DANCE IQUALI! Will Return With All New World Premieres

Dance Iquail!, the Philadelphia-based company founded and directed by Dr. Iquail Shaheed, returns to the Ailey Citigroup Theater with a program of New York premieres by choreographers Christian von Howard, Maleek Washington, and Shaheed, April 19 & 20 at 7:30 PM.

Dr. Shaheed (the first Black male to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Texas Women's University), is pleased to share the programs with exceptional dancemakers, remarking "I am always proud to present new choreographers to audiences".

Christian von Howard is the Artistic Director of the Von Howard Project.  Von Howard’s choreographic work tends to be extremely athletic, yet infused with layered moments of subtle detail and sinuous control. An international artist, von Howard has worked with many dance artists, including Fred Benjamin, Fernando Bujones, and Daniel Gwirtzman, and with organizations including the American Dance Festival, Dance Masters of America, and Iliev Dance Arts Foundation to name a few.  His choreographic work has been produced in venues across the globe including Europe, South America, Asia, and throughout the US. Christian is an Associate Professor at Montclair State University, part of the teaching faculty at the Alvin Ailey School, and served as the Northeast Regional Director of the American College Dance Association (2016-2023). He holds advanced degrees from the School of Classical and Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University and Tisch School of the Arts, NYU and as a Fulbright Specialist (2019-2021) for the United States.

Maleek Washington is a performer, choreographer, and teaching artist. A native New Yorker from the Bronx, he began his dance training at Harlem School of the Arts, Broadway Dance Center, and the Laguardia High School for the Performing Arts, and attended The Boston Conservatory on full scholarship. He began his professional career with CityDance Ensemble in Washington DC, before returning to NYC to collaborate with McArthur Genius Awardee Kyle Abraham as a part of Abraham.In.Motion (@aimbykyleabraham) for 4 seasons. He then became the first African-American male to perform in the critically acclaimed immersive show Sleep No More (Punch Drunk). 

Maleek choreographed for rap legend Nas’ 2022 “Big Nas Masterclass” commercial and video, assisted choreography for Spike Lee’s Mont Blanc commercial, and has performed for Sia, Phish, Rihanna, and NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE. He has been a member of Camille A. Brown and Dancers for 5 seasons and was an assistant choreographer for Porgy & Bess (Grammy Winner) and Fire Shut Up In My Bones at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC.  His performance talents have been recognized nationally at prestigious venues including The White House, The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, The Joyce Theater, and the Apollo Theater. He has been commissioned to present works by renowned organizations both nationally and internationally, and is a highly sought after teaching artist. Maleek is honored to be a 2022 Princess Grace Award Winner in Choreography, a 2021 Bessie Nominee as an Emerging Choreographer, and is a Co-curator of the 2019 Bronx APAP Dance Festival at Hostos.

The final piece is a brand new DANCE IQUAIL!  work called Rain, choreographed by company founder Dr. Iquail Shaheed. Hailed in reviews as “a perfect example of his generation of male dancers… Technically superb and artistically infallible,” Dr. Iquail Shaheed is a Philadelphia-based artist, activist, and the executive artistic director of DANCE IQUAIL! through which he creates new works and programs that centers on Blackness, Justice, and Joy.

Dr. Shaheed has worked with internationally acclaimed companies such as Philadanco, Compagnie Thor (Brussels), Sean Curran Company, Ronald K Brown/ Evidence, and the Fred Benjamin Dance Company. He has also appeared in various Broadway productions including The Lion King, Hot Feet, and Super Fly. As an educator, Iquail preserves the Horton Technique by serving on faculty at The Ailey School, NAISDA Dance College in Australia, and is the second Black man to receive tenure and promotion to associate professor at Goucher College in their inception in 1889  Among his many honors are grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Black Art Future Fund, New England Foundation for the Arts, MAP Fund, National Performance Network, the Philadelphia Dance Award – “The Rocky,” and the Marion D. Cuyjet Award. 

Dr. Shaheed received his training as a scholarship student at many prestigious schools including the Philadelphia Dance Company –Philadanco, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, The Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, Paul Taylor School, The Juilliard School and Pennsylvania Ballet, among many others. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ballet performance from the University of the Arts, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Choreography from Purchase College. Dr. Shaheed is also the first Black Male to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Texas Woman’s University. 

He proudly serves on the board of directors for the International Association of Blacks in Dance, where he was the elected board treasurer. He is a board member with Dance/USA and the Stockton Bartol Rush Foundation.

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