LAILA ABDULLAH
Is a mother, dancer, teacher, and choreographer with extensive training in Dunham Technique, West African, Afro-Brazilian, Modern, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Tap, and Ballet.
Not only is Laila trained in various dance forms, she is a certified instructor for the National Dance Institute and Physical Fitness. Laila began dancing at the age of five at the Katherine Dunham Center for the Performing Arts in East St. Louis, studing under instructors suchas; Ruby Streate, and Theodire Jamison. She received her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University and is currently working on her P.E./Dance Credential and Master's in Education.
She has also studied and performed with Diane DeFranco Browne (Pasadena Civic Ballet), Rosangela Silvestre (Silvestre Technique), Winifred Harris (Between Lines Dance Company), Michael Mizerany (Mizerany Dance Company). Laila has taught and continues to teach extensively in the Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County areas, choreographing new works as well as teaching at Santa Monica College, Kittsville Youth Foundation, A Place Called Home, Ciara's Dance Studio, and Dance Dimensions.
She joined Viver Brasil Dance Company in 2004 and in 2005 was nominated for the Lester Horton Dance Award for Best Female Performance for works in Yabas/Queens. In 2007, she traveled to Salvador, Brazil Bahia, with Viver Brasil for an intensive study of Afro-Brazilian dance and music, and conducted a master class in Dunham Technique at the Escola de Dance/State of Bahia Cultural Foundation.
