Tommie-Waheed Evans

Tommie-Waheed Evans is a queer black dance maker, born and raised in Los Angeles, California, amidst racial divide, gang warfare, and earthquakes. His work explores blackness, spirituality, queerness and liberation. He began his formal training with Michelle Blossom, Ujazi Calomee, and Karen McDonald before receiving a fellowship at the Ailey School, and a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from Jacksonville University. He has toured and performed nationally and internationally as a company member of Lula Washington Dance Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Philadanco. Since 2004, waheedworks, his Philadelphia based dance company, has been his primary vehicle for his creative research. The company’s mission is to create a radically collaborative body of work that speaks to the human condition. His work  brings together urban street dance styles and contemporary dance vocabulary through bold and raw movements propelled by gospel music and polyrhythmic sounds. He has also been commissioned to create works for BalletX, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, PHILADANCO, Verb Ballets, Ballet Memphis, The University of the Arts, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Louisville Ballet, among others. He has received accolades including Center of Ballet and Arts Resident Fellow, Princess Grace Honoraria Award in Choreography, and Joffrey Ballet Winning Works.

Photo Credit: German Ayala Vazquez