Prophecy School of the Arts

:::TEACHERS

La Toya Davis-Craig (Owner and Lead Teacher) - is a Doctoral candidate at FSU. Her research interest are using dance to help build a sense of community and using dance as apart of interdisciplinary education. La Toya has been teaching students for over 15 years. Originally trained in ballet, tap, and jazz in Miami, FL, La Toya has gone on to study and teach Lindy-Hop, African, Afro-Brazilian, Contemporary Modern, and Horton. La Toya is the Founder and Artistic Director of Essence Dance Theatre and has danced with the African Caribbean Dance Theatre, Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theatre, and is a charter member of Mahogany Dance Theatre. La Toya believes that the arts can be a powerful communication and learning tool, and seeks to impart life skills to her students in addition to technique. La Toya is certified by the Dance Educators of America.

Dromatala (Drum Teachers and Musicians) Long-time drummers Eric Bond, Derek Abdully Hemingway, Alex Harvey, Olusegun Williams and Osubi Craig, who currently serves as the battery's Artistic and Musical Director, formed Dromatala in 1993. Boasting musical experience in musical styles ranging from reggae to drum corps style marching band, the members of Dromatala produce a sound that owes its heritage to the instruments being featured as well as the backgrounds of the musicians. This sound borrows rhythms from the peoples of Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and Gambia in West Africa. Dromatala has Afro-Cuban Latin style undertones with African-American grounding in traditional Jazz and R&B funk. Dromatala has performed and studied, both nationally and internationally.

Millicent M. Johnnie- (Hip-Hop and Jazz Instructor) - Native of Lafayette, Louisiana. Millicent has an MFA from the Florida State University department of dance. Millicent toured as the resident choreographer/ rehearsal director for the Urban Bush Women based in New York City. Trained under the world renown choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar several years after teaching Hip Hop and Jazz movement as veteran staff member of the Universal Dance Association based in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1999 Millicent Co-Founded the Phlava Hip Hop and Jazz Dance Company based in Tallahassee, Florida and toured internationally receiving a Dance magazine nomination, a Prague International Dance Festival Best Choreography award, First Place International Dance Title for Hip Hop Choreography entitled "Wrath", and Bates Dance Festival. Emerging Artist recognition. Her Hip Hop choreography has been featured on the Urban Bush Women National Tour and the Hubbard Street II International Tour. Her works have been presented at venues such as the Danspace Project Food For Thought (NYC), the Dancenow/NYC Summer Dance Festival, the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), The Yard at Lincoln Center (NYC), International Association for Blacks in Dance Conference 2000, 2001, 2002 (TX, CA, D.C.). Millicent served as artist in resident at several higher learning institutions such as Florida State University/ Urban Bush Women Summer Dance Institute, Florida A&M University, Tulane University Jazz Dance Festival, Amherst College Project 2050, University of North Western Louisiana, University of South Carolina at Aiken, University of Central Florida and others.

Nzinga Metzger - (African Diasporan Movement Instructor) - has been a student of traditional West African dance since 1991, when she began to study dances from the Old Mali Empire with Nia Love at the Florida State University. From 1991 to 1995, her study was focused on the dances of the Old Mali/Senegambian region of West Africa with a special interest in the historical and present day contexts of these dances and their socio-religious functions. During this period of her dance career, she also acted as dancer/choreographer with the Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theatre at FAMU in Tallahassee, Florida. Later, Ms. Metzger joined Barefoot Ballet in Atlanta, Georgia where she studied the dances of Senegal under Linda Faye Bayo. Nzinga joined Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of Philadelphia’s oldest African-American African dance companies, in 1997. As a member of Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble she widened her knowledge of dances from Old Mali/Senegambia and added Afro-Cuban dances from the Lucumi orisha tradition to her repertoire. Ms. Metzger’s artistic journey has not been limited to dance-in 1993, in collaboration with Eric Bond and Alex Harvey, Ms. Metzger began her study of the sangba, djundjun and kenkeni, the bass drums of the djembe orchestra, in response to a dearth of available drummers in Tallahassee. As a student of the Lucumi cultural tradition, Nzinga has added the singing of the oriki or the songs dedicated to the deities of the orisha traditions.

Tahembi Smmons - (African Instructor) - dancer, choreographer, teacher, and researcher who has been working with youth from Florida to Costa Rica for more than ten years. Prior to her relocation to Florida, she has been teaching the youth in the Los community since 1998. It is her mission to share the cultural legacy of the African Diaspora with young children and teens in order to promote cultural awareness and creative expression. Through creative and cultural songs, dance, music, and exercise, Ms. Simmons hopes to provide a positive and fun foundation for our children's future. Ms. Simmons has received her dance training from the Florida State University and The University of California Los Angeles.

Dametria Selmore - (Drama Instructor) - a senior theater education major at Florida A&M University, Ms. Selmore has film, commercial, theatre, and directing credits to her name. She is also skilled and has experience in Scenic Design, Stagecraft Production, Technical Production, and Costume and Wardrobe Technique. Ms. Selmore combines her many areas of training to provide a well rounded drama curriculum for her students. Herwards include: Black Actors Guild Breakthrough Performer 2002, Best Actress Nominee 2000 – 2001, Best Actress Winner 2002 – 2003, and Best Supporting Actress Winner 2003 – 2004.