OUR AMAZING STAFF
Dr. Lyrica Joy Smith - Artistic Director / Founder (Jazz, Worship Dance, REVELATION! Dance Theatre, Banners, Instruments of Praise, Homeschool Program, )
A native Ohioan, Dr. Lyrica Joy, is a former professional dancer with a New York tour, numerous music videos, choreographer of musicals, stage cantatas, industrials and televised music award shows to her credit. She was a staff choreographer with two record labels in the start of the music video boom. Very much a Broadway baby, she has choreographed over 20 musicals, among them are The Sound of Music, L’il Abner, Annie Get Your Gun! 42nd Street, Teen and Godspell to name a few of her favorites. She was the choreographer and principal dancer for the televised Midwest Music Awards and the choreographer for six national commercials. Recently she was the principal dancer and the choreographer for the televised Anointed Pages Gospel Music Awards for The WORD Network.
Dr. Lyrica Joy in the Founder and Artistic Director of Kingdom Institute International and Kingdom Institute International for the Arts, offering accredited biblical degrees from Associate through Doctorate Degrees. Dr. Lyrica has danced in over thirty countries including: Croatia, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Israel, and the Palestinian Territory, Jordan and Europe, Africa, India, England, Holland, and France.
A mentor at heart, Lyrica has personally trained many of her private students on to their own successful dance careers. Her students include the JR. STAR SEARCH CHAMPIONS, a back-up dancer for the DESTINY CHILD’S “SAY MY NAME” WORLD TOUR, Lead dancer for BEYONCE's B-Day Tour and Horizon Wireless Ads, many National Individual Jazz Dance Champions and ALL- AMERICANS and a final round audition pick for DISNEY’S LION KING BROADWAY PRODUCTION. She is known as a dream maker, because all of her private students have gone on to audition and get into the most prestigious dance schools and contract jobs.
Our own Dr.Lyrica Joy has recently been celebrated and named to the 2010 "INTERNATIONAL Who's Who in Dance" by the International Dance Council - CID of The UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC and CULTURAL ORGANIZATION. This organization is the official umbrella for dance world-wide and is the Cultural organization for the United Nations. The UNESCO a non-Christian organization recognizes Dr. Lyrica Joy for her world-wide contribution to dance as a Master Jazz Dance Teacher and her international contribution to the excellence and transformation of Christian dance. Dr. Lyrica is expected to submit and present at the 29th World Congress on Dance Research, 19th General Assembly of the CID, in France and The International Dance Congress in Greece in the year 2010! Congratulations Dr. Lyrica Joy! www.drlyricajoy.com
Claudia Rudolf Barrett (Ballet, Pointe, Homeschool Ballet, REVELATION! Dance Theatre - Ballet Instructor )
Ms. Barrett, is the recipient of the Post-Corbett 2001 Individual Award, received her training in dance at the College Conservatory of Music (later the University of Cincinnati) under Corbett Scholarships and later with a Ford Foundation Scholarship to the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. As an original dancer, soloist and Ballet Mistress of the Cincinnati Ballet Company from 1963 until 1990, Ms Barrett worked under five artistic directors and with teachers and choreographers from major companies around the world. In 1993 Claudia opened her school, ballet tech ohio, bringing many instructors of world renown to inspire her students. In 1997, after staging a full length Sleeping Beauty to live orchestral accompaniment, Ms. Barrett created a performing outlet for her pre-professional dancers, the non-profit ballet tech ohio performing arts association. Ms. Barrett created a number of ballets for pre-professionals including, most recently, My Many Colored Days to the music of Richard Einhorn as played by the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra, Appalachian Spring, A Stone’s Throw and Nuada (both with Celtic themes and music), The Conductors, a ballet about one family’s escape to the North through the Underground Railroad, Thank You, Edgar!, The Mask, The Fantastic Toy Shop, Peter and the Wolf, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, Carmina Burana, Nutcracker Treats, Shall We Dance, the full length ballet based upon the Fred Astaire movie of the same title, Green Legs & Ham, a dance celebration of Dr. Seuss, Happily Ever After, a ballet based upon Grimm’s fairy tales and as well as staging La Sylphide with some of her own choreography added to extend the ballet. In October, 2006, Ms Barrett left her non-profit organization to refocus upon her vision and the core values of the school, ballet tech ohio, which continues “to educate, inspire and entertain” by presenting pre-professional performances. In private life, Ms. Barrett is married to composer/musician, Ian Barrett. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Tech Ohio, a studio dedicated to producing professional ballet dancers. www.ballettechohio.org.
Ka-Ron Brown Lehman (Modern Dance - LEHMAN Technique, REVELATION! Dance Theatre Modern Instructor)
A featured veteran of all arenas, trained extensively in classical Russian Ballet, Eastern European folkloric, Modern and African, by Carolyn Skyers, J. Erglis Smaltzoff, Doug Rivera, James Truitt, Joseph Richard, Karol Shook and Thelma Hill.
Performed with the Joseph Richard African-American Ballet Co., Jimmie Fields Afro-Cuban Ballet, Andre Tremaine's Pacific Ballet Theatre, and Tommy Johnson Afro-Cuban Dance Co. Featured theatre productions, Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope, Oscar Brown Jr.'s It's About Time, Sancocho at Papp’s NY PublicTheatre, associate Choreographer to Joe Layton’s Broadway hit, Rockín Roll-The First 5000 Years, and Jon Hendricks Evolution of the Blues, which won her the Drama Logue Critics Award. Some Choreography credits include Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, NAACP Award Shows, Musicals for C.B. Jackson’s Inner City Cultural Center, e.g. Showgirls, Wings'n Things, Four Seasons, Sang Sista Sang, Brilliant Colours and Othello with Ted Lange, winning her numerous NAACP Image Awards. For her
twenty-one years of outstanding mentorship and special teaching gifts for, spotting talent, motivating students to work and helping students to unlock their emotions through dance, Lehman was chosen “The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) Alumni Association’s 2006 Outstanding Arts’ Educator.” This was the premier year the Alumni Association bestowed the honor.
In 1991 won A Distinguished Teacher Award by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, received the 2004 ACA (American Choreography Award) Educator of the Year Award, and won nominations for the 2005 and 2006 Disney Teacher Award. Founder/director for the Lehman Dance Co. she also created the Annual Lehman Awards in 1993 honoring members of the dance community, and educating young dancers and community about the pioneers of dance. Lehman’s Dance Co. was invited to present a series of concerts at the premiere gala opening of Latria, a Performing Arts Center in Martinique.
Ka-Ron paid tribute through dance honoring Beah Richards together with vocalist Mel Carter, danced the Spirit of Billie Holiday in Elegy for a Lady, choreographed a national commercial for Bayer Aspirin, starring Ben Vereen and recently in 2008, danced the role of Mary in Vinnette Carroll’s, “Arms Too Short To box With God”. In 2006-7 completed her 2nd semester of The LEAP Program at Saint Mary’s College of California; a Liberal Arts/Education major. Ka-Ron moved from LA, California July 2007, where she is presently an adjunct professor at UC Conservatory of Music (CCM) , on faculty at the Cincinnati Ballet Academy, and recently joined the Ballet Tech Ohio faculty roster.
Kendra Best (REVELATION! Dance Theatre - Company Member, Children's Praise Dance, Children's Hip Hop, Instruments of Praise, Homeschool Program)
I am originally from Gary, Indiana where I received formal dance instruction as a member of Dance EMINNIS dance ensemble (Evelyn Minnis, director) from 2000-2001. Dance, however, has always been apart of my life as my family is very passionate and gifted in the arts. I moved to Cincinnati, OH in June of 2007. Shortly thereafter I found a church home, Greater Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, where Mark T. Hawkins is the pastor. For years there was a growing desire in my heart to dance for Jesus while at the same continuing the dance training I received in 2001.
Through a connection at my newest church home, Greater Fellowship, I was introduced to Kindom Institute. My prayers had been answered!!! Since auditiooning and making the dance company REVELATION! Dance Theatre at Kingdom Institute International, under the Artistic Direction of Dr. Lyrica Joy Smith, I have studied Classical Ballet with Claudia Rudolf Barret and many forms of dance with Master Jazz Dance instructor Dr. Lyrica Joy. I am currently studying, jazz, ballet, worship/interpretive and adding modern dance with the critically acclaimed Ka-Ron Brown Lehman, a new teaching faculty member of Kingdom Institute.
I became a member of REVELATION! Dance Theatre in September 2008. Since then, I have had the privelege of ministering as a part of the group at the Cincinnati's 2009 Closing the Health Gap health fair, numerous churches, the Cincinnati Nefertiti Awards, and the Potter's House Alive 09 Dance/Mime Conference in Dallas, TX, the world rekwnown Aronoff Center for the Arts with ballettech ohio, along with other events in the Cincinnati area. I am pleased and honored to be part of the teaching faculty at Kingdom Institute!
Alicia Redmond (Prophetic Dance, Drama,)
Alicia Redmond is truly a "Creative"! From a young age she recognized her love for the arts and immersed herself in dance and drama. Alicia holds a degree in Speech Communications and a Minor Degree in Dramatic Arts from Jackson State University (JSU). There she became a member and choreographer of the drill team, the J-Settes, and the JSU Dance Esemble. She also performed as a principle dancer in the stage production of "Purlie", held the leading female roles in "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men" and "Medea", for which she won the department's Best Actress Award. Ever progressing, she also served as Assistant Director for the musical "Godspell". The day after graduation, she packed her things and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, quickly becoming involved in the arts community; playing principle roles in a few independant productions, and learning skills behind-the-scenes as a Casting Coordinator and a Production Assistant. Her most recent acting performance was the principle role of "Charlene" in Fred Hammond's "Christmas, Who Needs It". In 2008, as a co-founder of Spirit and Truth Performing Arts Company, she co-created, directed, co-choreographed, and performed in excerpts of their original dance/drama production "Arise" at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. She is also a published songwriter and prophetic poet. Regarding her gift and passion for Prophetic Dance, she says, "Not only does a person have to truly become one with the Holy Spirit to effectively minister, but you have to be transparent enough to convey the emotion of the Holy Spirit and of the song. Many times dramatic classes can help you in your journey to that point, as dance and drama really do go hand in hand."
Tanisha Miree (REVELATION! Dance Theatre - Company Member, Hip Hop, Jazz Dance) Bio coming soon!
I'm Going!
