African Drum and Dance with Talise Campbell

Bio:

Talise A. Campbell is a dancer, choreographer, director, and educator who strives to connect audiences to the beauty of diasporic music, history, art, and folklore. Campbell creates multidisciplinary and socially engaging dance for theater, screen, stage, and public spaces. Her work is deeply rooted in research, musicality, authenticity, and the African American experience. Talise comes from a family of artisans, including her great-grandmother, acclaimed actress Minnie Gentry, and her cousin, actor and producer Terrence Howard. Her choreographic works have received rave reviews in notable productions such as Ruined, God’s Trombones, Black Nativity, and Julius Caesar Set in Africa. She is also the creator of the highly anticipated annual production Juneteenth, which has been featured at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the historic Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. Combining her love for the arts and education, Campbell earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Education and Educational Administration from Cleveland State University. For over two decades, she has worked in academia and the arts, sharing her knowledge of culture through dance. At her alma mater, Cleveland School of the Arts, she spent over 16 years designing and implementing education plans for students with learning disabilities through the integration of cultural arts. Campbell is the Executive Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer of Djapo Cultural Arts Institute, where she has created an extensive repertoire that has touched thousands over the past decade through stage performances, residencies, lectures, and workshops. Her work is informed by ongoing diasporic research, community arts engagement, and international cultural exchange. Through these efforts, her artistic work has been presented in West Africa, South America, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Dubai, and throughout the Caribbean, among other locations.