Current Philadelphia Artist, Sophiann Mahalia moved from Hartford, Connecticut to receive her BFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from Temple University. Sophiann graduated Summa Cum Laude and had the honor of being the recipient of the Rose Vernick Most Promising Performers Award. Sophiann’s dance credentials include Equilibrium Dance Theatre, D2D: Dare To Dance, and Kariamu and Company: Traditions. She has trained under Lee Aca Thompson, who has influenced artists such as Michael Peters choreographer for Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and Dr. Kariamu Welsh, creator of the Umfundalai technique. She has studied West African, Modern, Ballet, Hip hop, Waacking, and Umfundalai with AQiida Gilbert, Dara Stevens- Meredith, Dr. Kariamu Welsh, Jillian Harris, Jolet Creary, Kun Yang Lin, Laura Katz Rizzo, Lee Aca Thompson, and Stephen Hankey.

Her recent works include the Gilead’s commercial campaign “Press Play”, Black & Mild commercial shoot, and music video Clarity for singing artist Saleka Night Shyamalan directed by Ishani Shyamalan and M. Night Shyamalan. Alongside this, she was one of the featured dancers for Ari Lennox’s Shea Butter Baby music video featuring J Cole. In the commercial world, Sophiann has had the opportunity to do work for companies such as BOMBAS, gone on tour with the Clothesline Muse starring six-time nominated jazz singer Nnenna Freelon and performed in New Freedom Theatre’s Black Nativity directed by Rajendra Maroon Maharaj. She is currently Artistic Director of The Reclamation Dance Project and premiering her newest work, Outside Your Expectations.

Kalayah Curry, born and raised in Hartford, CT, began dancing at the age of 3 and hasn't stopped since. Growing up in a dance school based on the learnings of the African diaspora, Curry has continued to build a special relationship between dance and culture. She has studied and been formally trained in ballet, modern technique, contemporary dance, jazz, hip-hop and West African dance. She is an original member of Hartford’s successful hip-hop dance team, Team860, and has intensively trained at Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts and DCNS Summer Intensive. Curry has worked and trained with artists, Rennie Harris, Heidi Cruz, Aubrey Lynch II, Robert Moore, Robin Dunn, Kim Bears-Bailey and many others. Aside from her movement studies, Curry is also an award recipient of multiple academic scholarships. She graduated with her BFA in dance from Temple University and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Performing Arts Health & Fitness.

Aziyah Batton, born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, began her dance journey at age 13. Starting with strictly Hip-hop as an after-school hobby, she was observed by Jaquetta Colson, founder of Living Arts Dance Studio, and invited on a full scholarship to attend her summer intensive. She has maintained a full scholarship ever since. Aziyah’s love for dance grew as she trained in Hip-hop, Pointe, African, Ballet, Jazz, Musical theater, Contemporary, Horton, Tap, and Acrobatics. Batton has trained with many artists and choreographers including Desmond Richardson, DJ Smart, Jojo Gomez, Sabrina Phillip, Maud Arnold, Tovaris Wilson, and many others. She will continue her studies at Point Park University as a Dance BFA major with a concentration in Modern. In the near future she plans on opening up a nonprofit organization to help inner city kids struggling to afford dance classes.

Caitlin Green (she/they) is a Philadelphia-based dance artist with a background in dance/movement therapy (R-DMT). In her work, she tends to concentrate on the body's role in wellness, individuality, and expressions of personal and collective narratives. As a freelance dance artist, Caitlin has choreographed and co-created works featured in Philly Fringe Festival 2019, RAW Artist showcase (Baltimore), EMERGE Earthdance multidisciplinary artist residency, the Painted Bride Art Center’s artist residency, Building Bridges, and Bodymeld’s GWYN artist residency. She is the curator and facilitator of a workshop series “Dancing to Transgress: lessons from bell hooks” that questions traditional educational settings and challenges today’s teachers, teaching artists, activists, and community leaders to re-imagine what a successful and inclusive learning environment can look like. She is the convener of “Our Embodied Impulses” a collaborative project which used movement scores to explore the interconnected nature of individual and collective restoration. Caitlin is a teaching artist with Dancing Classrooms Philly (DCP), The Village of Arts and Humanities, and BuildaBridge International.

Alaina Griffin, raised in Philadelphia, began her dance training in 2011 at the age of 3 years old at the Progressive Center for Dance. In 2014, she began training with I Am Phresh Dance Academy and became a member of the I Am Phresh Phreshest Kids team by 2015. Alaina has remained on the team and has since been placed on their junior competition team, Creative Monsterz. In the summer of 2015, she also began training with Living Arts Dance and became a member of the Living Arts Dance competition team. Alaina has taken workshops with Sean Bankhead, Tyrik J Patterson, Nicole Kirkland, Charles Smith, Antoine Troupe, Ledon, Tia Rivera, Ian Eastwood, and several others. During this time, she also began taking Taekwondo and by 2018 became the E.C.S.K.L Triple Crown winner, the overall champion for being 1st in Weapons, Forms, and Sparring.

Between her two competition teams, she has competed at Prelude, ECDC, Star Power, World of Dance, and A.S.H. Competition. She has also attended Monster’s of Hip Hop Dance Convention and earned her first One City scholarship in 2017. Along with this, she has had the opportunity to perform at the Wind Up Dance Tour, Phillies game, Dance for a Cure, the UniverSoul Circus, the Mayfair parade, and Aladdin the Musical with the Show Stoppers at the Kimmel Center. Alaina has received scholarships from Jaquel Knight,Robert Green and Kevin Maher.

With her artistry she wants to continue taking classes and someday hopes to teach.

Mia Clark, born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been pursuing dance from the age of nine years old. She has trained at Living Arts Dance Studios with Jaquetta Colson, Kalayah Curry, Shawn Cusseaux, Ashley Simpson, Zaria Leonard White, and many more. She is trained in Vaganova Ballet Technique, Jazz, Hip-Hop, African, Acro, Tap, Horton, Contemporary, Pointe, and Musical Theater. Along with this, Mia has participated in her dance studios annual dance recital and has been a part of Living Arts’ Competition Team since 2016. She has performed in the Northern Liberties annual fall festival, Wawa’s Welcome America Festival, and Philadelphia’s Christmas Village.

Among Mia’s accomplishments, she has competed in the Starboard Regional competition and the A.S.H. Competition at the regional and national level. At A.S.H. she was awarded the Potential Plus Award twice for her solo Twice (choreographed by Kalayah Curry) and received a half-scholarship from A.S.H. to go to the National Competition/Convention In Orlando, Florida.

Once she finishes high school, Mia plans to go to college for dance and audition for companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Complexions Dance Company.