Interviewees
Friends, Colleagues, Students
Joan Peters
A dancer who started dance classes at the Dunham School in New York City at 5 years old and, by the age of 11, she began teaching under the auspices of Syvilla Fort. She danced with Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and in films. She directed and taught at the Syvilla Fort School of Theater. She was the Chairperson and Master Teacher for the Dunham Technique at the Ailey School.
Frances Levenson, Esq.
A long-time New York city housing and civil rights advocate and activist in the private, public and non-profit sectors. She was the Executive Director of the National Committee against Discrimination in Housing, NYC Deputy Commissioner for Housing and General Council for the City Commission for Human Rights among other public positions.
George Faison
Emmy and Tony award-winng choreographer, as well as a director and producer. He started his career in the arts as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey Company and later founded the American Performing Arts Collaborative to use the arts as a vehicle for inspiring and engaging young people.
Woody King Jr.
Producer, director, writer, filmmaker, and founder of the esteemed New Federal Theater. He was honored with a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2020.
Johnny Hobbs, Jr.
An actor and director who trained at the Freedom Theatre under John Allen. He was also a long-time educator at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a recipient of the barrymore Lifetime Achievement Award.
David Rothenberg
Founder of the Fortune Society and a well-known activist for prison reform. He is also radio host, writer and Broadway producer who ran a successful theatrical press agency for decades.
Diane Leslie
Actor and former long-time Associate Managing Director of Performing Arts Training Program at the Freedom Theatre. She is currently the coordinator for the Dr. Martin Luther King Commemorative Symposium at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ruby Streate
A dancer who was trained by, and a protégé of Katherine Dunham. She danced with the Dunham Company before becoming the Director of Dance at the Katherine Dunham Centers for the Arts and Humanities in East St. Louis, MO.
Emiko Tokunaga
A dancer, choreographer, writer, designer, and co-founder of the Tokunaga Dance Ko. She was the Artistic Director of Summer dance and modern dance faculty instructor at the Boston Conservatory and Radclffe Dance program Coordinator at Harvard and Radcliffe as well as a sought-after lecturer and teacher at many other institutions.
Yasuko Tokunaga
Julliard-educated dancer, prolific choreographer and co-founder of the Tokunaga Dance Ko. During her dance career she worked with Antony Tudor, Martha Graham, and Pearl Primus among many others. As an educator, she was Director of the Dance Division at the Boston Conservatory and Artistic Director of the Boston Conservatory Dance Theater for 22 years.