Anthony has been afforded the opportunity to be affiliated with world-renowned opera companies and orchestras such as The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Roanoke Opera, Opera Carolina, Portland Opera, Orlando Opera, Orlando Philharmonic, DC Strings, Black Pearl Orchestra, Washington National Opera, and Maryland Lyric Opera. He has also had the esteemed privilege to work in Masterclasses with notable artists, including Marilyn Horne, Angela M. Brown, Susanna Phillips, Renee Flemming, George Shirley, and Denyce Graves.

Currently, he resides in Washington D.C. where he is an educator for Baltimore City Public Schools, private voice teacher, performing artist, a member on the board and planning and development team for The Coalition Of African Americans in the Performing Arts(CAAPA), and on the current roster for the Washington National Opera and Maryland Lyric Opera upcoming seasons. 

 

On the surface, Mike loves making music but his real passion involves bringing people together in joyous improvisational music making, and teaching about music as a tool to connect people, overcome stress, facilitate self-expression, and foster human potential. 

 You’ll also find him using sound to facilitate movement, meditation, writing, visual arts, and well-being by creating soundscapes that integrate singing bowls, drums and percussion, and gong resonance into yoga classes and many other settings. Mike went on to collaborate with many talented musicians, poets, and artists from around the world, and has played to crowds of over 5,000 people. Once, he even had the honor of performing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu. 

 As a teacher, he has presented at many state and national conferences, visited hundreds of classrooms, created and taught curriculum for the Virginia Dept. of Social Services and the Virginia Alzheimer’s Association, as well as running hands-on music programs at large music festivals like Lock’n and Bonnaroo. He has also taught classes like World Drumming, Music and Wellness, and Creative Music Making as an adjunct instructor at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania. He is an organizer at youth camps like Interfaith Peace Camp at Eastern Mennonite University, James Madison University’s Summer Creativity Camp, and camps for young people who have lost a loved one. 

 

In 2019 Mike and his wife Melissa opened a creative arts center in Dayton, VA called The Growing Space. There they work together to empower others, build community, and create a safer space for healthy expression. The center is currently not operating due to the pandemic but their work continues in online classes, wellness-based live streams, family music programs, and workshops that facilitate creativity and growth.

 

You can learn more at https://www.facebook.com/thegrowingspacedayton/

and https://www.facebook.com/deatonm/

and www.DeatonArts.com (Coming soon)

 

For a free library of musical live streams that range from relaxing gong music to high-energy drum-along sessions, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/DeatonArtsLiveStreams

While in college at Morgan State University, Tiffany joined the Morganettes dance team as a freshman where she later served as the captain/choreographer and performed during halftime at home basketball games. 

While at Morgan, Tiffany also had the pleasure of dancing backup for local artists such as Paula Campbell and Nature’s Problem at major concerts and events in the Baltimore area. She even shared a stage with Kanye West! 

After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Morgan State University, while working a corporate job by day, Tiffany taught dance classes at a dance studio for all ages - preparing her students for dance recitals while building their confidence and keeping them physically fit. 

Tiffany, now a wife and mother, loves what she calls the 5 F’s - Faith, Family, Fashion, Fitness, and Frugality. 

Her Zumba classes are a mix of African, Latin, Pop, & Caribbean vibes that will get you pumped while getting you physically fit.

Tiffany is currently offering virtual Zumba livestreams on Mondays at 5:30pm and Saturdays at 9:30am. Sign up here: bit.ly/ZumbaLadyTee-InstructorPage

Tiffany's social media handles are as follows: 
Instagram @ZumbaLadyTee
Facebook @ZumbaLadyTee
YouTube: bit.ly/ZumbaLadyTee-YouTube

Through his college years, Devin became infatuated with the world of improv. For him, this unique artform was like seeing into the source code of the Matrix. He saw through improv that life is full of imperfections and adjustments. No one is ever truly on the right path or the wrong path, but simply questioning and adjusting along the way. This idea became not only his basis for his performance, but later his improv studies and teachings.

Devin would follow his passion all across America, studying at notable institutions such as the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City and the Second City Training Center in Chicago. He would also utilize this newfound space to create his own works such as BIG Monsters, an improvised Muppet style musical, and the Black Impact Fundraiser an online improv telethon that helped to raise over $17,000 for charitable organizations during the Covid Crisis of 2020. 

Currently, Devin is working as a instructor with the Leaders of Tomorrow, teaching both Theatre and Film. He is also working as a freelance filmmaker around the Baltimore area, recently having worked on such projects as The Maryland Masterclass Series and The Covid Monologues a new research based theatre piece crafted by the Single Carrot Theatre. 

Social Handles:

Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @deeandjello

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/deeandjello

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devindmckay 

Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/devin-mckay 

In the poem, address:
-What changes would you like to see in your neighborhood, in your country?
-What is happening that you would like to see more of?
-What would you like to see less of?
-How can you do your part to create this change? 
-What do you need to create this change?

The second poem, "Air", was inspired by a discussion of their signs and elements. I asked them to create a persona poem of their specific element, and this is what she came up with!

Leilani Littleford is a 5th grader at Forest Heights Elementary School in Prince Georges County, MD. She loves writing poetry, dancing, and theater. 

“I would consider this piece as ‘engaging’ because if they knew it was by a student, it would be kind of surprising in a way. Students don’t really get their voices heard because we focus more on what adults have to say about these things, but we also have an opinion.”   - Litzy Lagos