Zakiya L. Cornish, a New Orleans native currently residing in Philadelphia, received her B.A. from Dillard University in Business Management. Her work focuses on traditional and contemporary dance and music of the African Diaspora.

 

As a New Orleans ­based independent artist, she performed with several African dance and drum companies including Kuumbuka African Dance and Drum Collective, Free Spirit Drum and Dance Company, Bamboula 2000, and N’Kafu Traditional African Dance Company. Zakiya served as a teaching artist for 5 years with Young Audiences of Louisiana, culminating in an invitation for her students to perform in Los Angeles for Adam Shankman (executive producer of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE).

 

Zakiya earned an MFA degree in Dance at Temple University. Her graduate research entailed an exploration of the intersections of African American identity and West African Dance.