OUR LEADERSHIP
Camal Pugh
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
A native of Washington, DC, Camal "C-Note" Pugh has been choreographing and dancing for the past 13 years. A decorated and competitive athlete growing up, Camal didn't begin dancing until his late teen years. A graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County with a B. A. in Media & Communication Studies and minor in Social Work, Camal has trained in Hip Hop, Ballet, Contemporary, Broadway, Jazz, Musical theatre, and African. Starting late in the industry did not slow Camal's drive and passion for dance. He has been trained by the late Neil Whitehead, Tammy Hurt, Steven Wilson, and Shawn Cosby.
Camal's credits include Nike, The Music Man the Musical, Remember Me; Mahalia Jackson Movie, The Stellar Awards, Rolling Loud, Black Girls Rock Concert, Capital Pride Festival; choreographing for Byan Poppin, Rubi Rose, Amerie, Betty Who, and Carly Rae Jepson, just to name a few. His works have been performed at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Long Beach Black Dance Festival, and John F. Kennedy Center. A signed dancer with MSA, Camal is the founder and creator of the first dance department in Charles Hart Middle School in Washington DC.
Camal has a passion for helping others and training the future dancers of tomorrow in the DMV. Moving forward, Camal hopes to motivate and encourage others to not give up on their dreams and keep pushing despite the hurdles life will throw at them.
Devonté Tasker
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR, SAMARAS MANAGING DIRECTOR
Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, DeVonté began dancing at five years old through his church’s dance ministry. Falling in love with dance and performing, he continued to study dance which led him to the Estelle Dennis Boys Program at Peabody Preparatory, where he studied ballet and modern, amongst other styles. After spending five years training at Peabody, DeVonté went on to train at the Baltimore School of the Arts, Pennsylvania Ballet, School of American Ballet, and The Colburn School. After completing his pre-professional dance training and graduating high school, DeVonté joined Tucson Ballet as a company member and now is a proud member of Black Leaves Dance Company!
Jaleel Green
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Green is a singer, dancer, actor and choreographer based in New Orleans. He began his training at NOCCA (New Orleans Center for Creative Arts). Jaleel is a graduate of Bard College in Upstate New York, where he obtained his BA in Theater/Performance and Dance. He has worked and trained with notable/award-winning choreographers such as Debbie Allen, Bessie Award winner Marjani Forte-Sauders, Sarah Michelson and Solomayne Badolo. Jaleel has been working in dance education for almost a decade and teaches dance at many organizations in New Orleans to give back to his community with the gift of dance. Jaleel continues to be an active change maker through his work with Black Leaves Dance Company.
Kevin White
SAMARAS CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Kevin White began his dance training at age 15 in the Putney Summer Arts Program. He furthered his training at the Dance Institute of Washington and Joy of Motion. White also trained as a dance minor at Kent State University, a modern based program where he studied Mae O’Donell technique and release technique. White has also trained in jazz and West African and Contemporary African. Kevin has danced professionally with Taurus Broadhurst, Maverick Lemons, Dayo N Dance, The Black Leaves Project and Jane Franklin Dance. He has performed on many stages in the DMV, including the Kennedy Center’s millennium stage and at Atlas intersections. Kevin has taught modern, hip hop, broadway jazz, contemporary African and many other styles to youth and adults in studios including Joy of Motion and Citidance POP!. He is currently partnering with after school programs and teaching youth classes at Dance Place.
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