Dancers
Djion Kirkland
Dijon is a native of Washington DC and had been dancing for 20 years. She’s alumni of The Duke Ellington School of the Arts and holds a B.A. in dance from Point Park University. Upon graduating college, she danced for two years with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2nd Company (DCDC2.) After, she danced with the Cleveland Cavalier Girls NBA dance team for four seasons and served as a co-captain her last season. She’s also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Dijon joined Blakk Jakk Dance Collective in 2020. “Art is life, God is Love”
Favorite colors: Royal Blue and Magenta
Favorite quote: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain.”
Dance provides me with a sanctuary. When I’m dancing, I’m having an out-of-body experience and an amazing high!
BJDC is a powerful force of movers, further exploring the African American dance experience
Be sure to follow Dijon on IG @honey_d23
Micheal Johnston
Michael graduated from Lakewood high school in 2015, where he started dancing senior year. This is where he realized that dancing was one of the forms of expression. From there Michael never stopped dancing. Michael’s been a part of several plays while attending Notre Dame College and has been an MC/DJ/ dancer/ party promoter with Rock The House entertainment since 2016.
Fav quote: whether you think you can or you can’t you’re right
Fav colors: red and green
I dance because it makes me feel a part of something bigger, it helps me connect to people gives me peace
BJDC to me means empowering yourself and other around you to achieve bigger and better things each and every day never stopping growth and encouraging others to do the same
Delores Barnes
I was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio and had a love for performing at a young age. My love for dancing flourished while at college. I gained the opportunity to join Infiniti dance team and had a chance to learn choreography as well as create, teach and perform my own.
I then joined Nu Rho Sigma Fine Arts Fraternity and was exposed to other dancers and artists that gave me guidance and direction. From there I’ve been open to learning new styles. I decided to take ballet classes as well as perform with my peers with Blakk Jakk Dance Collective
Favorite color: Pink ( it’s a happy color )
Favorite Quote: “it’s when things get worse that you must not quit “
Why I dance: I dance because it keeps my creativity alive. I’ve learned so much from trying a different way of creating choreography and learning to work on my weaknesses while adding to my strengths. Dancing provides me an environment where I can share my energy and it makes me happy.
What BJDC means to me: BJDC means a lot to me. I’ve been blessed to have the chance to work with creative minds that felt I was worth being a part of the vision. They give me a chance to express myself and mesh with the vibes around me. BJDC gives me a stage to share with people I continually learn from. They are a family I’m appreciative to be a part of.
Kailyn Mack
Kailyn Mack is a performing artist and teaching artist in the Cleveland area. Born and raised in Ohio, Kailyn studied dance at Cleveland School of the Arts and later earned her BFA in dance from Wright State University. While in college she was a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company Pre-Professional company. Most recently Kailyn has performed in musicals at KARAMU house theatre and Weathervane Playhouse. She currently is also a teaching artist at Rainey Institute. Her dreams are to be on Broadway and tour the world!
Why I dance -
I truly believe that dance is an endless gift. One that keeps on giving. It was given to ms to share with others and that is my ultimate goal. You never know how much you can encourage someone by genuinely sharing your passion. I am excited for what’s in store for my future and thrilled about sharing this God-given gift all over the world.
Favorite Quote -
“Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.”
1Peter 4:10
What BJDC means to me is another opportunity to share my gift, passion, and love for dance. An opportunity to dance with other artists of different dance styles & backgrounds and coming together to create something new & fresh! An opportunity of learning new things, perfecting my craft, and grow. It means dancing with people who look like me. An opportunity to support a friend & fellow dancer in seeing his dreams come alive.
Sha'Londa Davis
My name is Sha'Londa Davis. I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. My passion for dance has taken me to many different places around the world. I've been dancing since the age of 3 and teaching since the age of 16. My favorite dance genre is African; in 2017, I got a chance to dance in Senegal, West Africa. I also attend Cleveland School of the arts, where I was trained in all genres of dance.
Christian Sims
Bio coming soon!
Jameelah Rahman
Jameelah Rahman began her dance and capoeira journey at Rainey Institute in 2007. Later attending Cleveland School of the Arts, she began writing short stories and poems. After graduating, she went on to join an awesome team of poets to compete at BNV Atlanta, 2015. Also, she joined dance collectives around Cleveland, Mojuba Dance Collective (2015-2020), and Blakk Jakk Dance Collective(2020-present). While also performing in musicals at The Karamu House, Aida 2019, and Black Nativity 2020.
Christain Mintah
Christian Mintah is a graduate of the dance department at Case Western Reserve University, with an
MFA in Contemporary Dance. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Information Studies and Dance
Studies from the University of Ghana. Christian trained in Ghanaian traditional dance, African
contemporary dance, and Afrobeat dance. He is the founder of 4lines Dance Crew, a dance crew
focused on fusing Ghanaian traditional, African contemporary, and Afrobeat dance to create new
aesthetics. He has performed in many dance productions and music videos such as Katso, Asem Yi
dika, wogb3j3k3, Tanka Fanka, Dum Drum, and Use your head. He also choreographed for
singer/celebrity Lil shaker and Kojo Que of BBnZ Live in Ghana's official dance video for the song
titled Mamayie. He again choreographed for singer/celebrity Adina in Ghana. He has had
opportunities to work with modern/contemporary artists/choreographers/companies such as Gary
Galbraith, Pam Tanowitz, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Blakk Jakk Dance Collective, and Inlet
Dance Theater Company. He has also collaborated with AfroBeats dance artists like Incredible Izzy,
_adancingquuenofafrica, Kanukai, and bossu_fy. In addition, he is a recipient of the Naomi Wolin
Award for Excellence in New Collaborations or directions In Dance. He aspires to be a world-renowned choreographer, dance professor and performer.
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