Talise Campbell

Biography

Talise A. Campbell is a graduate of Cleveland State University receiving both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of education and administration.

She was a founding member of the Imani African American Dance Company under the direction of Linda Thomas-Jones. There she performed across the United States and taught at various universities, public/private schools, and community events. Campbell went on further to become choreographer and lead dancer for the Iroko Drum and Dance Society, being featured at the Palace Theatre for “Best International Works.”

She has studied with the likes of Marie Basse-Wiles, Assane Konte, Mouminatou Camara, Ronald K. Brown, Tacko Cissokho, Bill Wade, Moustapha Bangoura, and Baba Chuck Davis to name a few. Her choreographic works have been featured receiving rave reviews in notable plays such as Ruined, God’s Trombones, Black Nativity, Julius Caesar Set in Africa and Juneteenth.

Combining her love for arts and education, she became a full-time faculty member teaching students with learning disabilities through the integration of the cultural arts for 17 years at Cleveland School of the Arts.

Campbell is a visiting assistant professor of Africana studies and dance at Oberlin College. She also is the executive artistic director and choreographer of Djapo Cultural Arts Institute, where her mission is to preserve traditional music, art, dance, and history through her international travel and community engagement programs.

She plans to receive her doctoral degree researching the effects of the integration of the arts comparing students in Dakar, Senegal, with students in urban settings in America.