Graduating Cum Laude in the MFA program at the University of Iowa Barber uses interdisciplinary art practices to articulate
various testimonies within and surrounding Black America. Most recent scholarships
include Stanley Grant award from the University of Iowa, Alonzo Davis Award from Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Selected exhibitions include but are not limited to Englert Theatre (Iowa City, IA), Museum of Science (Chicago), Public Artwork on Atlanta BeltLine (Atlanta, GA), Rialto Theatre (Atlanta, GA), Lexington Theatre (Kentucky), Mason Murer Gallery (Atlanta, GA), Gallery 4731 (Detroit, MI), Levitt Gallery, (Iowa City).
Website: BarberPaintsPeople.com

(Detroit, MI) began dancing under the tutelage of Anthony Smith at the Lewis Cass Technical High School. BFA from University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed works by Merce Cunningham, Doug Varone, Paul Taylor, Susan Jaffe, Brenda Daniels, and Juel D. Lane among others. Recent performances include Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin for Spoleto Festival USA. He is recipient of the Career Development and International Study Opportunity Grant for participation in the Kyoto International Dance Festival in Japan. His choreography, America Divided is a direct response to recurring systemic injustices towards Black men.

(Raleigh, NC) holds a BA in Rehabilitation Studies and Human Services from Winston Salem State University. He began his dance training under the direction of Susan Hill and Lisa Wilder. Melvin has trained in a wide range of dance styles and regularly attends dance intensives and conferences. He has performed with E-motion Dance Company, a semi-professional performance group based in Raleigh. Melvin has studied with numerous dance luminaries including Christopher Huggins, Shani Collins, and Baba Chuck Davis. He has also trained and worked with Debbie Allen, performing on national television for the World Games Special Olympics with Stevie Wonder, Becky G and J'Balvin.

(Raleigh, NC) Through high school technical forms of dance were exposed to him in Marching Band where he found his passion for performance. 2012-2014 he worked as a performing member of Drum Corps International Colorguard for Music City based in Nashville, TN and The Cavaliers based in Chicago, IL.  2015 he was awarded a scholarship to attend The Martha Graham Summer Intensive in New York City. He graduated 2015 with a B.A. In Dance, Performance, Choreography and Theory from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 2016 he worked as an Intern at 411 Dance Studios in Atlanta, GA. Alive in all arts Tyrell is a poet and avid community supporter of underground musical artists, building connections with artists across the Charlotte Metro Area.

(Henderson, NC) currently holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Dance and a minor in Spanish from North Carolina A&T State University. After eleven years (2006-2017) of dancing for Dr. Eleanor Gwynn and her company, he embraces his deep passion for the arts, particularly dance. He has performed at many locations ranging from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Kingston, Jamaica. Using dance as an outlet, he has grown into the performer who many have grown to admire. Humble and talented he remains. Tanner will forever be driven to utilize his gifts for the better of everyone surrounding him.

Angus Tarnawsky is a performance-based sound artist experimenting with electro-acoustic improvisation and electronic composition. His interdisciplinary practice explores a dialog between spontaneity and structure realized using multiple tools and techniques. Originally from Tasmania, Australia, Angus lives and works between Brooklyn NY and Vancouver BC. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance (Honors) from the University of Melbourne and was a 2016 Artist-in-residence at the Red Bull Music Academy in Montreal, QC.

(Winston­ Salem, NC) is a regular in many theatres on the east coast. Wells earned his BFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Dance Choreography. He has worked with renowned choreographers such as: Jeffrey Page, Duane Cyrus, and George Faison. Theatre credits include: Virginia Repertory Theatre’s production of The Color Purple, Gypsy, Dreamgirls (Jimmy Early). Gdavisplays Productions of Temptation , and I’ll be Home for Christmas. This Actor's Equity Association member, is a complete 'triple threat' according to the New York's "Out & About Magazine" review of one of his latest collaborations with George Faison as the Gatekeeper in the revival production of "The Wiz."