About the guest
CJay Philip, an award winning actress/director/choreographer is Artistic Director of Dance & Bmore, a multidisciplinary Baltimore based ensemble presenting a unique fusion of movement, music, theatrics and spoken-word in their socially conscious and interactive works. Dance & Bmore also designs innovative multigenerational programs that seek to stimulate the imagination and strengthen relationships while building a sense of community and well being. The FazaFam Family Jam focuses on strengthening families though music, movement, and play, Forever Fit & Fun uses memory-based movement, prompts and storytelling to capture the memories of seniors citizens and encapsulate them in spoken-word, music and dance.
Before moving to Baltimore, CJay began her career with the Maude Baum Modern Dance company and Burundi African Dance in upstate New York. She made her Broadway debut in Big the Musical, appeared on in Street Corner Symphony, on Broadway and was Dance Captain for Hairspray on Broadway. She has toured as Lorrell in Dreamgirls and Paulette in Legally Blonde. CJay has written four works for the stage including a musical adaptation of Carmen which enjoyed a sold-out European run and is being revised for a Baltimore premiere.
She has directed and choreographed hundreds of musicals and performance events around the world including: The Who’s Tommy, Once on This Island, Ragtime, Marvin’s Trial, the Philadelphia Presidential Summit, the Emmy Award–winning NBC broadcast of the McDonalds Gospel Fest, the Baltimore African American Festival, WOW (Women of the World) Festival at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and an Upfront for Essences Magazine.
As an arts educator she’s been program director for the HOPE for kids School of the Arts in NYC and the Baltimore Story Tree Gang addressing social issues through comic storytelling and community talk-backs lead by teens. CJay was founding director of the Children’s Theater Production Company at the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts. She teaches Interdisciplinary Collaboration at Baltimore School for the Arts and Musical Theater at Baltimore Centerstage. CJay was host and producer of online series The Baltimore Arts Scene and Dance & Bmore Live. CJay is the recipient of a Baker Artist b-grant, a Baltimore Social Innovators Award, Dance Break NYC Award and a Champion of Courage Award. She is a Robert W Deutsch Fellow and a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow.
The Truth In This Art
The Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture.
This episode is brought to you by a partnership with Station North Art's District
Located in the heart of Baltimore, Station North was the first area in Baltimore to receive the State designation as an Arts & Entertainment District in 2002.
Spanning the neighborhoods of Charles North, Greenmount West, and Barclay, Station North is a diverse collection of artist live-work spaces, galleries, rowhomes, and businesses, all just steps away from Penn Station, Mount Vernon, Charles Village, the Maryland Institute College of Art, the University of Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins University.
There are now 22 Arts & Entertainment Districts in Maryland, and similar programs in dozens of states. Station North continues to serve as a national model for Arts & Entertainment Districts.
Mentioned in this episode
Dance & Bmore
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