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Marie McKinney : Artist Activist, Writer, Awards: Pick of the Fringe Scotland, Audelco Award for Ensemble Acting, Dir. of Education, Founder NEC Monthly Meets/www.necartz.com and Acting Instructor at The Negro Ensemble Co., Singer and American Indian Hoop Dancer at National Museum of American Indian and Thunder Birds, Regalia Design, Restoration and Healing Ministry/Harlem & Liberia, Co-Founder Operation Union, Singer: Heyna Second Sons, Funk Guru, Bethel Gospel Choir, Costume Design, Actor www.mariemckinney.com necartz@gmail.com or 347 560 3312
What do The Thunderbirds, The Negro Ensemble Company and Stella Adler Studio of Acting Have in Common?: Innovations in Traditional Global Theater Training and Outreach
Saturday, March 15, 2014. 7-10pm The Thunderbird Crafts and Dance Workshop is a free treat sharing and preserving American Indian music, and crafts at the American Indian Community House
Register and See Schedule for Hoop Dance Workshop Series at Lotus Music and Dance.
Louis Mofsie (Hopi-Winnebago), founding director of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, grass dancer, Ray “Two Feathers” Leung (Cherokee), and American Indian hoop dancer, Marie McKinney-Poncé, who is Cherokee, Lucayan Taino (Key West Conch), Seminole, Ghanaian and Scotts-Irish will teach native dance and there will be crafts demonstrations, as well as, jewelry and regalia available for purchase to benefit the Thunderbird Scholarship Fund students
This is your opportunity to learn American Indian hoop dancing and other pow wow dances. Originally hoop dancing was performed by male dancers, but in recent years women have become active champions in hoop dance and hoop dance competitions. Marie McKinney-Poncé, an actor, martial arts coach, acting teacher and author recently collaborated and featured in Native American hoop dance choreography with Louis Mofsie and 10 hoop dancers of his Thunderbird American Indian Dancers at Theater for the New City. Marie, sings and dance with the Thunderbirds and Heyna Second Sons and recently featured with Mr. Mofsie at The Brooklyn Museum’s Target Saturday Native Night sharing the bill with Martha Redbone, Redhawk Arts Council and Lakota scholar Joseph Marshall II.
Marie regularly shares her American hoop dance (taught to her by Thunderbirds, Louis Mofsie and Michael Taylor and Ray Two Feathers Leung) at The Thunderbird Socials at National Museum of the American Indian and will be at the upcoming Drums Along the Hudson Pow Wow at Inwood Park on May 22, 2011 from 11am-6pm and The Thunderbird hosted 33rd Annual Grand Mid-Summer Pow Wow at Quens County Farm Museum, Floral Park Queens NY, July 29-3, 2011 featuring demonstrations of Native American hoop dance, smoke dance and the Tlacopan Aztec Dancers.
If that is not all,Marie McKinney-Poncé, Bahamian cousin of Sidney Poitier, will join Tom Oppenheim at Stella Adler Studio of Actiing and Tisch School of the Arts at NYU teaching acting and Global Classics: Character, Text, Mask, Rhythm to Day Conservatory and NYU Actors, while continuing her Master Acting instruction at The Negro Ensemble Company, one of the oldest African American theaters in the world, founded by Douglas Turner Ward and Robert Hooks, with a star studded list of alumni, that include Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett and Rosalind Cash. Marie McKinney will be rejoining Joan Evans, Angela Vitale, Jim Tripp and Tom Oppenheim, all of whom taught or studied at Philip Meister’s National Shakespeare Company Conservatory, years ago. Marie was part of the last class to study with Philip Meister, Mario Siletti, Robert Perillo at The National Shakespeare Company Conservatory on 51st Street, house above The old Cubiculo Theatre near 9th Avenue. Marie McKinney says: “I’ve learned from my years with the Thunderbirds and The Negro Ensemble Company to my old stomping grounds at National Shakespeare Co. Conservatory…
I can’t wait to give actors new perspectives on world classic theatre beyond Shakespeare.”
Ms McKinney directed a controversial theater piece called Black Classics vs. Shakespeare Round I at ARTNY for The NEC attended by CBS executives. Ms. McKinney-Poncé’ was one of the last to study with Master Instructor and National Shakespeare Company founders, Philip Meister, Mario Silletti and Robert Perillo , where Tom Oppenheim was in the NSC class behind her
Nineteen of Marie McKinney-Poncé’s students were selected to meet one-on-one with CBS VP, Casting Fern Orenstein and their credits include featured roles on: Law and Order, HBO, Harold Clurman Lab, Wasington Shakespeare Thr., The SignatureTheatre, One Life to Live, La Mama, Broadway Comedy Club, National Commercials, Shakespeare in the Burroughs at The Public Theatre; Her student Kubbi produced film: Shemika’s Redemption (part of Beverly Hills Film festival winning Hollywood Short Film Award, show at Times Square Theatre Center and the United Nations, among other accolates.
(Hollywood) at the CBS Diversity Institutes, since 2009. Marie McKinney-Poncé’ is Director of Education at The Negro Ensemble Co, winner of several theatrical awards and founder of the NEC Monthly Meet at Riverside which give business tools to artists each month. Ms. McKinney recently starred in SAG Independent film Shenika’ Redemption produced by (student) Kubbi which was selected for the Film Festival in L.A. in April. And (former
student) Clinton Lowe played opposite Russell Crowe in film American Gangster Marie’s students garnered feature roles on Law and Order, HBO, Cherry Lane, Pennsylvania Center Stage, Labyrinth, Mid-Town Theater Festival, Washington Shakespeare Co., The Public Theater and The Negro Ensemble Co and student Niambi Steele won an Audelco Award in 2008 just after her training with Ms. McKinney.
Sam Encarncion, who went on to star as a Nini, an Afro-Mexican immigrant in The Lab Theater’s Long Way Go Down said of Marie McKinney-Poncé’’s workshop:
“Through The Actors Instrument Workshop, I received a deeper knowledge of my body, strengthened my imagination and gained the confidence to fulfill any role offered to me. The tools which allow me to feel that my success is dependent on myself, the work I put toward it, and the specificity of my choices.”
– SAM ENCARNACION
The free hoop dance, grass dance and pow wow dance workshops will be held on March 15, 2014 from 7-10pm Thunderbird Native American Hoop Dance Workshop Series at Lotus Music and Dance starts March 4, 2014 and/or June 3, 2014 at 6:30-8pm first come first served at The American Indian Community House 11 Broadway 2nd fl for more information www.thunderbirdamericanindiandancers.org
Marie Poncé 