Pepper

Pepper, a dancer, instructor, choreographer, and performing artist was raised in both Panama and Washington, D.C. but has now made The Bronx, New York her home. She is founder and artistic director of Contemporary Ballet Theatre (CBT), a multicultural ballet company based in the South Bronx. CBT consists of 14-24 professional dancers and youth, junior, and parent ensembles. Its programs include a yearlong dance program, Summerdance Intensive, a summer dance camp; Summerdance Festival, a series of outdoor performances; and the Teenage Empowerment Program, an internship program for 12-21 year olds in dance, technical theater, administration, and retail/sales. CBT also has a small retail dance store which acts as a training facility for the Teenage Empowerment Program and a fundraising tool for the company. In its short, but productive two years, CBT has been featured on Channel 7 News and in The New York Times. Pepper was also featured in an article in the August 2002 issue of “O,” the magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey. Among her supporters is Libby Pataki, the wife of New York’s Governor George Pataki, who recently donated equipment to CBT.

Among Pepper’s performances are works with Bill T. Jones Dance Company and Louis Johnson at venues such as New York State Theatre at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Madison Square Garden. As an instructor, she has taught at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Ballet Hispanico Schools, and the Broadway Dance Center.

facebook.com/CBTVision/
www.oprah.com/uyl/omag/uyl_omag_200208.jhtml

This bio/description was originally published in 2002 and updated in 2019. For more current information, please refer to the award recipient's website (if provided).