Emily Hawkins
Emily Hawkins was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio where she attended Indianola Elementary, an alternative school that included dance, art, music and drama classes, alongside customary primary classes. In hopes of channeling her boundless energy in a constructive way, her mother put her in dance classes at the age of three. Emily later received her formative training from BalletMet Dance Academy and Judy Dollenmayer Studio of Dance. She was a founding member of BalletMet’s pre-professional YouthMet! company under the direction of April Berry, and attended Summer Intensive programs at The Ailey School. Emily was a reporter and anchor for WBNS 10TV’s Kids News Network (KNN) from 1996 – 2000, where she enjoyed covering arts and culture stories like Savion Glover’s Wexner Center residency and Tap Dogs’ US Tour. Upon graduation from Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, Emily enrolled in Columbia University and majored in Sociology and African American studies. While at Columbia, she served as President of The Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and as Vice President of Columbia’s Multi-Cultural Greek Council. As a John W. Kluge Scholar, Emily had the opportunity to attend several Broadway shows in between classes and she took full advantage of Columbia’s proximity to the heartbeat of the performing arts world. Not long after graduating from Columbia, she began a career with the beloved Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. Her nine-year tenure with Ailey's public relations department was a dream realized. Emily is currently a Director of Media Relations in the retail industry. Emily is a longtime resident of Harlem and is currently an active member of Columbia’s Black Alumni Council. Her free time is spent in theater seats and concert halls - enjoying all that New York City has to offer. |
PennyMaria Jackson
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, PennyMaria Jackson found theater to be as thrilling as mangoes from her backyard tree and as exhilarating as wiggling her toes in sand at the beach. Her arts education was nurtured in Liberty City at the African Heritage Culture Arts Center, Charles Drew Middle School, and the magnet program at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. PennyMaria earned dual degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Theatre Studies at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She directed and performed in original one act plays and interned at WESH Channel 2 (NBC). PennyMaria was selected as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and believes in utilizing research as a tool to examine theater's power to create social change. Driven by her desire to highlight art, artists, and audiences of color, PennyMaria was accepted into Syracuse University’s prestigious Arts Journalism M. A. program. She produced content for The Daily Orange at Syracuse University, Syracuse Stage, and Signature Theatre (NYC) as she developed a new passion for arts management. PennyMaria was offered a position at Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, an institution dedicated to providing opportunities for artists of color, where she led a significant community engagement initiative revitalizing the institution’s relationship with artists and arts institutions in the Harlem community. PennyMaria worked at Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation for five years and is currently Marketing Director at the world famous Apollo Theater. She has over seven years of experience in community engagement, marketing, and leadership. As a dedicated arts enthusiast and advocate, PennyMaria is also a leader in the Harlem arts community. She served as a public member of the Arts & Culture committee for Community Board 9 for several years and is a founding member of the recently established Harlem Arts & Culture Initiative (HACI). She was recently named a leading arts administrator by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and an Innovative Cultural Advocate in by the Caribbean Culture Center. Utilizing the power of the arts as a driving force, she is dedicated to bridging the gap between cultures for decades to come. |
Out and About in NYC
"To See Or Not To See" is a new video series where Emily Hawkins & PennyMaria Jackson tell it like it is. We give you the real review on New York arts and culture. Sure, The New York Times and The New York Post are nice, but they aren't going to give it to you like we do. And we have the scoop on discounts too. Stay tuned to find out what's worth seeing!
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