Performers:
Edward Spots
Edward Spots is a native New Orleanian born and raised in the former Magnolia Housing Project. His first personal experiences with dance came from neighborhood gatherings of the Mardi Gras Indians and impactful elective opportunities studying capoeira and modern African dance at New Orleans’ first charter school. In his early years, Mr. Spots trained locally at the New Orleans Dance Academy, NORD/NOBA, and The Schramel Conservatory. In the disarray that followed Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Spots applied for and was awarded a scholarship to study ballet at the Walnut Hill School for the Fine Arts in Massachusetts where he trained under director Michael Owen for three years. During the summers, he also studied at The Washington School of Ballet, Joffrey Midwest, and The Joffrey Ballet School in New York City.
Upon graduating from Walnut Hill, Mr. Spots was granted a fellowship at The Ailey School in New York where he ultimately joined Ailey II, a professional company that gave him his first opportunity to perform professionally in cities throughout the United States and Europe.
Beyond his career with Ailey II, Mr. Spots performed as a guest artist with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Urban Ballet Theatre, KM Dance Project, Komenka Ethnic Dance & Music Ensemble, The New Orleans Opera, and New Orleans Ballet Theatre. He just completed his 5th season with the Marigny Opera Ballet. His career has been diverse, appearing in a variety of commercials, films and print media and was, most recently, featured in America – winner of the 2019 Sundance Film festival award for best short. The film, along with an original piece choreographed by Mr. Spots entitled “Black Magic”, debuted at the New Orleans Museum of Art in late 2019.
When not performing or choreographing, Mr. Spots teaches ballet to pre-professional students at the New Orleans School of Ballet and has his own project based company Magnolia Dance & Company. He is thrilled to be joining the staff at NOCCA for the 2020-21 school year.
Nikki Hefko
Owner and director of New Orleans School of Ballet, Nikki Hefko was a member of Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) under the direction of Arthur Mitchell. In 2006, she performed at the White House, captured in the PBS Special, In Performance at the White House, honoring the life and career of Arthur Mitchell. She also danced with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, The Metropolitan Opera and as a freelance artist.
Nikki’s choreography has been performed at various New York City venues, Marigny Opera House, the Louisiana Dance Festival, The Contemporary Arts Center and by the Madison Ballet. Her work for the Marigny Opera Ballet has been nominated for the Big Easy Entertainment Awards, once in 2016 and again in 2017.
Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Nikki is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans.
Le’Brian A. Patrick
Le’Brian A. Patrick, PhD, a Louisiana native currently resides in Phoenix, AZ, where he serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Assistant Chair for Sociology in the Department of Social Sciences at Glendale Community College, AZ. Throughout his artistic timeline, Dr. Patrick has consistently enjoyed working as a visual artist, a theatrical performer, and a dance performer. He began his dance training with the Baton Rouge Ballet and has since danced locally and nationally for a number of companies such as Of Moving Colors, the Cangelosi Dance Project, The Atlanta Dance Connection, Magnolia Dance Theatre, KM Dance Project, Convergence Ballet, Scorpius Dance Theatre, Desert Dance Theatre, and CaZo Dance Company, just to name a few. Dr. Patrick appreciates the arts in every way and continues to work towards a shared value for the experiences of every being and uses art to help fundraise for a number of charities. He enjoys a large variety of dance styles and is very thankful for all of the amazing and inspirational teachers, dancers, choreographers, family, friends, and everyone who has supported and nurtured his talents over the past years.
Khloe Scholfield
Khloe Scholfield, 13, is a rising 8th grade student at Mount Carmel Academy, and also a member of MCA’s dance team.
Khloe trains in the pre-professional program at New Orleans School of Ballet. There she has performed corps de ballet, soloist roles in the Nutcracker in New Orleans, and May Matinee performances. This summer Khloe will travel to New York City to attend the School of American Ballet’s 5 week Summer Course as a full scholarship student. Khloe aspires to be a professional ballerina.
Kennedy Simon
Kennedy Simon, age 16, is currently a senior at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. At the age of 10 she began her training with New Orleans Ballet Association, and plans so pursue dance at a higher level upon graduation.
A’briel Mitchell
I am 17 years old. I graduated from Helen Cox High School and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and attended New Orleans Ballet Association. I will be attending Howard University to receive a BFA in dance.
Priya Bhandari
Priya Bhandari is currently earning a combined Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in epidemiology from Tulane University. She trained in Colorado Ballet’s Pre-Professional program throughout high school, appearing in several of the company’s professional productions including Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Giselle. While in college, she has performed with the Komenka Ethnic Dance and Music Ensemble as a company dancer. She has also performed as a guest in local productions of The Nutcracker with the New Orleans School of Ballet and Lelia Haller Ballet Classique. Post-graduation, Priya hopes to pursue a career in dance as well as public health, focusing primarily on social justice.
Celine Seiber
Ceylon Seiber
Johria Phillips
Johri’yan Phillips
D8NO
D8NO, born Vincent Phillips, is an American Rapper and songwriter raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. D8NO found his first love for the musical arts around his family. He was given the opportunity to attend St. Mary-The Angels Head Start for middle school, where he discovered how to create his own beats, It was here where his first formal spark for music began. When D8NO was just 15 he started to create his own music. Not having the resources to attend higher level arts schools, D8NO started performing and just sharing his work for free. Performing in Atlanta, Florida, Mississippi, and New Orleans has made D8NO highly respected in the New Orleans underground rap scene. He is known for his unique ability to spit lines without any preparation. D8NO feels honored to be here at NOMA and having the opportunity to share his craft with such a unique audience.
Doc
Doc, born Desmond Charles Ordon, is an American rapper and songwriter from New Orleans Louisiana. Growing up admiring singers such as Chris Brown, Doc knew that he wanted to be a performing artist just like him. Doc at the age of 12 got his brothers together to create and perform a song for The Annunciation Church on Claiborne, this was the experience that made Doc start chasing his dreams in music. He attended Sci High Academy, where Doc took his first formal vocal lessons. After his high school experience Doc began creating his own music and reaching out to his community through lyrics. He is widely regarded as one of the most authentic New Orleans sounding rappers in the community. Doc has been performing in the New Orleans underground rap scene since 2015. This is Doc’s first big performance and he wants to thank NOMA for the opportunity to continue doing what he loves.
Cubs the Poet
Christian “Cubs the Poet” Davenport was born in Baton Rouge and raised in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia). Wanting to develop and understand his own way of thinking, Cubs left college to start typing custom poems in the French Quarter, where he honed his poetic skills and expanded his vocabulary with regards to communicating with tourists and natives. He believes freedom is not the experience, but the expression of the experience.
The inaugural Poet Laureate of Baton Rouge, Cubs is currently working on self publishing his first book of poems and art, What I Did with my Free Time. Cubs the Poet is also a visual artist whose latest exhibition, entitled, “Say It: I Love Black People,” delved into the lack of intimacy and vulnerability between races, in addition to the lack of development of self love.
Production:
Dylan Lp (Y) – Costume Design
Creator. Designer. Performer.
All power to the people.
Grown in south Minneapolis, currently Experiencing this thing called life in New Orleans. Studying Fashion and Textile design at the Material Institute in the upper 9th Ward. Creating sustainable dynamic garments while dismantling and unlearning colonialism is the task at hand.