Page 3 – 8
Fred Benjamin Dance Company
Established in 1968
The Fred Benjamin Dance Company had its first New York performance at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, N.Y in 1968. It subsequently performed extensively along the East Coast and in the Caribbean until 1990.
This button was the announcement for the 1974 concert at the 92 ST Y.W.C.A
Former Company Members
Carl Bailey, Marilyn Banks, Thea Nerissa Barnes, Cheryl Bell,
Milton Bowser, Brenda Braxton, Lisa Cave, Ralph Farrington,
Gina Ellis, Adrienne Frimet, Carl Fields, Alfred Gallman,
Donald Griffith, Stanley Harrison, Chiquita Ross- Glover,
Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Bruce Hawkins, Cheryl Norvell, Arlena Rolant,
Winston DeWitt Hemsley, Gregory Hinton, Christopher Huggins,
Linda James, Marlon Lewis, Terrin Miles, J. Jamal Hardeman,
Charles “Malik” Lewis, Clayton Palmer, Olon Godare, Damon Pearce,
Mark Rubin, Cheryl Scott, Glen Simms, Pam Jones, Aisha Coley,
Warren Spears, Kathy Thomas, Andy Torres, Juanita Grace Tyler,
Kay Uchishiba, Diane Conway, Freda Vanterpool, Jorge Vasquez,
Lisa Larsen, Dina Wright, Leni Wylliams, Amy Ragsdale,
Amparo Chigui Santiago, Rosa Curry, Gary Flannery, Rovan Hill,
Sharon Brooks, Cheryl Brooks, Ralph Paul Haze, Kim Jones,
Ben Harney, Juan Henderson, Mercie Hinton, Cornell Ivey,
Carolyn Campbell, Milton Myers, Michelle Simmons,
Shirley Black-Brown, Glen Brooks, George Faison, Michael Peters,
Alan Weeks, Bryant Baker, Henny Kammerman, Ronald McKay,
Traci Cloyd, Chet Tames, LaVerne Washington, Judy Dearing,
Pat Estwick Heaven, Renee Rose, Reginald Jackson, Lonnie McNeill,
Michelle Murray, Thomas Oakman, Shirin Stave, Cherylynn Ross,
Brian “Bomani” Benns, Michael Sampson, Michael Vermy, Israel Valle,
Gregory Wright, Edmee Cherdieu Dana Foglia, Catherine Foster,
Seiko Fujita, Amy Henry, Gwynenn Jones, Wendy Mejia,
Tyrone Monroe, Jason Mulloy, Terrence Popular, Eddie Stockton,
Christiana Tober, Christian Von Howard, Matthew Williams,
Tetsuo Yoshida and Karen Geneva Burke.
Early 1970’s. Michael Peters, Dianne Conway, Ronald Dunham, Loretta Abbott, Andy Torres, George Faison & Winston DeWitt Hemsley. – Fred Benjamin dance.
Mark Rubin (seated), Damon Pearce, Alfred Gallman (back) Thea Nerissa Barnes, Karen Geneva Burke (above), Cheryl Norvell, Fred Benjamin (seated), Marilyn Banks, Gregory Hinton, Brenda Braxton (kneeling), Linda James, Bruce Hawkins
Alfred Gallman, Geneva Vivino, Thea Nerissa Barnes, Brenda Braxton, and Damon Pearce. Photo by Roy Blakey.
The Fred Benjamin Dance Company (Summer of 1977)
The dancers include from left to right Gregory B Hinton, Thea Nerissa Barnes, Marilyn Banks, Fred Benjamin, Geneva Vivino, Mark P Rubin, Damon Pierce, Cheryl Bell, Brenda Braxton, Alfred Gallman, Bruce Hawkins, and Linda James – Photo Roy Blakey
Marilyn Banks and Fred Benjamin
Karen Geneva Burke and Fred Benjamin Double Solitude, Choreography: Lynn Taylor Corbitt
Ember choreographed by Winston DeWitt Hemsley.
Gary Flannery, Fred Benjamin, and Bruce Health
Michael Peters, George Faison and Winston DeWitt Hemsley
Fred Benjamin and Company in “Dealing with the Facts and the Pain” to music by Ashford and Simpson – Juanita Grace Tyler, Mark Rubin, Israel, Marilyn Banks, center: Fred Benjamin, Sharon Brooks
Part of a conversation with Fred Benjamin was recorded in June 2011. In this section, he speaks about starting his company at Clark Center.
Marilyn Banks, Geneva Burke, and Brenda Braxton
