Photo by Cesar Brodermann
ANDREW KAMINSKI (Projection Director)
Andrew Kaminski was born in 1989, raised in Westchester NY, and surrounded by forests and reservoirs. He values nature greatly, and never goes very long without returning to areas with trees, lakes, and hiking. Kaminski attended SUNY New Paltz, a mountainous counter culture village in upstate NY.
He received his BFA in drawing and painting. Besides having several shows in New Paltz, Kaminski had a period of activism, and legalized skateboarding on the SUNY campus.
His BFA thesis show consisted of detailed color pencil drawings about what he refers to as spiritual contemplation and the collective unconscious. He then attended CUNY City College in Harlem, where he received his MFA. His thesis show at City College consisted of video projections on top of large intricate color pencil drawings, and his work discussed the figure within an abstract environment, along with the theme of interconnectedness within a technology-based society.
Kaminski has an interest in painting murals, public art, and projection art in public and private venues. He believes that all humans are dynamic and ephemeral spirits contained within the organic human facade. He joined ZEST COLLECTIVE in 2014. ZEST’s Dance Artists premiered Audiovisual Dance with Andrew at Harlem Arts Festival (HAF)'s opening night party on June 27th, 2014. Kaminski also performed with ZEST at HAF's Young Patrons Session March 19th, 2015.
FELIX KUNZE (Photographer)
Born in East Berlin, Felix grew up in Sussex, England.
His goal is to show the beauty, grace, strength and enthusiasm of people. He focuses on non-models and place regular people in exaggerated situations that highlight an aspect of who they are.
Kunze is based in New York City and travels for projects around the globe. As well as a bit of photo assisting for Annie Leibovitz in New York and Mario Testino in London, Kunze shoots a lot of portraiture as well as assignments for agencies like Getty Images, WireImage, the Redferns Music Library, Getty Travel and others, including celebrity portraits at ContourPhotos.
Photo by Catalina Patiño
LEO CASTAÑEDA (Projection Artist)
Leo Castañeda, born 1988, Cali, Colombia, is an Artist living in New York City. His works combine classical methods of illusionistic image-making with abstraction to create spaces that absorb the viewer. Castañeda then recreates events in his paintings and drawings using mediums such as interactive sculpture, animation and performance, to engage his audience as participators rather than passive observers. Castañeda received his BFA from Cooper Union and is currently pursuing an MFA at Hunter College.
Photo by John Midgley
PAX HUMANA (Musicians)
Electronic production & performance duo, Pax Humana concocted by Brian Lindgren and Samir Zarif.
Brian Lindgren originally from Upstate New York, graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a degree in Viola Performance studying under John Graham. There he discovered electronic music through his friends and furthered his studies with Alan Schindler at the Eastman Computer Music Center. In 2006, he moved to New York City to pursue his career as a musician. He first freelanced as a violist and violinist performing and recording with many groups and artists including Alarm Will Sound and Tyondai Braxton. He has also performed abroad in Italy, Austria and England. Besides performing, he was on the music faculty at City and Country School (2009-2013) where he also started an electronic music composition program. After being selected to participate in the Vox Novus 60x60 project (2009, 2010), his compositions were performed abroad in England, Ireland, Germany, Romania and Argentina. He has also been commissioned to compose music for art exhibitions featuring Brian Reed and Anton Kandinsky. He primarily focuses now on his electronic music duo, Pax Humana, with Samir Zarif. This has brought him to collaborate with many artists of diverse backgrounds.
Samir Zarif originally from Houston, TX, moved to New Orleans to study jazz performance & composition at the University of New Orleans (UNO) with film-scorer, Terrance Blanchard. In 2004, he migrated to New York attending the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) as a graduate student of Jazz Studies and saxophone performance. He then quickly integrated himself into the music scene as a saxophonist touring throughout the United States, Canada & Europe in many noted bands and ensembles such as Miguel Zenon's Identities Big Band, the Hans Glawischnig Trio, Soulful Symphony and the Ric Molina Group performing at world-renowned venues and halls such as Carnegie Hall (NYC) and Bimhuis (Amsterdam). Simultaneous to a well-established career as a saxophonist, Zarif has also began to gain prestige as a music producer. In 2009, he was commissioned to film-score a collection of short films by Donna Cameron, a noted trans-media artist, who later debuted their works at the Museum of Modern Art. The project ignited Zarif's passion for electronic music, seeing a new spectrum of possibilities toward his love of composition and scoring. Soon after, Brian Lindgren and Samir Zarif began working together, eventually forming their electronic duo, Pax Humana.
Photo by David Tufino
DAVID TUFINO (Photographer)
David Tufino is the founder of D*TUFINO Photography - a “Fashion Forward” husband and wife photography team that specializes in Dance, Fashion, Portraiture, Weddings, Lifestyle & Sports photography.
Tufino began collaborating with ZEST COLLECTIVE's Dance Artists in the spring of 2015.
BRIAN MICHAEL REED (Visual Artist)
Brian Michael Reed is an internationally exhibited conceptual Artist that was born in Charleston, West Virginia on July 16, 1984. Brian's recent exhibitions with the Himalayas Museum and the Shanghai Academy of fine art's creative space feature his new work based on his experiences in China. He recently received awards from the West Virginia Division of Culture and the West Virginia Allied Artists Association. Brian Reed’s work is exhibited at and is collected by many museums and institutions including the Museum of the Americas on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Reed’s work is reviewed favorably in the New York Times, Washington Post, Global Times, and many other magazines and media outlets. His solo installation shows have met with acclaim and celebration at home and abroad. Brian attended his graduate work at Yale University in the History of Art Department and his undergraduate work in Painting and Art History at James Madison University. Brian maintains a vigorous schedule of artist residencies, guest speaking, exhibitions and studio art production full time. Brian is currently working on part three of his "From China to the Universe" Project to experience Chinese visual culture and history. Reed continues to empower and interpret people’s thoughts, feelings, and everyday events through his art. Conceptually, Reed, through his works of art, advocates “universal commonalities”, experiences that people in world cultures share to foster global understanding and unity. Brian divides his time between studios in Shanghai, New York City, and Ivydale, West Virginia.
In January 2015 Reed commissioned choreographer and founder of ZEST COLLECTIVE Contemporary Performance Art Gentry Isaiah George to create an enhanced and redesigned exhibition performance to showcase A Matter Of Heart and the work’s continued growth and development as a collaborative art experience. The work premiered February 21st, 2015 at The Alchemical Theatre Laboratory along with Electronic Duo Pax Humana.
DANCE MOGUL MAGAZINE (Publishers)
Dance Mogul Magazine was founded in 2010 by Mr. Basil Harris as a vehicle to promote and engage dancers, dance institutions, creative artists, community leaders, educators, mentors and any organization that can contribute towards community esteem through artistic, healthy and safe resources. Strategically assembled by a broad range of contributors with expertise in dance, film, education, fashion, and business our multi-generational team has created a dynamic that keeps readers captivated and united. Dance Mogul Magazine is not limited to the world of performing arts, but is intended to reflect topics of interest that will positively embrace and build on communities nationwide.
We, at Dance Mogul Magazine, are always excited to celebrate those who unselfishly serve others by sharing the light of truth. As we prepare each issue of Dance Mogul Magazine, our team is unified in the intent upon which we were founded—and grounded—by Publisher Basil Harris and his son, co-founder, Anthony Harris.
The primary goal with the presentation of each issue is not monetary, but determination with excellence to point our readers to the place of power within them that they may have overlooked or perhaps never knew. Through our pages, as we share the stories of others, our greatest desire is to empower and inspire our readers to discover their purpose and reach their fullest potential through serving others with their gift; and in return have the success in life they desire
DYLAN SNEED (Musician)
In a sense, American songwriter Dylan Sneed has been working on his latest album, Texodus, his entire life. In 2008, this Austin, Texas native left his home state for good, trekking across the country to the small,
charming town of Hartsville, South Carolina. In the years to come, he would travel more and finish writing this album that so closely mirrors his artistic journey.
The songs of Texodus are personal and intimate, yet they explore universal themes. The title track, which opens the album, describes a restless soul racing down a dark highway, resisting the temptation to settle for the status quo. “The Garden,” the next track, laments the ever-changing seasons of life. In “Midnight Promenade,” Dylan depicts a sleepless night where doubt and hope struggle in the heart of a man. Texodus cuts a wide emotional swath, and songs like “Selfish Boy,” “Love You Like I Do,” and “Climb This Wall” playfully ruminate on being in love, or just on the cusp of it. The thesis of the record, “All Around Me,” proclaims the ubiquitous nature of true friends, faith, and home. “Under The Sheets,” a lullaby for dreamers young and old, brings the record to a close.
Texodus was a grassroots effort through and through. Dylan’s fans funded the production of the album through a campaign on Kickstarter.com. They even provided support for an international radio promotion and European tour through a second Kickstarter campaign. Dylan achieved all of this success without the aid of a record label. Even the recording process itself was unconventional and homegrown. Dylan, along with producer Judd Bolger (bass, keyboards, vocals, guitars), Jeff Rogers (drums, vocals), Haley Shaw (vocals), Nathan Fox-Helser (violin), and photographer Wade Griffith met in a friend’s century-old farmhouse deep in the lowcountry of South Carolina. They tracked the album in five days in their makeshift studio. On certain tracks, you can hear creaking
boards, crickets, and even a two by four in place of a snare drum.
Acclaimed Americana songwriter Jonathan Byrd mixed the album.
Long before writing and recording Texodus, Dylan Sneed grew up in the rich cultural climate of Austin. After a short-lived stint in Corporate America, he began to hit the road, discovering his taste for the touring life. After relocating to Hartsville, he continued to tour across the U.S. and into Europe, while sowing the spirit of the Live Music Capital of the World into his new homebase. When not hard at work on his own career, he spends time developing concert opportunities for his fellow artists through his promotion company, Artsville. Texodus is a picture of a man in process; a portrait of an artist becoming.
Sneed premiere his live improvisational score FETUS with ZEST COLLECTIVE Contemporary Performance Art at Harlem Stage's THE TAKEOVER on April 28th, 2015.
Photo by Cody Perkins
CODY PERKINS (Founding Company Photographer)
Cody Perkins is an emerging Artist. Born and raised in Sylmar, California he trained in dance and theater at The Robinson Project, under the direction of Ertha Robinson and Verne Watson. He studied photography at the Academy of Art University with a concentration on Fine Art, Portraiture and Fashion and Dance Photography. Cody was Crossroads Trading Company’s Fashion Photography Finalist and Pikto’s 2012 “Top Pick” winner.
Perkins is a contributor for Italian Vogue’s online Photo Vogue and is the in-house photographer for New York’s The Hoodie Shop. He has shot for Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet’s Professional and Training programs as well Sidra Bell Dance New York.
ERNEST BAKER II (Film-Maker)
Ernest Baker II is a dancer, choreographer, film director and scholar. He is also a recent graduate of Eugene Lang, the Newschool for Liberal Arts. At the age of 17, Ernest performed for President Barack Obama and the White House administration at the Kennedy Center in honor of becoming the first U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts for Hip Hop Dance. With his nomination through the National YoungArts Foundation he was also bestowed the compliment of working with dancer and director, Bill T. Jones on the Emmy Nominated HBO series, “MASTERCLASS.” As a result of his accomplishments, he was given a Proclamation from his hometown, Opa Locka, FL of having January 23rd declared ‘Ernest Baker II Day’.
He is currently a Hip Hop Dance Teaching Artist at The Alvin Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, Harlem School of the Arts, Harlem Children's Zone, and Salvatore Dance Academy where he’s able to give back and inspire through his instruction to aspiring professional dancers. Ernest also participated in the Hip Hop: Cultural Traditions and Movin’ Comercial program at the Jacobs Pillow School. He has danced and choreographed for TV, theater and live performances including BET’s Source Awards, Spring Bling, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, and The San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest. Some of his credits include working with Bill T. Jones, Desmond Richardson, Jeffery Page, Rennie Harris, Earl Mosley, Mr. Wiggles, Pop Master Fabel, Jennifer Archibald and more.
As a filmmaker Ernest was asked to work with Simon & Goodman Picture Company as a location scout for the film, “Strangers No More,” which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. He then directed and produced his own film, a documentary short, “The Hidden Gem of Washington Heights,” that was accepted into the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Creative Minds in Cannes program.
Baker is a founding member of ZEST COLLECTIVE Contemporary Performance Art.
Photo by Yetunde Dada
SHARIFFA ALI (Theater-Maker)
Shariffa Ali is a recent graduate of the University of Cape Town (UCT) where she gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance; Theater-Making specialization. Born in Nairobi, Shariffa is half Kenyan, half Ethiopian and after having spent the majority of her formative years in Mbabane Swaziland and Pretoria South Africa, Shariffa proudly considers herself an “Afropolitan” - a citizen of the entire African continent.
In early May 2013 Shariffa took a leap from South Africa to the city of Pittsburgh where together with Carnegie Mellon alum and “Many Voices” Fellow, Joshua Wilder, began production on “Township Safari,” commissioned by the August Wilson Centre for African American Culture. Ali spent the remainder of her stay in New York, where she’s been involved with numerous projects including Teaching 'Movement for Actors' hosted by The Movement Workshop Group.
In July 2013 Shariffa was able to direct, choreograph and co-produce a project that was born out of a cross-continental collaboration between Africa and the United States. “STILL,” a Contemporary Performance Art Project featuring ZEST COLLECTIVE’s Art Director and Dance Artist for Ailey II, Gentry Isaiah George, at the Alchemical Theater Laboratory in New York City.
Ali is an intern in the Executive Office of The Public Theater and was one of the producers behind The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, in association with The New School for Drama and The Atlantic Theater. She is currently in the process of establishing a South African branch of The 24 Hour Plays in time to come.
As a Theater-Maker, Shariffa is also interested in Applied Theater and Performance Art; she is geared towards creating works that reflect the plight of the individuals against a wider African- Socio-Political backdrop. Commissions for the Gordon Institute for Creative and Performing Arts (GIPCA) include “Strand” (2012), “Land” (2011), and “Chroma” (2011).