CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS

Updated October 16, 2024

Certified Professional Teachers have studied Umfundalai intensely, have performed with the technique's professional company, Kariamu & Company: Traditions, and/or have completed NAAADT's M'Singha Wuti and Professional Training Programs. They have "active" certification to teach Umfundalai at professional levels which include but are not limited to professional dance companies, college courses, dance conference attendees, etc.

This Adinkra symbol, Adinkrahene, is attached to the images of the teachers who serve on Umfundalai's Uongozi Leadership Circle.

This Adinkra Symbol, Musuyidee which means "good will" is attached to the images of the teachers serve on Umfundalai's Council of Elders.

Click on any of the images below to see the Certified Umfundalai teacher who is working in your state.

BEVARA ANDERSON, MFA (She/Her/Hers)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Bevara Anderson is a professional dance artist from the Maryland coast whose embodied research lives within Umfundalai, house footwork, Horton, contemporary ballet, improvisation, and other contemporary movement styles. She is an Assistant Professor of African Diasporic Movement at Columbia College Chicago and presents her artistic work with her project-based company BĀLA Dance Project. After its premiere at the Tyron Festival Theater in March 2022, the company has presented A Balm of Joy: The Film, a feature-length dance. Anderson performed with Kariamu & Company: Traditions from 2014 to 2019 and is one of the final generation of dancers to have studied directly with the late Dr. Kariamu Welsh. With pride, she continues Dr. Welsh's legacy, as a certified professional Umfundalai, teacher. Anderson holds a BFA in Dance from Temple University and an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois Urban-Champaign (UIUC).

STAFFORD C. BERRY, JR., MFA (Fluid Pronouns)

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

Baba Stafford C. Berry, Jr., MFA, is an accomplished artist, educator, activist, and scholar of African-rooted dance, theatre, and aesthetics with an extensive background in arts and education. He has studied performing arts in the US and in Guinea West Africa, and he has toured nationally in the US, and internationally to London, England, and the Caribbean. He is a certified teacher of the Umfundalai Contemporary African Dance Technique and a licensed Zumba® Instructor. Baba Berry was Associate Artistic Director of Baba Chuck Davis' internationally acclaimed African American Dance Ensemble (AADE) for 14 years; Assistant to the Choreographer of Kariamu & Company: Traditions in Philadelphia for 5 years; former Co-Director of The Berry & Nance Dance Project; and former Faculty at the American Dance Festival.
Baba Berry’s artistic work has toured internationally and is concerned with black male discourse, black folks’ embodied epistemologies, and “making space” for African American, LGBTQIA+, “weirdos,” and disempowered communities. He has won several choreographic and residency grants from: Durham Arts Council (NC), North Carolina Arts Council (NC), Greater Columbus Arts Council (OH), Taft Museum of Art (OH), Bloomington Arts Commission (IN). In addition, Mr. Berry has served on various arts boards nationally.

JOSEPHINE HEARD, MEd (She/Her)

PHILADELPHIA/PENNSYLVANIA

Josephine Heard is a long-time Kariamu & Company Traditions performer and professional Umfundalai teacher. A founding member of National Association of American African Dance Teachers (NAAADT), Heard has a plethora of professional experiences in managing finances. Chief among them has been assisting buyers, sellers, and investors in the southeastern Pennsylvania housing market. Heard also owns Andika Mobile Notary LLC. As a certified loan signing agent and mobile notary, she has facilitated the signing of deeds, refinances, HELOCs and other transactional documents pertaining to real estate. Heard holds a BA in Integrated Arts from the Pennsylvania State University.

SHAVONNE MUNIR, MA (She/Her)

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Shavonne Munir is a Philadelphia native, a loving wife and a boy mom with a BS in
Kinesiology (sports medicine) from The Pennsylvania State University. She also
received her Masters in Holistic medicine, all while managing the Fitness and
Recreation department at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Loving to learn, she is
now a ADMI Medical School 2025 candidate at Boise State University. She has
been dancing for 29 years and is professionally trained in ballet, modern, jazz and
African dance (Umfundalai). She has received most of her early training at the
New Freedom Theatre, in Philadelphia, and has traveled locally, nationally and
internationally through dance and fitness opportunities. She has since trained
and performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Eleone Dance Theatre, and
Kariamu & Company. She was blessed to be a principal dancer of Grace Dance
Theater for over 11 years.
Being an established dance instructor and fitness specialist around the city of
Philadelphia, she loves nothing more than combining her love for dance, fitness,
wellness and children into an educational, fun, and active forum. Munir has been
afforded the opportunity to work with various organizations, educating and
teaching about fitness, holistic health and the importance of living a healthy
lifestyle. As a fitness children’s book author, Munir enjoys the opportunity to talk
with young people, and adults alike, to spread her “Fitness is Fun” message. This
led her to form FCG Training and Wellness LLc., in which she does just that.
She is a proud member of Beta Delta Zeta Grad Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority Incorporated, by way of the Mighty Mu Eta Chapter (PennState
University). She prides herself on giving grace, forward mobility and grit. “Little
girls with dreams become women with vision!”

TINA MULLONE GRIFFITH, MFA (She/Her)

RHODE ISLAND

Tina Mullone (BA, MFA) is Assistant Professor of Dance at Bridgewater State University and a New England board member for the American College Dance Association. She is a certified M’Singha Wuti instructor of Umfundalai contemporary African dance technique, Pilates mat instructor, and dance education consultant. She has performed in Texas, Louisiana, Philadelphia, Virginia, New York, Germany and Mexico. Her training background is in Agrippina Vaganova technique, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Katherine Dunham, Umfundalai contemporary African dance, various dances from Africa and the Diaspora. To highlight training, she studied at Dallas Black Dance Theatre, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco Dance School, Urban Bush Women, Katherine Dunham Institute and the American Dance Festival. In addition to a number of outreach programs and studios, Tina taught at Texas Ballet Theater School, Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and Texas Christian University. Tina is co-director of M2, a performance art duet based in Monroe, LA. For 11 years, she commuted from Louisiana to Texas to continue her professional career as a performer with Beckles Dancing Company, and CD/FW (as Associate Artistic Director). Tina’s current research interests are centered around the following: African Diaspora dance, dance as a conduit for social change, African- Americans and the spaces that define/confine, the presence of spirituality in dance, Black feminism in movement & visual art, arts + education=what? and movement based therapy as a result of trauma. Tina is humbled and excited to begin this next journey with Umfundalai. All praises to Mama Kariamu, the master teachers and those who continue to keep the flames burning.

ANGELA PITTMAN, MFA (She/Her)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Angie Pittman is a New York-based dancer-choreographer whose works sits in the Black Radical Tradition. Her choreographic work uses dance, text, and sound to illuminate nuanced and experimental portrayal of Black dance. Angie has had the pleasure of being able to create collaboratively with A Sef, Jasmine Hearn, Jonathan Gonzalez, Athena Kokoronis, and Anita Mullin. She holds a MFA in Dance and Choreography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a graduate minor in African American Studies and is a certified Professional teacher of the Umfundalai technique. As a dancer, she has danced in work by Larissa Valez-Jackson, MBDance, Ralph Lemon, Tere O’Connor, Cynthia Oliver, Anna Sperber, Donna Uchizono Company, Jennifer Monson, Kim Brandt, Tess Dworman, Antonio Ramos, C Kemal Nance and many others. As an educator, she has taught at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Movement Research, MoMA, Sarah Lawrence College, Marymount Manhattan College, and is currently an Assistant Arts Professor of Dance at NYU: Tisch School of the Arts.

TABATHA O. ROBINSON, EdM (She/Her)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Tabatha Robinson, EdM received her Bachelor in Fine Arts Degree in dance and Master’s degree in Dance Education from Temple University. For over 20 years, she has built her career as a teacher, choreographer, performer, curriculum specialist, and arts advocate. She continues to train, teach, choreograph, and speak about dance education throughout the country. Tabatha has performed and choreographed throughout the East coast as a guest artist for the Seventh Principle Performance Company. For three years, she was a company member with Kariamu and Company and is a Professional certified Umfundalai teacher. Tabatha founded and was the artistic director of the Monarch Dance Company based in the Lehigh Valley, PA for over 20 successful seasons. Tabatha is also a former column writer for Dance Spirit Magazine. Her choreography has also been highlighted internationally at the 2012 London Olympics. Images of her work and writing have been presented in the Philadelphia Dance Collective and Dance Spirit magazine, as well as the Community Education Center, the PA Theater Guide, and online publications. She currently serves on the board of the National Association of African American Dance Teachers and the development coordinator for Umfundalai teacher training. She is currently the director of dance and the Performing Arts department chair at Lick-Wilmerding high school in San Francisco, California and a guest teacher for Broadway Dance Center in NYC and ODC Dance Commons in San Francisco, CA. Tabatha is currently in the final stages of completing her Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Organizational Leadership.

TYLER ROSS

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MARYLAND

Tyler Ross , born and raised in PG County, Maryland, is an Afro- Indigenous movement artist, choreographer, and dance educator. Ross holds a BFA in Dance Education from Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance. Within her time at Temple University, Tyler joined collegiate dance organization ,D2D: Dare to Dance, and transitioned from Event Coordinator to President. In the past few years, she has been a company member to Urban Artistry with Junious Brickhouse, Bmore Houseful with Esperonto Bean, Laura Edwards Dance Company (LED), MOTUS Company with Diana Matos, Ladies of Redemption, MoDance Work with Monique Walker, and Kariamu & Company: Traditions with Dr. Kariamu Welsh . Ross held her M’Singha Wuti Instructor certification from 2016-2024. Honoring this privilege, Ross received her Professional Certification within the Umfundalai Technique in June 2024. As one of Dr. Kariamu Welsh’s last generation of dancers, Tyler educates young, fresh minds of age the legacy of Umfundalai throughout the DMV. Throughout the process of achieving her Professional Certification, Ross served as Programs and Communications Specialist alongside Mama Monique for the National Association of American African Dance Teachers (NAAADT)

Tyler strives to educate the next generation of artists as a dance educator within prestigious Institutions and curators in the performing arts such as the Dance Institute of Washington, the Washington Ballet, the Kennedy Center, Culture Shock DC, Waldorf Senior Recreational Center, and Abundant Dance.

As a movement artist within Black Dance and African Diasporas, Tyler encourages the DMV community to gain knowledge of street dance culture through teaching Hip Hop and House dance classes, participating in battles, and performing an array of dance techniques throughout the USA.