INSPIRA EXP & INSPIRA CENTRIC DIVISION
Karen Miles
InSpira Centric African Dance InStructor
Born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. Mrs. Karen’s professional dancing career
began in 1982 with the Suliman Dance Company. After college Karen felt a need
to give back to her community, so she started teaching African dance to the Girl
Scouts of America in Jersey City. She was so inspired from watching the youth
learns and enjoy the art of their heritage that she founded her very own Zawadi
School of African Dance which has been in existence for over 27 years and is still
going strong.
Karen was a principal dancer with Maimouna Keita School of African
dance, Umoja Dance Company, Message From our Ancestors and Universal
Languages. She has free-lanced her dance talent with various other companies and
organizations. Karen was the director of African dance for Sankofa Dance Theater
by way of African Globe based out of Newark, NJ. She has performed throughout
the United States and in July 2004 has had the pleasure of bringing her performing
arts company to St. Croix, Virgin Island and Australia. Karen has appeared in
Njinga, the Queen King and Color Girls who Committed Suicide. Karen has
shared her gifted dancing skills with the Brooklyn’s very own Brooklyn Academy
of Music during Dance Africa, the teaching Artist Program at New Jersey
Performing Art Center (NJPAC), InSpira and many other schools, colleges,
retirement parties, weddings, funerals and scholarship ceremonies.
One of Karen’s greatest aspiration is to enhance the souls and minds of the
community through traditional African dance, song and history. She also
endeavors to develop our youth into being culturally motivated and aware,
respectful of themselves, others and most of all their elders.
Karen believes that she has found a way to honor our ancestors and
dedicates all that she does in the African dance world to all of those who have left
their mark in society.