Brooklyn Priestley

 

Haitian/Native American artist Brooklyn was born Lonnie Ervin, February 1991. Mr. Priestley grew up in Red Hook-Brooklyn, New York has been dancing since the age of 6. He tried out for his junior high school dance team, which he made it, with no training. He later went off to start a dance team, which later became a whole department at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He also was a member of a Hip-Hop battle squad called “Unleashed/Deja VU” which still hasn’t lost a battle since it began in 2005. Brooklyn was the only male & black dancer at Brenau University in 2010 and the first in the schools history to be on scholarship. There he trained in Ballet (french ceccetti), Modern, and Jazz. He also was an English tutor for the abroad male student on the campus who spoke little-to-no English. He taught at many dance studios in Atlanta, Georgia such as Jennifer’s Dance Company, M3power Dance Studio of the Performing Arts, The G.A.B Assc. (Giving Art Back), Drill/Dance Team at Arabia Mountain in Arabia Mountain, just to name very few. He has traveled the country dancing in competitions, doing choreography, and collaborations with many great dance artists. He also worked with many artists such as Kita B of Wisconsin, Marquetta Bullard of Miami, and JoWork of Atlanta. Brooklyn has many accomplishments and won lots of awards for his innovative, unique, and empowering choreography. To watch him perform is like watching an artist come up with the very concept to a masterpiece. He also has other talents that he is noted for; such as writing- in 2012 he won his first poetry slam in Atlanta. He has sang in a group of young men called “Lift” where he was a vocalist/lyricist and also he was known for contributing to the community by throwing dance competitions and days throughout the school year for inner city high school to have an outlet. Brooklyn is now in college for Oriental Medicine. His plans for the future of his work is to open a performance arts high school for under-privileged American youth (change starts at home) and also a multi-faceted wellness center that integrates Eastern and Western medicine and therapies.