Amos Machanic, Jr. (Miami, FL) is currently a Teaching Artist with Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs. Mr. Machanic studied dance at the New World School of the Arts and continued his training at The Ailey School where he was a fellowship recipient. Mr. Machanic was a member of Ailey II and joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1996. During his years with the company, Mr. Machanic had the pleasure of traveling across the globe. In 2010, he performed at the White House tribute to Judith Jamison and now enjoys being a freelance artist and teacher.
Cheryl Rowley-Gaskins (Miami, FL) is currently a Teaching Artist for Ailey Arts In Education & Community programs. Cheryl began her dance training over 20 years ago. She trained at New World School of the Arts and The Ailey School. Mrs. Rowley-Gaskins was a member of Ailey II for three seasons and The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for five seasons. She has studied various dance forms, which include Horton, Graham, Limon, Dunham, West African, Afro-Caribbean, Tap, and Hip Hop. Mrs. Rowley-Gaskins was also previously a teaching artist for AileyCamp Miami. She enjoys inspiring kids and teaching freedom of expression and individuality through dance movement.
Freddie Moore, a native of Jersey City, NJ, began his professional career as a dancer, master teacher and choreographer at The Ailey School. After graduating, he became a featured artist with Ailey II, Donald Byrd/The Group, Forces of Nature, Gallman’s Newark Dance Theater and Blue Mercury Dancing Company. During his 36-year career, Moore has amassed credits in musicals, national television shows, music videos and documentaries. A noted master of the modern Horton technique, Moore has developed performing arts curricula for schools and community-based programs and works with churches worldwide to develop liturgical dance ministries. He is the Rehearsal Director for Ailey Student Performance Group (ASPG), Ailey Certificate Program Advisor and a faculty member at The Ailey School, Restoration Youth Arts Academy, Hudson Repertory Dance Theater as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of Footprints Dance Company.
Ronnie D Carney began training with Alfred Gallman, while studying theater at Arts High School. In 1995, he graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance. During a short performance career, cut short by injury, he performed with Ballet South Project and Douglas Dunn and Dancers. Afterwards, Ronnie turned his focus to Dance Education. He began with a teaching position at Newark’s Arts High School, where he has remained for 28 years. He has also taught for The Joffrey Ballet School, ABT’s Summer Arts Institute, The Mill Ballet School, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and currently serves as Co-Director of AileyCamp Newark. As a choreographer, his work has been shown at many festivals in NJ and on The Roxey Ballet.
In 2023, he was honored by the City of Newark’s Mayor, City Council, and Newark Arts Festival for his continued contributions and dedication to Arts Education in the Newark community. He returned to the stage as an actor performing in several interAct productions including 1984 (O’Brian), And Then There Were None (Dr. Armstrong), and The Normal Heart (Hiram Keebler) with The Players Guild of Leonia.
Caylia Wallace received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Montclair State University and her Master of Arts in Public Media with a concentration in Strategic Communication from Fordham University. Caylia Wallace has performed works by Jessie Dimauro, Kim Whittam, Kathleen Kelley, Christian von Howard, Lori Katterhenry, Earl Mosley and Camille A. Brown. She’s performed with various New York City project based companies and had the privilege to dance and assistant choreograph for WNBA Team, Connecticut Sun. Wallace was commissioned by the Arts Council of England to produce an international exchange show with performing artists from both High Wycombe, UK and New Jersey. Caylia Wallace is a growing international creative director, choreographer, performer, health and wellness enthusiast and a full time High School dance educator and High School Competition Dance Team Coach.
Brother Jerome Hunter is a master dancer, national & internationally known choreographer and drummer who has merged several dance disciplines such as traditional Africa dance, Brazil, Caribbean, as well as North America, to create a unique fusion that is synonymous with LaRocque Bey, and has been performing these dance styles for over 40 years.
Mr. Derrick is the dance instructor at Elysian Charter School, a founding faculty member at MST Dance Academy, and the dance representative on the Hoboken Arts Council. Beloved in his Hoboken community, he is a self-taught street dance artist who runs countless summer dance and creativity programs for the children of Hudson County, and he is delighted to share his flow and good vibes at Ailey Day!
Maxwell Louis Green-Waterman is a dynamic dance educator, choreographer, and advocate whose work bridges the legacy of modern dance with the innovation of today’s dance landscape. Trained at The Ailey School and Joffrey Ballet School, Maxwell is an inaugural inductee into the Ailey Teacher Certification Program, carrying forward the Horton technique with passion and purpose. With a Master’s in Dance Education from Hunter College, Maxwell has taught at prestigious institutions including The Martha Graham School, SUNY Purchase, and Brooklyn Ballet. Rooted in the power of dance as a tool for cultural expression and social change, Maxwell brings his vibrant teaching style to Ailey Day, celebrating the joy, history, and future of dance.
Anthony Solo Harris is a part of the legendary ENVY dance group established in 2003 in Newark, NJ, which helped cultivate the Jersey Club dance style. Harris and his father co-founded Dance Mogul Magazine in 2010, and he is also the co-founder of Dance Warz, a competitive platform that houses raw dance performances and battles. A professional teacher for more than a decade, Harris created @soloexpressionpa, a dance studio that specializes in the intellectual and developmental disabilities community.
Ladies of Hip Hop (LOHH) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls and women in Hip-Hop culture. Rooted in New York City, LOHH reclaims and transforms spaces to provide all women a platform to be heard, seen, respected, and celebrated within the greater Hip-Hop and arts community. By providing resources and opportunities such as dance training, performance opportunities, mentorships, educational programs, career development support, and networking opportunities, we are building the next generation of hip-hop’s changemakers.
Radhika Jones is the editor in chief of Vanity Fair. Since her appointment in December of 2017, the magazine has been widely recognized for its fresh direction, beginning with her first, groundbreaking cover subject, Lena Waithe, and has grown its audience significantly across digital and social platforms. More recently, VF has extended its reach in Hollywood to include a film and television studio and has expanded its events business to include a presence at major film and art festivals worldwide, in addition to the flagship Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Jones hosts Vanity Fair’s politics podcast, Inside the Hive, and over the course of her career has interviewed luminaries ranging from Barbra Streisand to Shonda Rhimes to Malala.
Jones’s first job in journalism was at The Moscow Times, an English-language newspaper in Russia, in the mid-’90s. Prior to joining Vanity Fair, Jones held senior editorial roles at The New York Times, Time (where she steered the annual Time 100 and Person of the Year issues), and The Paris Review. She has also served as an editor at Artforum and Bookforum, and managing editor at Grand Street. Jones graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard, and holds a Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University. She is a member of the boards of CARE, The Paris Review, and the American Society of Magazine Editors. She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn.
Nalini Jones is the author of a novel, The Unbroken Coast (Knopf, August 2025), and a story collection, What You Call Winter. The novel was supported by a National Endowment of the Arts Literature Fellowship, and her short fiction has been awarded O. Henry and Pushcart prizes. Her work has appeared in publications such as One Story, Ploughshares, Guernica, Elle India, and The New York Times, and she has contributed to anthologies about HIV in India, siblings, and music.
She currently teaches creative writing at Fairfield University; past appointments have been Columbia University, Williams College, Yale University, and the Arcadia University Center in Greece A longtime coordinator of live music events, she was associate producer of the Newport Folk Festival from 2004-2009, line producer of From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, Madison Square Garden 2005, and artistic coordinator of Route 57, A Festival of American Roots Music at Carnegie Hall in 2006, among many others. She continues to work at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Saratoga Jazz Festival.
Kerri B. Levine, Principal, Fidelco Group.
Rhonda McFarlane Richard, Esq, attorney and philanthropist.