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Ms. GilbertChoreographer, Dancer, Teacher, and CoordinatorGrade: PK-5th
Conference Periods: 7:40-8:25Email:Phone: 713-845-7492
Please call during conference period.Tiffany burst onto the dance scene at the age of three with Texas Southern University’s Turpsilor Dance Company under the direction of Dr. Marjorie Stewart. After two years of performing and training under Dr. Stewart, Tiffany was instructed by Anne Polajenko, a noted principal ballerina from France who worked with renowned artists like George Balanchine. While under the tutelage of Anne Polajenko, Tiffany also received training from Ms. Marie Love where she attended and won numerous regional and national dance competitions such as I LOVE DANCE in Las Vegas, Austin, TX, and Houston, TX.
In 1990, Tiffany attended Johnston Middle School and was a member Johnston’s advanced dance and performing class under the leadership of Jessie Woodcock. While at Johnston, she was a member of the National Youth Achievers where she, along with her peers founded the National Youth Achievers Dance Troupe, won Fine Arts Competitions for dances and productions that she choreographed and performed in Washington, DC, Houston, TX, and Miami, Florida.
In 1992 Ms. Gilbert continued her extensive dance training at the High School for the Visual and Performing Arts where she danced in annual dance concerts and performed in Black History Programs written and directed by Thomas Meloncon such as “The Melting Pot, “The Story of Rhythm”, and “Where Were You in ‘65”. She was also a member of Top Teens of America where she won Fine Arts Competitions in Arkansas and Houston and performed at conferences, and choreographed and danced at Top Teens events. During her high school years, Tiffany was a featured dancer at the Texas Tap Ensemble (1995), won Delta Sigma Theta’s Fine Arts Competition (1995), and was a guest performer for a number of organizations, schools, and churches such as Booker T. Washington Coronation Ball (1996), Jack Yates High School’s Girls Day Program (1996), NAACP’s Acts-So Awards Ceremony, and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church’s Transformation Ceremony (annually) to name a few.
Upon her graduation from HSPVA in 1996, Tiffany began her college education at Spelman College where she was a Dual Degree Engineering student minoring in dance. In 2001, Tiffany graduated from Spelman College and Georgia Institute of Technology with two Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. While at Spelman, Tiffany was a Morehouse cheerleader and choreographed many of their routines, was a featured dancer (chosen by her modern dance teacher) to perform at locations such as a Bahai church and other artistic venues; while at Spelman she also co-founded (and is still the choreographer for) Nasir Productions Inc. (founded by Hana Sharif) where she choreographed and danced in “There is Confusion” and “Cassie”. While at Georgia Tech, Ms. Gilbert was chosen as coordinator, choreographer, and performer for the Nu Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc.’s Miss Black and Gold Pageant.
Upon her graduation in 2001, Tiffany assisted Ms. Helen Ruth Hall with teaching and choreographing for the Will Roger Tappers and began a tap group of her own, working part-time at Energized for Excellence Academy (2002).
In the fall of 2002, Tiffany began teaching dance full-time at Crespo Elementary School where she now instructs students ranging from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. From 2002 until 2004 she was the dance instructor, Artistic Director, and a board member of Midtown Art Center, where she also directed and coordinated Midtown’s Summer Arts Program (which entailed hiring instructors to help facilitate a 6-week summer day camp and expose inner city and high-risk youth to various forms of the visual and performing arts). Tiffany volunteered with the junior Girl Scout troupe at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church where she is a member and has been the Praise Dancer director since 2004, directing over 40 dancers in the children, youth, and adult ministry.
In 2005, Ms. Gilbert joined Second Generation Dance Company (her first professional dance company, founded by Ms. Lori Amare) whose mission to explore the culture and experiences of the African Diaspora and African–Americans heritage through dance. She was recently promoted to co-director of Second Generation and is in her second season with the company where she toured, danced, and receive training with the company for 5 seasons in various city’s and states, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York. Ms. Gilbert also created and maintained Second Generation’s company website and handled most of the production, graphics, and advertisements while performing with the company.
In the summer of 2007, Ms. Gilbert was the dance coordinator at the Ensemble Theatre’s Young Performers Program under the direction of Ms. Tomaccina Bell. She also volunteered for this same program the following summer (2008); that same summer Ms. Gilbert was also the dance instructor for Greater St. Matthews’ Fine Arts Summer Camp. Currently Ms. Gilbert continues to choreograph and coordinate concerts and enrichment programs in her church, community , and school. In 2013 she choreographed for Progress Theatre, a professional, touring theatre company under the direction of Dr. Cristal Chanelle Truscott. This summer Ms. Gilbert assisted a former co-worker, playwright, and director, Broderick Jones, with creating and establishing the Talented Tenth Theatre. She now serves as a board member of Talented Tenth Theatre and was in charge of creating the website, graphics, marketing and some choreography in the company’s debut summer program in 2014.