SOLE Defined (SD) is the Baltimore-Washington Metro area’s leading arts organization specializing in percussive dance – using the body as an instrument to create musical expression. SD advances styles such as Tap, Stepping, Body Percussion, Sand Dance, and Gumboot. This Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led company infuses powerful skills to delight and inspire audiences. SD was founded in 2011 under the joint leadership of Ryan K. Johnson, Executive Artistic Director, and Quynn Johnson, Director of Arts Education (no relation). They merge their expertise in education, performance, and community outreach to advance respect for Black vernacular percussive dance and to raise admiration for the genre as a vital part of concert dance and academia. These award-winning colleagues use performing arts to serve actively disinvested communities, combat the sector’s systemic racism, and support equality in the dance continuum.  SOLE Defined’s programs include local, regional, national, and international engagements and services. The company continues to establish its visibility by cultivating programming for the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Queens Theatre, Lincoln Center, The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), , Coppin State University, and k-12 schools across the mid-Atlantic region. SD maintains inclusion on the Arts for Learning Maryland and the Young Artist rosters of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Annually, SD serves 10,000+ students on average through multi-year partnerships with Harlem Stage, Port Discovery, Excellence Schools, and the Smithsonian Discovery Theater.  In 2018 SOLE Defined curated a relationship with Howard University Dance Program, providing internships for Dance Majors with an interest in percussive dance, performing, and k-12 art integrated programing. This ongoing relationship continues to provide Dance Majors with real-life experience in the field to prepare them for their professional careers. SOLE Defined has become a pillar in the Baltimore- Washington region, providing workshops, residencies, main stage performances, and advancing equity for BIPOC artists, crew members, and scholars. 

In 2019 I was approached by Quynn Johnson, The Kennedy Center's Local Dance Commission Project awardee, to support the cultivation of a project titled Rhythm Is Our Business. "Rhythm Is Our Business" is a dance film focused on the legacy of African American female tap dancers whose contributions (many unknown) to tap dance have inspired and impacted audiences today. Historically, tap dance has elevated male and white female tap dancers, placing women of color in the background. Today, that narrative has shifted, and female tap dancers of color are gaining visibility-headlining performances, creating new works, and producing their own festivals globally. Rhythm Is Our Business celebrates the vital impact of master female practitioners while furthering the conversation of what's next for tap dance. I was brought in as a Collaborator, Creative Director, and Choreographer. 

My Choroegraphic controbutions can be found at the following time codes:
8:28 New City
10:50 Rhythm Is Our Business
25:55 Soleful
29:49 Kou Kou On Taps

As the Creative Director cultivating a project to preserve the histories and contributions of women in tap dance in the midst of a global pandemic held an enormous responsibility. This project provided income to artists, crew, and collaborators who have been out of work for 12+ months. It was the first time back in a studio and on stage for many of us. The complexities of curating this project enhanced my skills, appreciation for the performing arts community and provided a lifelong experience for those who participated. RIOB is the first fully commissioned woman-led percussive dance work by the Local Dance Commissioning Project.