The two-year-old University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance has added three new faculty members to their roster: Jackie Kopcsak, d. Sabela grimes and Saleemah E. Knight.
With a nod to ballet, hip-hop and contemporary styles, USC's Kaufman School will enroll its first candidate for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance in the Fall of 2015, following the staff's addition.
“We are thrilled that these wonderful dancers and artists have agreed to join our faculty,” remarks dean Robert Cuttieta. “Their commitment to the school, along with the announcement in May that William Forsythe is coming to USC Kaufman, begins a steady stream of exciting announcements coming from the school.”
Their vast and qualitative credentials are certainly impressive, making these hires an easy choice.
Jackie Kopcsak, a graduate of the MFA dance program at the University of California, is a certified teacher through level three of the American Ballet Theater’s National Training Curriculum.
A self-described afro-futurist, Mr. grimes received his MFA in dance and choreography from UCLA and was aa principal dancer in Philadelphia’s Rennie Harris Puremovement Company.
Saleemah E. Knight has danced alongside Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Ludacris and will.I.am as well as in countless music videos and fashion shows. Knight was also lead choreographer on the E-40, Rick Ross, Lil’ Jon and Busta Rhymes “Bay to the A” concert tour. She received her BFA in dance from the University of Arizona, followed by an MFA from the University of California, Irvine.
Check out her moves, in rehearsal, below.
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