WHO'S WHO IN EVIDENCE?
RONALD K. BROWN (Founder/Artistic Director), raised in Brooklyn, NY, is the recent recipient of a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award (2026), the Martha Hill Mid-Career Achievement Award (2024), American Dance Guild Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) and a Dance Teacher Award of Distinction (2024). Other awards include the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award (2020), as well as a Dance Magazine Award (2018) and Samuel H. Scripps/ADF Award (2018). Brown has also received an AUDELCO Award for his choreography in Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards, and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography in the Tony Award-winning Broadway and national touring production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks. Brown has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Philadanco, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, TU Dance, and Malpaso Dance Company.
He has collaborated with such artists as composer/designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, and composers Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, Meshell Ndegeocello, Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons, and Don Meissner. Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop 2000 Mentor of the Year and has received the Doris Duke Artist Award, NYC City Center Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and a United States Artists Fellowship. Ronald K. Brown is Co-Artistic Director of The Billie Holiday Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy, and a member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society.
ARCELL CABUAG (Associate Artistic Director/Dancer)is a firstgeneration Filipino-American from San Jose, CA. He moved to New York City in 1996 to attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, where he was introduced to Ronald K. Brown. Soon after, he joined EVIDENCE, A Dance Company as its first apprentice, became a company member one year later, and has served as its Associate Artistic Director since 2004. Performance credits include: dancing with Camille A. Brown, Mekeda Thomas, Rock the House for Paramount Pictures; The Shoji Tabuchi Show (Branson, MO); the Richard Rodgers Centennial Production of The King and I; and dance festivals worldwide. Arcell taught classes and performed with EVIDENCE throughout Africa as a US Ambassador with Dance Motion USA and throughout Japan for the D.I.P JIKEI COM International Center. He has assisted Mr. Brown in creating repertory on Philadanco Dance Company; MUNTU Drum and Dance Company; TU Dance; Ballet Hispánico; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company and served as associate choreographer for the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring productions of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Mr. Cabuag is proud to serve the dance community as a long standing educator and advocate nationally and abroad. Education, advocacy, and teaching EVIDENCE repertory work include: Professor of Dance at Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus); a guest instructor at NYU TISCH; University of Massachusetts; Peridance Certificate Program, The Ailey Fordham BFA and Certificate Programs; University of Washington, University of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, Ohio State, Princeton University, Boston Conservatory among others. Arcell received a 2004 New York Dance and Performance ¨Bessie¨ Award, and along with Ronald K. Brown is a 2024 Dance Teacher Magazine Awardee of Distinction recipient.
IBIWUNMI OLAIYA A.K.A. WUNMI (Composer/Musician) is a London-born, Lagos-raised singer, songwriter, performer, and fashion designer. Wunmi's multifaceted career spans music, dance, and fashion. She's designed costumes for Nora Chipaumire, Urban Bush Women, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and the 61st and 65th Grammys, earning a 'Bessie' award for her work with Marlies Yearby and Ronald K Brown. Wunmi's music collaborations include work with legendary Jazz Funk maestro Roy Ayres, Afro House producers Osunlade & Masters At Work and Ronald K Brown & Evidence, with whom she's worked with over 30 years both music and costume design. Her debut album, A.L.A., was hailed 'an essential release from a unique artist' by Giles Peterson. Wunmi produces her clothing brand, Wow Wow by Wunmi, in Nigeria, creating heirloom-quality pieces. Explore her music at wunmi.bandcamp.com and her fashion at wowwow.wunmi.com
DEMETRIUS BURNS
(Rehearsal Director/Dancer) wwas born in Anniston, AL, and grew up in Boston, MA. He received his MFA in dance from Hollins University and his BFA with an emphasis in Choreography from Boston Conservatory where he performed repertoire by Karole Armitage, Mark Morris, Darrel Moultrie, and many more as well as choreographed Urinetown on the musical theatre department. He spent several summers at the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts as a student, intern, and instructor. He attended the Bates Dance Festival, and Sidra Bell Modules. Demetrius also attended Jacob’s Pillow Social dance program with the American Dance Guild Scholarship under the direction of Camille A. Brown and Moncell Durden and returned the following summer for the Improvisation Traditions and Innovation program under the direction of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. He is a recipient of the EVIDENCE Dance Workshop Series Beth Young Scholarship. Demetrius became a company member of EVIDENCE in 2016 and is now the Rehearsal Director.
AUSTIN WARREN COATS (Dancer) is an interdisciplinary artist with a Magna Cum Laude bachelor’s degree in Dance Studies from Kent State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Originally from Reynoldsburg, OH, he has had the honor to work with artists such as Silvana Cardell, Angela Luem, Catherine Meredith, Jess Pretty, and Jamal White. He has attended summer intensives at The Joffrey Ballet School, Ruth Page Center of the Performing Arts, and Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE on scholarship. Austin has many interests in the arts including fine art, dance, and fashion design. He is a published illustrator in college publications and illustrates for various dancers’ projects. His life goal is to become a choreographer and artistic director. Austin became a company member of EVIDENCE in 2021.
KHALIA CAMPBELL (Guest Artist), hailing from The Bronx, NY, is a professional dancer with over ten years of experience. As a former dancer with the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Ms. Campbell has performed on stages throughout the world, including in countries such as France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, London, Greece, and Israel. Ms. Campbell graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 2011. She started her formal dance training at Uptown Dance Academy (UDA) and continued her professional studies at the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and the Ailey School. In 2012, Ms. Campbell joined the International Taiwan tour of the award-winning musical Aida She has performed with companies including Kymera Dance, Dance Iquail, and
Ailey II, the junior company of Alvin Ailey. Ms. Campbell appeared in a featured role in the 40th anniversary of The Wiz and has guested with Richard Siegal’s Ballet of Difference in Munich, Germany. In addition to performing, she has assisted the legendary Ms. Judith Jamison and featured in Ms. Jamison’s segment of Katie Couric’s Thank You Notes special. In 2020, after just two seasons with Ailey, Ms. Campbell was recognized as one of Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch.” In 2021, she was the dance fellowship recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation. And just last year, Ms. Campbell was listed in Crain’s 40 under 40 list. As she continues her dance career and legacy, Ms. Campbell desires to be purposeful with her Godgiven gifts to inspire the next generation to change the world.
AALIYAH FISHER (Dancer) is a Jamaican American performer and creator, born and raised in New York, and currently based between Philadelphia and New York City. She began her professional training with Eleone Dance Unlimited, a Philadelphia-based pre-professional company, before continuing at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City, where she earned a Professional Dance Conservatory Certificate in 2021. Aaliyah furthered her education at AMDA’s Los Angeles campus in pursuit of a BFA in Dance. In 2022, she returned to Philadelphia to join Philadanco’s second company under the direction of Donald T. Lunsford II. During her time there, she trained with acclaimed artists such as Kim Bears-Bailey, Deborah Manning, Tracy Vogt, Milton Myers, Bernard Gaddis, and Christopher Huggins. Simultaneously, she enrolled in the BFA in Dance program at the University of the Arts. Following the university’s closure in 2024, Aaliyah completed her degree at Bennington College, and graduated in May 2025 under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. After graduating, she began her first season with Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company. Now, Aaliyah continues to evolve her commitment to performing by training and thinking critically about how her access to the world of dance will impact the masses in a proactive way.
AALIYAH FISHER (Dancer) is a Jamaican American performer and creator, born and raised in New York, and currently based between Philadelphia and New York City. She began her professional training with Eleone Dance Unlimited, a Philadelphia-based pre-professional company, before continuing at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City, where she earned a Professional Dance Conservatory Certificate in 2021. Aaliyah furthered her education at AMDA’s Los Angeles campus in pursuit of a BFA in Dance. In 2022, she returned to Philadelphia to join Philadanco’s second company under the direction of Donald T. Lunsford II. During her time there, she trained with acclaimed artists such as Kim Bears-Bailey, Deborah Manning, Tracy Vogt, Milton Myers, Bernard Gaddis, and Christopher Huggins. Simultaneously, she enrolled in the BFA in Dance program at the University of the Arts. Following the university’s closure in 2024, Aaliyah completed her degree at Bennington College, and graduated in May 2025 under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. After graduating, she began her first season with Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company. Now, Aaliyah continues to evolve her commitment to performing by training and thinking critically about how her access to the world of dance will impact the masses in a proactive way.
MICAH ISAIAH (Dancer) is originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, began his dance training at a young age and later received a scholarship to attend the American Dance Festival in 2015. His journey as an artist has taken him from his roots in North Carolina to Dallas, Texas, where he danced with Ingredients Dance Company and was a company member of Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Over the years, Micah has had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers such as Matthew Rushing, Jae Man Joo, Darion and Madison, and Baba Chuck Davis. His diverse performance experience also includes collaborating with Grammy-winning gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds and rapper SevnDeep, as well as appearing in industrials and commercials across the U.S. In addition to performing, Micah is passionate about creating and has choreographed works in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.
SAMIYAH LYNNICE (Dancer) holds a BFA in Dance Performance from The Hartt School and is a graduate of New World School of the Arts Dance Program in Miami. She spent seven years with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble in Colorado, where she was nominated for the Princess Grace Award. Her notable performances include premiering Micaela Taylor's Resist at the 2019 American Dance Festival, premiering Cleo Parker Robinson's Standing on the Shoulders at Vail International Dance Festival in 2021, and performing as Firebird. She is the Repertoire holder to Winifred R. Harris’s work, Associate Artistic Director of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. She has also performed with Anita Baker on The Songstress Tour and has appeared in television and film. Additional training includes: the Academy of Ballet Arts, Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and DunDu Dole Urban African Ballet. Ms. Lynnice is excited to begin her first season with Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company.
SPIRIT PRIESTER (Dancer) is a Queens native and a recent graduate of the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. She began her dance training at Innervisions Theater Arts Center in Jamaica, Queens, and later attended esteemed New York City programs including MOVE|NYC| and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. During her time at SUNY Purchase, Spirit had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers such as Norbert De La Cruz III, Andrea Miller, Kevin Wynn and many more. In May 2025, she was honored with the Kyle Abraham Rising Dancer Award. Spirit is thrilled to join Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company for her first season as a company member and looks forward to this exciting new chapter in her journey.
LENA PSALMS (Guest Artist/Apprentice) is a proud native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, is a recent graduate of The Ailey School’s Professional Division Certificate Program. She began her formal training at Dancing For His Glory Studio & Company before continuing her education at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at Suitland High School. During her time at The Ailey School, Lena had the honor of performing works by esteemed choreographers including Branndi Lewis, Earl Mosley, Averee Walker, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Ronald K. Brown, and Alvin Ailey. Upon graduating, she began her first apprentice season with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE — an opportunity she is both honored and excited to embrace as she continues to grow as an artist and storyteller through movement.
AMINA LYDIA (Dancer) was born in Washington DC, and began her dance training with Assane Konte at Kankouran West African Dance Company, then attended The Washington School of Ballet @ THEARC, and in 2017 graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts where she studied under Charles Augins, Sandra FortuneGreen, and Katherine Smith. Amina is an alumna of The Ailey School, which she attended for four years on an Artistic Merit Scholarship in the Ailey/Fordham BFA and Scholarship programs. In 2022, Amina began working with renowned artist and choreographer Hope Boykin as a Dancer and Rehearsal Director with HopeBoykinDance. Since working with Hope, Amina has performed in the 50th anniversary concert of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, in a new dance theater work States of Hope, and worked with Grammy Award winners Renee Fleming and Will Liverman as a performer and movement coach at Carnegie Hall. Amina is an alumna of the Jacob’s Pillow 2024 Musical Theatre Performance Ensemble and has performed works by Kevin Iega Jeff, Sekou McMiller, Christopher Huggins, Lyrik Cruz, and Luis Salgado. In 2025, she is dancing in her first season with Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, A Dance Company.
MALCOLM
MILES YOUNG (Dancer) is a multi-hyphenate artist and vessel born and raised in New Jersey. He graduated in 2021 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology from New York University. During his studies, Malcolm has worked with and performed works by several renowned choreographers including Bill T. Jones, Ray Mercer, Shamel Pitts, Al Blackstone, and has performed with the cast of Disney’s Broadway musical Newsies, choreographed by Christopher Gatelli. His work was selected as a 2021 Palm Springs International Dance Festival award winner and has been featured in Dance Magazine and Men’s Health Magazine. Malcolm has served as the Spring 2021 Chief Philanthropy Officer Intern at American Ballet Theatre, an artistic intern at Move(NYC), and has served as rehearsal director for multiple choreographers/companies. Performance credits include a Broadway debut in Disney’s The Lion King, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Jennifer Hudson Show, and was last seen across the country as Randy Jackson in the 1st National Tour of MJ the Musical. Malcolm is ecstatic to be making his introduction into the concert dance field with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company.
TSUBASA KAMEI (Technical Director / Resident Lighting Designer), has toured with EVIDENCE to more than 65 venues globally and internationally. Credits include: Scene and lighting for Mercy (World Premiere), lighting for Four Corners; Dancing Spirit (Company Premiere); New Conversations: Iron Meets Water (World Premiere), Percussion Bitter Sweet: Tender Warriors (Company Premiere) for Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE. He has also designed The Call (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) and Where The Light Shines Through (TU Dance), all choreographed by Ronald K. Brown.
SA’NAH BRITT (Guest Artist), a Twin Cities native and began her journey at The School at TU Dance Center as a student in 2014. Throughout her tenure at TU Dance, Sa’Nah has been part of several works including the solo Witness, choreographed by Alvin Ailey, New Second Line by Camille A. Brown, Four Corners by Ronald K. Brown, and a trio entitled This World Anew, choreographed by Yusha-Marie Sorzano. Notably, This World Anew was originally commissioned for the Edges of Ailey exhibit at the Whitney Museum in New York, as a tribute to the life and legacy of Mr. Ailey. As a second year CULTIVATE Trainee dancer, teaching artist and choreographer for The School at TU Dance Center, Sa’Nah continues to pursue and shape her passion at TU Dance, and strives to inspire and encourage others in and outside the world of dance.
ANNA PINAULT (Guest Artist) is a Minneapolis native working around the country as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and educator. She graduated with her BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in 2018, her MS in Human Movement Science from Concordia University Chicago in 2024, and she is currently working towards her NASM certification as a Corrective Exercise Specialist. Anna has performed works by Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Camille A. Brown, Stephanie Batten Bland, Ronald K. Brown, and Isaac Martin Lerner, among many others, and her recent performance work includes projects with TU Dance, Black Label Movement, and the Des Moines Metro Opera. She has travelled nationally and internationally to train in a diverse array of movement languages, and currently teaches classes in contemporary floorwork and the Horton technique. As a performer, creator, and educator, she is passionate about sharing dance that - no matter how abstractinvites others in.
HEAVEN SHA’RAE (Guest Artist), a native of the Twin Cities, discovered her passion for dance at the age of two, beginning as a praise dancer at her family’s church, River of Life in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2015, Sha’Rae joined The School at TU Dance Center, where she trained in the Pre-Professional Program until 2019 before branching out to explore other artistic forms, including modeling and spoken word. Most recently, Sha’Rae completed two years in TU Dance’s CULTIVATE, A Trainee Program (2023–2025) under the artistic direction of Toni Pierce-Sands. In 2025, she joined Ananya Dance Theatre as a company member while continuing to perform in TU Dance projects. Movement is at the core of all Sha’Rae’s creative endeavors which stays rooted in Afro-contemporary dance and she continues to shape and refine her artistic voice while using her platform to advocate for QT-BIPOC communities.
MERSADIES MCCOY (Guest Artist) is a Minneapolis-based dancer, educator, and social worker whose artistic journey began at age 12. She trained at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and The School at TU Dance Center, later earning her BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase College, where she performed works by Aszure Barton, Kevin Wynn, Kimberly Bartosik, and Tom Weinberger. Upon returning to Minnesota, she joined TU Dance performing works by Alvin Ailey, Marcus Jarell Willis, Ronald K. Brown, Stephanie Batten Bland, Jawale Willa Jo Zollar, and Uri Sands. Since 2020, MerSadies has performed the lead dance role in Penumbra Theatre’s Black Nativity After becoming a mother in 2022, she continues her creative work as a Freelance Dancer, Educator, and Yoga Instructor while building a career in social services.
CHARLES ROSARIO (Guest Artist) is a Dominican American storyteller and multifaceted creative from Washington Heights, New York. He began his dance training at age six on scholarship at Ballet Hispánico’s School of Dance and continued his studies at LaGuardia High School for the Arts, ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, and MOVE|NYC|. A 2021 YoungArts Winner in Modern Dance, Charles has performed internationally in Panama, Mexico, and Cuba, and has appeared on Sesame Street. In 2022, he made his professional debut with New York Theatre Ballet, touring nationally and performing works by Merce Cunningham, Agnes de Mille, JosĂ© LimĂłn, Jerome Robbins, and others, alongside world premieres by Marco Pelle, Gabrielle Lamb, and Arthur AvilĂ©s. His artistry and journey have been featured in Dance Teacher Magazine and on the cover of ListĂn Diario. Charles continues to evolve as a creative mover, adding his voice to the collective tapestry of art in this vast sea of expression. He is currently in his second year as a member of TU Dance’s CULTIVATE, A Trainee Program.