Upliftment in the IABD audition space: With Nabachwa Ssensalo and Jamal Story

A Los Angeles native, Jamal began serious training there at the Lula Washington Dance Theatre.  He holds dual degrees in Dance Performance and TV/Radio Communications from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he performed with Dallas Black Dance Theater and Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet among others. Later, Jamal danced with Donald Byrd/the Group, Madonna’s2001 Drowned World Tour, Complexions, and (as an aerialist and dancer) Cher’s Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.  He has since originated The Color Purple and Motown: the Musical on Broadway, serving as a dance captain on both.  An avid choreographer, Jamal has set works on several companies, taught as a full-time professor ad interim at the University of Missouri Kansas City, and sits on the NY Board of SAG- AFTRA as co-chair of the unions National Dance Committee.  In addition to his dance captainship on Cher’s Dressed to Kill Tour, Jamal continues his advocacy for educating young artists about the changing landscape of dance and has written two books, 12:34 and Toss in the Ether, both available on his website at www.jamalstory.com.  Additionally, Jamal is one-third of the host panel for Beyond the Thread, an on-line forum dedicated to unpacking and deconstructing conversations that happen on the social media threads in a more conversational way.