Joya Powell (born January 15, 1979, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

), also known as Joya Powell-Goldstein, is a

Bessie Award The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

-winning choreographer, educator, and activist. As the founding artistic director of Movement of the People Dance Company, she is known for creating politically scorching

dance-theatre The German Tanztheater ("dance theatre") grew out of German Expressionist dance in Weimar Germany and 1920s Vienna, and experienced a resurgence in the 1970s. History The term first appears around 1927 to identify a particular style of dance e ...

that confronts issues of race and justice.

Early life and education

Powell was born to a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n mother and Jewish father in Manhattan, where she was raised in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

. In her youth, she studied violin at

The Harlem School of The Arts Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) is an art school located in the Harlem, New York, Harlem section of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Opening its doors in 1964, HSA serves ages 2 through 18. History Harlem School of the Arts was founded ...

and dance at

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served ...

. After graduating from

LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia or "LaG", is a public high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, near Lincoln Center in the Lincoln Square ...

with a concentration in Theatre, Powell received her BA from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in Latin American Studies and Creative Writing and her MA from NYU Steinhardt School in Dance Education. While at Columbia, Powell spent two years studying abroad in Salvador Bahia, Brazil to expand her cultural awareness. After graduating from Columbia she returned to Bahia for 2 more years before enrolling at NYU. During this period she was the house translator, photographer, archivist, and international representative of the Afro-Brazilian

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

group,

Ilê Aiyê Ilê Aiyê is a carnival block from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located in the Curuzu/ Liberdade neighborhood, the largest afro-descendent population area of Salvador. The name stems from the Yoruba language: Ilé - home; Ayé - life; which ...

, whose teachers taught her

Samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

Afro, dances of the Orixás, art as activism, and drumming. She also studied at Fundação Cultural da Bahia where she deepened her knowledge in

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

, baile folclorico do Brasil, and additional dances of the Orixás. While at NYU, Powell studied the Argentine peaceful protest movement, Las Madres de La Playa de Mayo, which inspired her to found the activist dance company, Movement of the People Dance Company (MOPDC). Through MOPDC, Powell would develop dance-theatre that unearths the stories of people without "the outlet or privilege to get their work out there."

Career

Though hailed as a "radiant performer", Powell forwent a career directed by others to create socially charged work of her own. Returning to New York, she set about building her company and presenting her choreography at numerous acclaimed venues including, BAAD!,

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

Bryant Park Bryant Park is a , privately managed public park in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and between 40th Street (Manhattan), 40th and 42 ...

chashama ChaShaMa is a non-profit arts organization based in New York City. ChaShaMa nurtures artists by transforming unused property into affordable work and presentation space. __NOTOC__ Description Since being founded in 1995 by Anita Durst, daughter ...

Bronx Museum of the Arts The Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA), also called the Bronx Museum of Art or simply the Bronx Museum, is an American cultural institution located in Concourse, Bronx, New York. The museum focuses on contemporary and 20th-century works created by ...

Summerstage The City Parks Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that provides free arts, sports, education, and community-building programs in parks across New York City. Founded in 1989, the Foundation operates in more than 400 parks, recre ...

University Settlement The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in the United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity an ...

, and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. In 2016, Powell had her breakthrough with ''Song And Dance You'', which spoke directly about the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

movement. "For her passionate choreographic engagement with issues of justice and race in our communities and our country, for connecting with the audience in ways that make it clear that these concerns belong to all of us—and action is required", Powell was awarded the 2016

for Outstanding Emerging Choreographer. In tandem with her career creating concert dance, Powell has choreographed numerous critically acclaimed plays, including Thomas Bradshaw's ''Job'',

Classical Theatre of Harlem The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) is an off-Broadway professional theatre company founded in 1999 at the Harlem School of the Arts. Producing on average 2–3 productions a year as well as implementing extensive educational programming, CTH rem ...

's production of Betty Shamieh's ''Fit For a Queen'', Ellen McLaughlin's adaptation of ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' (, lit. "The Female Trojans") is a tragedy by the Ancient Greece, Greek playwright Euripides, produced in 415 BCE. Also translated as ''The Women of Troy,'' or as its transliterated Greek title ''Troades, The Trojan Women'' ...

'' at

The Flea Theater The Flea Theater is a Theater (structure), theater in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It presents primarily experimental theatre by Black, brown, and queer artists, as well as a venue for film stars to act on a 74-seat st ...

, and Amina Henry's ''Ducklings'' at Jack Theatre. Her theatre work is frequently singled-out and lauded for its excellence, particularly in The NYTimes. Powell is an acclaimed educator, having taught as Guest Artist and Lecturer at numerous esteemed institutions, including:

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Gibney Dance,

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hobart and William Smith Colleges is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from ove ...

Teacher's College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

Kean University Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union, Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth, and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education and is a state-designated rese ...

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

SUNY Stonybrook Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State Univ ...

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

, and

Movement Research Movement Research is a non-profit organization based in New York City that offers dance classes, workshops, residencies and performance opportunities for artists. It is dedicated to the implementation of free and low-cost programs geared towards exp ...

. Currently she teaches at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

and

SUNY Old Westbury The State University of New York at Old Westbury (SUNY at Old Westbury) is a public university in Old Westbury, New York, with portions in the neighboring town of Jericho, New York. It enrolls just over 5,000 students. History The State Univer ...

while continuing to develop new works.

Personal life

Powell is the third of four children. She has two sisters and a brother. Her mother is the tea guru, style aficionado, and model Jo-Ani Johnson.

References

External links

Movement of The People Dance Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Joya 1979 births 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American educators 21st-century American educators American women choreographers American choreographers American directors African-American female dancers American female dancers African-American dancers Dancers from New York (state) American artistic directors Entertainers from New York City Living people American women theatre directors American women founders American founders Bessie Award winners American modern dancers American people of Jamaican descent Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni Educators from New York City 20th-century American women educators 21st-century American women educators 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American educators 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people Columbia College (New York) alumni