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Shereel Herese Butler Washington (Director/Founder)is an accomplished performer, choreographer, and presenter in local, regional, and national venues; Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Hawaii, Jacob's Pillow, San Francisco International Arts Festival, Kodak Theaters in Hollywood; Union Square Park in San Francisco, CA; The Malonga Casquelourd Center Theater in Oakland, CA; ODC Theater in San Francisco. She was assistant choreographer for the University Dance Theater at San Francisco State. She has taught dance throughout the Bay Area and abroad. Shereel served as guest dance faculty at Belhaven College in Jackson, MS, in 2005, and taught at the Christian Ministering Arts Convention in Florida.
Shereel has danced with some of the Bay Areas finest artists and organizations: Joanna Haigood's Zaccho Dance Theater, Fua Dia Congo, founded and directed by the late Malonga Casquelourd, Robert Henry Johnson; Dr. Albirda Rose, professor of Dance at San Francisco State; New Trails Dance Theater, directed by Cynthia Newland; and Bantaba, directed by Moshe Milon, Master Drummer and Instructor.
Shereel is also director and co-founder of B-PAN, Black Performing Artists Network, and co-founder of The Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now. In 2005 she was guest co-curator of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival ChoreoFest and, in 2006, co-produced the ChoreoFest Youth Dance Day. Shereel served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco International Arts Festival, directed by Andrew Wood.
Shereel studied dance at U.C., Santa Barbara, and earned a BA in Choreography and Performance at San Francisco State University. Her professional training, performance, and choreography experience include: Ballet, Modern/Limon/Dunham Technique/Hawkins, Post Modern, Jazz, Tap, Congolese, Guinea, Caribbean, and Afro Haitian, and Hula. Shereel is currently training with Halau Hula 'O Kupukalau'ie'ie under the direction of Kumu Hula Analu (Andrew) Akao.
Sammuel Joseph Butler Washington, (Director/Founder)Pastor, Family/Life Counselor and Business Strategist, is a professional vocalist and performing artist on Piano, Keyboard, and Guitar, as well as a published composer, writer and presenter of Poetry, Prose, and Spoken Word. He has been performing since childhood on stage, television, and radio. He has also served as Minister of Music in churches and conferences of various denominations throughout California. As an active musician, Joseph's independent and collaborative Christian Music works include Contemporary Christian, Traditional and Contemporary Gospel, Classical Hymns, African-American Spirituals, Anthems, Classical Ballads, and Folk Music, as well as Salsa, Jazz, Hip-Hop Gospel, Afro-Caribbean, and Spoken Word. Through engagement with Christian artists from many cultures and through sharing in diverse Christian worship and praise experiences, Joseph has pursued a goal of sharing the Gospel of Jesus 'The Christ' by presenting more than traditional Western European-American music and culture as the platforms of Praise and Worship in The Church. Racial prejudice, cultural exclusivism, and ethnocentrism continue to be sources of deep discord and division in Global Christianity, especially in the areas of music, praise and worship. They represent the leading causes of the mis-representation of Christianity and The Gospel as a 'White-Western European religion', rather than as an eternal relationship with God that is offered to all people, all nations, all cultures and languages, everywhere. Joseph's desire is to clarify fully that Praise and Worship of God knows neither color, nor race, nor ethnicity, nor culture, nor special tempo or instrument. "Let Everything That Has Breath Praise The Lord!" is the standard and the goal for everyone who truly claims Jesus Christ.
Joseph is an ordained minister and Pastor of LifeSource Christian Fellowship (formerly New Life Church of El Cerrito). Formally ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Denomination, Joseph initially pastored in the American Baptist Tradition and now leads LifeSource in non-denominational association with the Growing Healthy Churches Network. He has served as a Mental Health Clinician for the Sacramento County Dept. of Mental Health, is a Volunteer Chaplain and Department of Homeland Security Critical Incident Coordinator with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department. Joseph is also co-Founder and co-Director of the Trident Saber Foundation, which supports families of Navy Seals killed or wounded in action. In 2007, he led the production of SNACK TV, for which Joseph is executive producer and principal host.
Sammuel Washington/CV: In the Business and Commercial world, Joseph maintains a successful practice as a Business Operations and Technology Enterprise Consultant for commercial and government enterprises. He provides strategic business planning, business restructuring, technology infrastructure organization, and systems management/implementation services to firms and agencies ranging in size from national and global organizations to small businesses and startups. He currently serves as Director of Global Business and Technology Enterprise Solutions for Trident Saber International and Senior Manager of eBusiness Web Infrastructure Delivery and Support for Ness USA. In addition to studies in Engineering and Computer Science, Joseph has a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Davis; an M.Th. from Sacramento/Mt. Zion Theological Seminary; and Professional Certificates in Program/Project Management, and Certification in Executive Leadership through Darden Management Institute of the University of Virginia.
Michael Simmons
Randi Brooks
Gwendolyn Taylor
Michael Nelson
Taigo
Rocky Johnson
Malik
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