SABA School of Dance Team
Sabrina Duffy-Jenkins is co-owner and School Director. She is a native of Long Island, NY and has studied and taught African Dance for over 40 years. Sabrina began teaching African Dance in New York as a teenager and has studied under Master dancers throughout the United States. Sabrina move to Huntsville, AL in and was a founding member of the SABA African Dance Troupe. She has spent countless volunteer hours educating others throughout North Alabama on African Dance and African history. Sabrina expanded her vision for the troupe by partnering with Meka Hubbard and Aisha Fields-Buchannan to start a dance and drumming studio in the IMHOTEP Cultural Arts Center in October of 2000. The demand for culturally rich dance forms as well as traditional forms of dance such as tap, jazz, and ballet flourished and SABA School of Dance & International Performing Arts Company relocated to a larger studio located in the Oakwood Shopping Plaza in January 2003. Sabrina holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Columbia College and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. She is also and an active member of the North Alabama Sickle Cell Foundation and is an advocate for exposing disadvantaged children and children with disabilities to the performing arts.
Raven Griffin began her study of African Dance at SABA School of Dance & International Performing Arts Company in 2003. She has studied the art from Master instructors in both St. Louis and Birmingham. She has been in benefit shows to help raise funds for the Hurricane Katrina Survivors. She is very involved with many community programs and has been able to incorporate African dance into the mentoring of young girls. Her passion for dance has also led her to become a member of the Women Of Worship dance ministries. Raven holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Jackson State University (Jackson, MS) and a Masters of Accountancy degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She is the proud mother of Nakai and Timothy.
Tiffanie R. Byers is a native of Huntsville, Alabama and a graduate of Alabama A&M University. Tiffanie has been performing since she was a little girl. Tiffanie has served as a guest choreographer and teacher for many churches, theater productions, and local dance/cheerleader teams within the city. Along with teaching at SABA I.P.A.C., Tiffanie is the Customer Service Specialist at SABA she interact with the parents, students, and team to ensure that the routine everyday needs of the studio stay on track. She is a member of the Union Chapel M.B.Church located in Huntsville, AL where Dr. O.Wendell Davis is Pastor, serves as the Ministry Leader, for The Word In Motion Dance Ministry., Angels of Praise, Sons of David, & the Women of Worship Dance/Drama Ministries.
Ivy Joe Milan has been drumming for over 30 years and has taught African and Latin Drums for more than 15 years. He released his CD entitled Global Healing in 2002. Ivy has performed with the Huntsville Jazz Ensemble, The Horizon Jazz and Dance Band, The Voice of Africa, and many other performing artists.
Denise McNeil is a native of New York. She relocated to Huntsville in the early 80's to attend college. Is the manager of Customer Service Specialist at SABA and has pursing her Accounting MBA degree.
Guest Instructors
Meka Hubbard shares parnership with Ms. Jenkins and has a natural gift for teaching dance to children of all ages. She began dance lessons at the age of 6 and received her dance training in jazz, ballet, and modern, dance from Gary Geis School of Dance in Springfield, OH. She continued her studies and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY where she performed in a Japanese version of Romeo & Juliet, and several modern and African-Dance productions. Meka competed in scholarship pageants through Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and won local and regional competition by performing a lyrical dance that she choreographed. During her stay in Huntsville, Meka coreographed several liturgial and praise dances for churches in the Huntsville and New Market area. She has also coreographed for the Academy for Arts and Academics end of year production as well as several pieces performed by SABA students at the Panoly Arts fesitval. Meka attends the Dance Masters of America Teacher's Training School at SUNY Buffalo in New York and has completed Level I and II requirements for jazz, ballet, and tap. She holds a B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology in NY and a Masters of Management from the Univeristy of Maryland University College. Meka now resides in Conyers, GA with her husband and two children, Zenobia and Anaya where she continues to teach and coreography as the Heavenly Doves Ministry leader at Springfiled Baptist Church.
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