Jamal Jackson Dance Company
Jamal Jackson Dance Company (JJDC) was founded with the purpose of fusing various traditional African dance styles with Modern techniques and diverse contemporary music styles to create a new, unique technique that is relevant to a multifarious community. JJDC’s study and movement language are initiated by forming the connections between the artistic and communal practices of the Bambara, Malinke, Wasalu, and Khassonke peoples of Mali, West Africa and the traditions and histories of people in the US. The movement and storylines of JJDC’s work focus on redefining ideas of community and blurring divisive lines, while still celebrating the beauty of individual cultures. JJDC’s mission is to create space and empower people to actively engage in their narratives while presenting work in different communities.
Jamal Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York and began his formal studies of movement with the Harlem based Batoto Yetu Dance Company. His pursuit of Biology and dance led him to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he received the Weston Award for his contribution to the Fusion Dance Company and New Works/ World Traditions African Dance Company from 1996-2000. Jamal studied with Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, Seydou Coulibaly, and Fred Benjamin and worked under M’ba Coulibaly, Salimata Soumare from Kelete Dance Theatre, and Ba Issa Diallo, director of Troupe District du Bamako in Mali, West Africa. Jamal performed with Ballet International Africans for two seasons as a principal dancer and in 2004 he founded the Jamal Jackson Dance Company. JJDC has established a strong presence in and out of New York City. The company’s work has been presented at venues including: Mark Morris Dance Center, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, NYC Summerstage Concert Series, DanceNow Festival, DTW, Battery Downtown Dance Festival, Brown University, the Brooklyn Museum, Equality Now’s 20th Anniversary, Big Range Festival in Austin, TX, The Yard in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, Performance Spaces for the 21st Century in Chatham, NY, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pitt., GSUSA National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, Abundance Festival in Karlstad, Sweden, 92nd street Y, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Website: https://www.jamaljacksondancecompany.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079220614276
Navatman Featuring Baila Society
Founded in 2008, Navatman is a New York–based Indian classical performing arts organization presenting bharatanatyam, kathak and Carnatic vocal work through its professional company and community school. Its founding director, Sahasra Sambamoorthi, has been described in the South Asian arts press as part of a generation reshaping how Indian classical forms are understood and presented in the United States.
About Baila Society – Baila Society is a New York Latin dance organization founded by Ahtoy Juliana, focused on salsa, Latin hustle and the social-dance lineages of the South Bronx and Spanish Harlem. Its work centers on cultural preservation, embodied archival research, and the social and political histories that shaped the music and movement.
Navatman and Baila Society joined forces in 2024 for a uniquely New York City experience: a place where two women-led arts organizations based in the cultural traditions of Afro-Latinx arts (Salsa, Latin Hustle, Afro-Cuban) and Indian arts (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Hindustani and Carnatic music) come together.
Website: https://www.navatman.org/ & https://www.bailasociety.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/navatmaninc & https://www.facebook.com/bailasociety
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navatman/ & https://www.instagram.com/bailasociety/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dancesahi
YouTube/Vimeo: https://www.youtube.com/@Navatman & https://www.youtube.com/@bailasociety