ms. Gee performed with several dance companies in NY including Les Ballet Bagata directed by Yousouff Koumbassa, former principal dancer with Ballets Africains de Guinea, and Marie Basse Wiles’ Maimouna Keita Dance Company with whom she toured the US and Africa. Her choreographic works have appeared in the North Carolina Dance Festival, Dumbo Arts, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, as well as resident works mounted on various colleges and universities around the world.
She is the recipient of the West African Research Association'sPost Doctoral Fellowship in African Research, the Central Piedmont Artist's Hub Grant for her work on dance and music in West Africa. Most recently she is the recipient of the American Association of University Women's Post-Doctoral Research Award for her work on The Mande Legacy, a dance documentation project for which spent six months in Guinea, the NC Choreographers Fellowship, and the Fulbright Award for her Research in Burkina Faso in 2013 and the Fulbright Specialist Award 2020.
In 2006 Ms Gee also formed her own company Sugarfoote Productions, a multipurpose service organization designed to expose communities to the myriad expressions evident in African art and to help local audiences experience the richness of African and Diasporan cultural traditions. Her own dance films have currently screened in 27 film festivals worldwide.
Catherine Foster is a professional dancer, dance educator, choreographer, freelance makeup artist, and cultural consultant. She received her dance training from the DC Youth Ensemble (DCYE), the BaltimoreSchool for the Arts (BSA), and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.
She was a finalist and 2nd place winner in the National Arts Recognition/YoungARTS, in Miami, Fla., and is a recipient of the Astaire Award for Best Broadway Female Ensemble. She has worked with and performed the works of noted choreographers, including Donald Bryd, Bill T. Jones, Hinton Battle, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Abdel Salaam.
Company Credits: The Fred Benjamin Dance Company; Forces of Nature; Camille A. Brown and Dancers (Principal Dancer). Recording Artists: Alicia Keys, The Roots, Jazmine Sullivan, Seun Kuti, Davido, Angelique Kidjo, Lauryn Hill. Film/TV: TEDx/TED Talks; Black Girls Rock (BET);
Netflix Originals: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Assistant Choreographer); NBC /Amazon prime comedy series HARLEM (dancer/actor). Broadway/Off-Broadway: FELA! (original cast) produced by Jay Z and Will Smith; Once on this Island (Assistant Choreographer); Ain’t No Disco (Assistant Choreographer). Catherine is currently in her second season at The Metropolitan Opera, performing in Terrance Blanchard’s CHAMPION: An Opera in Jazz. A dance educator for over 10 years, Catherine regularly teaches in New York City and internationally. Catherine has performed throughout North America to as far as Central and South America,Europe, and Africa. Catherine gives thanks to her ancestors, mentors, and loved ones for her success and guidance!
"Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances."
- Dr. Maya Angelo
Germaine Goodson was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She started taking ballet and acrobatics classes at age 3. She continues to dance, as a performing artist, a passionate tap teacher and choreographer. She believes that having a good education, is very important. She has a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Child Psychology and is an M.A. Candidate for Musical Theatre/Dance.
Germaine is one half of the classy & sophisticated tap duo, known as The RHYTHM QUEENS. Together with her dance partner, Deborah Mitchell, have toured with and opened for the legendary band leader and singer, CAB CALLOWAY! They have performed in productions with the legendary, Nicolas Brothers: Harold Nicholas in the Off-Broadway production of BACK IN THE BIG TIME!
She loved performing in the Broadway production of BLACK AND BLUE with Fayard Nicolas as one of the four, Tap & Swing Choreographers. The other legendary choreographers, were: Henry LeTang, Cholly Atkins, Frankie Manning.
Germaine was chosen by the extraordinary genius, Broadway, TV, film choreographer, and master tap teacher, Henry LeTang, to perform as one of the RHYTHM QUEENS, who he created for the film The COTTON CLUB. She was a company member of the tap company, Ballet Tap USA, created by Tap dancers and choreographers, Maurice Hines, Jr. and Mercedes Ellington.
Germaine was last seen on Broadway in the production of PLAY ON based on Duke Ellington and choreographed by Mercedes Ellington.
Germaine continues to teach tap classes at Steps on Broadway in NYC. Her style, skills and inspiration come from Henry LeTang! Her philosophy is: LIVE, LOVE, DANCE! Work hard, dream big, study continuously, persevere, believe, and never give up! She is living proof, that dreams do come true! She believes that tap dancing is great for your health.
In an exciting new project, Germaine contributed her Oral History to the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts/Oral History Project, of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division. She was interviewed by: Lynnette Barkley, as Dancer, Tap Teacher, Performing Artist, Choreographer.
Lisa Donmall-Reeve migrated from a successful and extensive career in theatre, which armed her with all the essential cross transferable skills for producing. She is a true collaborator with a passion for storytelling and has over two decades of production experience. Her company, LDR Creative, plays to its strengths to make an impact. It has enjoyed its role in creating excellence in film entertainment building creative teams that inspire and to deliver a product that makes a difference.
Lisa has been awarded over 15 major film festival awards in its first seven years of production. Her most recent work includes two feature length documentaries; ‘Uprooted – The Journey of Jazz Dance’ (HBO Max) and ‘Susan Feniger. FORKED’ (currently on the film festival circuit) She has several feature length projects in development (both scripted and un-scripted) and looks forward to creating, collaborating, and producing the current and future generation’s vision in film.
Lisa is the UPROOTED Jazz Dance Education Projects Artistic Director and strives to continue to educate the current and future generations of dancers worldwide with this companies important programs.
A fusion of Dance & Cinema through productions, education & events
Enjoy this curated playlist & view more,
including feature films at Dancinema Online
Listen to Frameform's Episode featuring some of the Uprooted team...
Documentaries educate, celebrate, and honor the moments of history in the world at large. With plenty of recorded documents on the upbringing of ballet and modern dance, we have to question when and where did jazz dancing enter into the picture.
Khadifa Wong’s documentary, Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance, has been making its festival rounds, being one of the very few films that thoroughly examine the beginnings and transformations of jazz dancing in the United States.
We were given the opportunity to watch this film in its totality and we are discussing the important topics brought up in the story and how it may sit to audiences outside of the dance community.
Aside from our deep dive round table, Jen Ray and Clare had a moment to speak with the “Uprooted” team, discussing the making of the film itself.