PLGDC is thrilled to celebrate International Dance Day! As a global multi-cultural dance company, our focus of promoting equity and equality for our artists is indeed a reason to celebrate this very special occasion. Our virtual program will feature some of our dancers, our multicultural global choreographic heritage, and our dancers' personal experience as global citizens.
Featured in the conversation will be Artistic Director Peter London and Composer Ezra Haugabrooks, Founding Artistic Director of The Ballet and Dance Orchestra, and their collaborative artistic relationship in creating music for PLGDC New Works Series.
Register now through Zoom to engage in our Q&A discussion! The event will also be streamed through Facebook Live!
Panelists:
Ezra Haugabrooks: Ezra Haugabrooks is an American-born conductor and composer of African-American and Jamaican descent. He began playing piano at the age of three and performing piano accompaniment with his father, Charles Haugabrooks, at the age of seven.
At age 10, after begging his mother for an instrument, Haugabrooks began to take violin lessons and playing in the school orchestra. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in viola performance from Andrews University in 2008. He has studied with Igor Fedotov and Nokuthula Ngwenyama, among other notable instructors and is continuing graduate studies at Georgia State University with Tania Maxwell-Clements. Haugabrooks has performed with members of the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Rachel Barton Pine, and others in private chamber series in Minnesota as well as in numerous private chamber recitals. His participation at these delightful events has been in a variety of roles as a violist, counter-tenor, tenor, conductor, and pianist.
Education should have a significant function in a child’s formative years, and the Haugabrooks family consistently provided this support for him. This resulted in connecting a profound personal responsibility to education and robust performances. A passionate pedagogue, Haugabrooks has taught as a viola instructor, general music, substitute teacher in a general classroom, orchestra at all levels, middle school band, elementary and middle school chorus.
In 2017, Haugabrooks founded the Ballet and Dance Orchestra. With the intent to perform music for companies, his vision was to offer an alternative for organizations to be able to use live performances of both original and well-beloved orchestral selections, respecting and recognizing the musicianship of local professional artists while still making it accessible to the public. The Ballet and Dance Orchestra, Inc. seeks to be the first of its kind to pursue this vision and perform for major shows. Peter London Dance Company and the Ballet and Dance Orchestra collaborated this past December in an exciting new work called “Black Men Crossing”. Haugabrooks composed and conducted the score with ten company dancers at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. In addition to performing and directing the Atlanta University Center Orchestra, Haugabrooks has been re-engaged for three more performances with Peter London in 2020. He is also a board member of the American Viola Society.
Outside of the world of music, Haugabrooks is a single father to his beautiful son, Noah Haugabrooks. He enjoys spending free time discovering springs and exploring nature with his son.
Leon Cobb: Raised in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, began his dance training at the age of 17 years old at Boynton Beach Community High and Southern Dance Theater. Mr. Cobb has trained at the Ailey School, Martha Graham school and Alonzo King LINES Ballet summer intensive scholarship fellowship program and New World School of the Arts/University of Florida BFA graduate class of 2015. He has danced with Joseé Garrant, Martha Graham contemporary dance, Limón, MOMIX contemporary dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Graham 2 and is a guest artist/choreographer with the Peter London Global Dance company. He has worked as a teaching assistant with Ailey Camp and Camp Broadway Miami as well as teaching Caribbean and Modern Contemporary master classes throughout South Florida and New York City. Mr. Cobb, currently resides in New York and has recently booked a featured dance role on Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. David Makes Man Season 2 on HBOMAX.
Deja Darbonne: Deja N. Darbonne was born and raised in Fairfield, CA, where she began dancing at Center Stage Ballet Academy under the direction of her mother Anita Hope. Darbonne admired her mother for being one of the few Black women to teach classical ballet and have her own business, which influenced Darbonne's admiration for the ballet technique. Darbonne mainly focused on the techniques of concert dance (ballet and modern). However, was influenced by various cultural dances such as: West-African Dance, Flamenco, Salsa, Afro-Brazilian, and Haitian Folklore.
In April 2017, Darbonne graduated with honors from New World School of the Arts College in Miami, FL where she received her Bachelors in Fine Arts from the University of Florida. Darbonne has danced professionally with Peter London Global Dance Company, Dance Now Miami, National Water Dance Project, Ballet Hispanico Dos, Ruddur Dance, and OCA Dance.
She has performed works by Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Ronald K. Brown, Talley Beatty, Gustavo Ramirez, Robert Battle, Jamar Roberts, Eduardo Vilaro, among others. Darbonne has attended numerous dance programs such as Ballet Hispanico's ChoreoLab, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Francisco Gella Dance Works, Miami City Ballet, and San Francisco City Ballet. In recognition of her academic excellence and scholarly achievement, Darbonne was awarded the Miami-Dade College Honors Dance award in 2015.
Aaron Lopez: Aaron Lopez, dancer and personal trainer, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He has trained with The Florida Ballet, Jacksonville Center of the Arts, Florida State College, and currently resides in Miami, Florida where he has received a Bachelors in Fine Arts from New World School of the Arts. Besides his classical and modern training, Aaron has had the opportunity of performing at multiple award shows for artists such as Marc Anthony, Daddy Yankee, and Ozuna. Aaron’s goal is to use all the skills he has learned in the past few years to help him tour internationally for a famous artist or dance company.
Suzannah Koornneef: Suzannah Laine Koornneef is a South Florida native and a graduate from New World School of the Arts. Ms. Koornneef graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, which is a four year degree program through the University of Florida. She started dancing at the age of five and has trained in Cecchetti Ballet. Additionally, Ms. Koornneef trained in Horton, Graham, and Taylor styles of modern, tap, and jazz. She received a scholarship to attend NWSA and had the opportunity to perform renowned works by Gerard Ebitz, Peter London, Lara Murphy, Edwardo Vilaro, and Paul Taylor.
"Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.”
“With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor, and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners.”