“Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey and  Karisma Jay.

In this episode of  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey,  join host Joanne Carey as she chats with Special Guest: Karisma Jay founder of the AbunDance Academy of the Arts, teaching and mentoring abundance in the lives of all her students . The AbunDance Academy is the first Black Owned Non-Profit Arts Organization to produce an original production written by Karisma herself.

With a healthy and robust curriculum, AbunDance Academy of the Arts offers specialized classes in Dance, Audition Prep, Adult Fitness and Aerial Yoga. Its diverse faculty roster includes highly skilled teaching artists who are passionate about their artistry and the budding artistry of every student. Located in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights / Lefferts Gardens neighborhood, AbunDance Academy gives students the opportunity to explore their passions without having to travel to another borough.

The organization will host the second annual Abundance Awards to be held at the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn to Benefit The Abundance Academy of Arts on February 4th.

Tickets are available through the link below

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2nd-annual-abundance-awards-tickets-523131930687?aff=oddtdtcreator

The AbunDance Awards were created in 2023 and raise funds for the AbunDance Arts Academy, founded by award-winning artist and entrepreneur Karisma Jay to show youths what they can accomplish in the dance world and to honor people of color who have made significant contributions to the field. 2024 honorees include Reginald Van Lee, Assane Konte, Obediah Wright, Karen Thornton, Jamel Gaines, Chloe Arnold, Maud Arnold, Arcell Cabuag, and Nicole Deweever. 

Karisma Jay is a Brooklyn native , dancer, actress, singer, director, playwright, choreographer, coach, teacher, entrepreneur and host who has been performing, curating and creating for three decades. She is the recipient of a Dance Teacher Magazine 2021 Dance Teacher Award and a 2023 Women of Distinction Award Recipient. Her work has been featured on Netflix, Lifetime, BET, MTV, NBC, and VH1. In 2013, Karisma joined STOMP. In 2016, Family Circle magazine coined her a “Local Hero,” and Lifetime TV called her “a Female Entrepreneur to Watch.” In 2017, she won the “Power Women in Business” award for her work as Artistic Director/Founder of AbunDance Academy. A recent Summa Cum Laude Dance MFA graduate of Hunter College, she also Guest Teaches Dance/Culture at Hunter. A Guest Teaching Artist at The Juilliard School, LaGuardia High School, Hunter College, Ballet Tech, and Broadway Dance Center, she was also the choreographic apprentice of David Byrne’s American Utopia and choreographer for COMMON's Music Video, "When We Move." 

Jay is dedicated to providing affordable classes and opportunities to perform for young aspiring dancers of color. She conceived, co-wrote, and co-directed the 2022 short film C.R.O.W.N., which tells the story of a young Brown ballerina who has to tame her hair into submission for the biggest audition of her life. The film was inspired by Jay’s own attempts to fit into a ballet world with her thick, curly hair and Afro-Latina curves. Crown sparked an important conversation around embracing one’s differences and loving one’s hair texture and skin tone in ballet. Jay also directed the 2021 short film Just Like YOU to inspire young people to love themselves regardless of their skin color, hair texture, body shape, or background.

Follow on Instagram @abundance_company @iamkarisamajayFind out more https://www.abundancearts.org/our-journey

⁠Follow Joanne Carey on Instagram @westfieldschoolofdance

And follow  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Tune in. Follow. Like us. And Share.

Please leave us review about our podcast 

“Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey

"Where the Dance World Connects, the Conversations Inspire, and Where We Are Keeping Them Real."