Co-Founder of Beyond the Ballet Barre/Consultant/Advocate/Ballet Instructor/Author of Dancing in the Dash

A Jones-Haywood School of Dance alumna, Lauri performed with the Capitol Ballet, Vassar Dance Theatre, and Ballet Santo Domingo. Cultural and commercial diplomacy are the hallmarks of her career working at the Voice of America, the U.S. Information Agency, and serving as a Foreign Service Officer. A former Assistant Secretary and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, a senior executive at Hill and Knowlton and Gray and Company, and a partner at The Livingston Group, Lauri also was an executive at Iridium, LLC.

She now applies her communications, public relations business and leadership experience to mentoring, teaching ballet, advising dance institutions, promoting artists, and writing.

Lauri has a B.A. from Vassar College, M.A from the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. She serves on the boards of The Washington Ballet, Mother Jones, and the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST). Her memoir, Dancing in the Dash: My Story of Empowerment, Diplomacy, and Resilience was published in 2021.

Co-Founder of Beyond the Ballet Barre, Artistic Director, Jones-Haywood Dance School (and instructor at Duke Ellington School of the Arts)

A distinguished former classical ballerina, teacher, and artistic director, Sandra Fortune-Green. Fortune-Green developed her passion for ballet and training at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now JHDS) under the tutelage of Doris Jones and Claire Haywood, in New York City at the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, and at George Washington and Howard universities.

As a professional dancer, Fortune-Green was a featured soloist with The Washington Ballet and the Capitol Ballet Company. In 1973, Fortune-Green was the only American in the Second International Ballet Competition in Moscow, and in the next two years, she garnered Honorable Mentions at the Seventh (1974) and Eighth (1976) International Ballet Competitions in Varna, Bulgaria.

In addition to teaching and serving as Artistic Director at JHDS, Fortune-Green serves on the faculty at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and at Howard University. Her goal is to teach a new generation to appreciate their unique special gifts through the love of dance.

Executive Director, Dance Institute of Washington (DIW)

Kahina Haynes, Executive Director, is a passionate arts activist and the visionary architect behind DIW’s strategic revitalization following the significant loss of its Founder/Artistic Director, Fabian Barnes. She is an awardee of the 2022 Black Voices for Black Justice Fund, 2022 David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Award, and 2021 American Express NGen Fellows Award. Kahina recently was appointed to President Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition.

Prior to her appointment by The Board of Directors, Ms. Haynes worked in program and process evaluation for a number of philanthropic and non-profit organizations including the United Nations (Bureau for Development Policy at UNDP), The Annie E. Casey Foundation, SafeKids Worldwide, and the World Bank Group. Ms. Haynes holds a B.A. from Princeton University with a Minor in African American Studies and a concentration in Dance; as well as, a Master’s Degree from Oxford University in Evidence Based Social Intervention.

Tammy Hurt, a native Washingtonian, started her dance training at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet and later became a member of the Capitol Ballet Company under the direction of Doris Jones and Claire Haywood. After an extensive dance career with some of the greatest choreographers of the times such as Louis Johnson, Kevin Jeff, George Faison, Hinton Battle, and Mike Malone, to name a few, Ms. Hurt decided to devote her life to teaching. She spent ten years as the Director of the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet. There she directed and choreographed The Nut-Kracker and Black Heritage for youth dancers. Ms. Hurt has taught ballet at Howard University and choreographed for the Duke Ellington School.

Ballet Master, Divine Dance Institute

Adrian Vincent James was born and raised in Washington DC. He received his early training from Mike Malone and studied at the Jones-Haywood School, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Harkness School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and The Ailey School.

James is the first African American to have danced with the Houston Ballet under Ben Stevenson. His other professional experience includes directing; choreographing; and performing for The Eglevsky Ballet, Capitol Ballet, and the Laverne Reed Dancers.

From 1981 to 1986, James attended Howard University to earn his BFA in Drama, Directing and Theatrical Production and from 1991 to 1993, American University to earn his MA in Dance. He has taught and choreographed for Prince George’s County Public Schools, Divine Dance Institute, Howard, and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Director of Dance, The St. James

Laveen Naidu is the founding director of Dance at The St. James in Northern Virginia. He is a former company member and executive director of the acclaimed Dance Theatre of Harlem. Mr. Naidu is an accomplished ballet teacher, noted arts administrator, choreographer, and educator whose works have been commissioned by DTH and The J.F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Laveen couples a deep knowledge and passion for dance with his commitment to using the arts and sports to empower and build community.

Mr. Naidu was born in South Africa and is a graduate of the University of Cape Town and the Professional Leadership Development Program at Harvard Business School. He has served as adjunct faculty at Barnard College, guest speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival and on numerous dance and education related panels and committees. Laveen’s television appearances include Sesame Street, PBS Channel 13, Thirteen Stories and Brian Lehrer Live.

Dorothy “Dot” Walker began her dance training with Katherine H. Duffey, Incarnation Dance Group and later danced with Workshops for Careers in the Arts, the predecessor and driving force of today’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts created by Peggy Cooper Cafritz and Mike Malone. She received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Dance Theater of Harlem with Arthur Mitchell and Karl Shook prior to attending Point Park University. There she continued her studies in dance under Nicolas Petrov and Leonide Massine and performed with the Pittsburgh Ballet Company. She later returned to Washington D.C. and joined the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet and the Capitol Ballet Company established by Doris Jones and Claire Haywood. In 1983, she joined St. Mark’s Dance Studio faculty teaching children and adults’ ballet and jazz as well as a company member with St. Mark’s Dance Company under Mary Craighill performing throughout the DC metropolitan area.

In 1995, she served as the company’s ballet mistress in Prague, Czech Republic. She continues teaching at St. Mark’s Dance Studio and as Ballet Mistress.

Director, Howard University Dance Department (and Instructor at DIW)

Royce Zackery received his Master’s of Arts at N.Y.U. Steinhardt/American Ballet Theatre in Higher Education: Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions and is certified in the ABT National Teaching Curriculum with a concentrated degree in Ballet Pedagogy. Research Focus: Human Movement Science, Physical Performance Efficiency, and Measures of Injury Prevention.