FRED BENJAMIN Dancer ~ Choreographer { September 8, 1944 – December 14, 2013 } By Dale Ricardo Shields Fred Benjamin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1944. He began dancing at age four at the Elma Lewis’ School of Fine Arts in Roxbury, Massachusetts. When the MacArthur Foundation initiated its “Genius” grants, Ms. Lewis was among the first …
Slim Mello By Dale Ricardo Shields July 2012 Slim Mello was born in Brazil (Salvador-Bahia). Salvador is considered the largest Black city outside of Africa with over 80% of the people being of African-Brazilian descent. “The city of Salvador is notable in Brazil for its cuisine, music and architecture, and its metropolitan area is the …
Stanley Wayne Mathis by Dale Ricardo Shields “I read somewhere many years ago while working on the West Coast (The Jelly’s Last Jam workshop at The Mark Taper Forum) “Fame is what others give you. Success is what you give yourself.” – Stanley Wayne Mathis Stanley Wayne Mathis has directed and choreographed for …
