JONAS ARTISTS 2023-2024
Atlanta Chinese Dance
Atlanta Chinese Dance Company (ACDC) educates and entertains audiences about Chinese dance, history, and culture. Founded in 1991 by Hwee-Eng Y. Lee and co-directed by Hwee-Eng and Kerry Lee, the nearly 100-dancer troupe has enchanted Chinese and non-Chinese audiences alike through numerous original full-evening Chinese dance productions and community outreach performances for schools/universities, libraries, senior centers, arts festivals, international days, corporate events, military observances, Asian community events, and more. Most notably, ACDC helped showcase Atlanta to the world as performers in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Centennial Olympic Games. For more than a decade, they performed the “Chinese variation” in the Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker.
Ron Anglin
Based in rural middle Georgia, Ron Anglin is still “Having a ball!” Now in his 23rd year as a full-time performer, Ron juggles and entertains audiences with his act: “Quite a Catch” Primarily performing in schools, libraries and churches, he also entertains at festivals, corporate events, the Atlanta Braves, and at 6 Flags! Ron, a former Army helicopter pilot who taught high school for 9 years, has delighted young and old with his juggling feats and comedy! Ron was a performing artist for Young Audiences at Woodruff Arts Center from 2000-2012. He taught circus arts for Cirque du Soleil’s outreach program: Cirque du Monde from 2001- 2016 when the program ended. He has performed over 7500 times in 32 states, including thousands of shows for National School Assemblies, Dakota Assemblies, FABArts, and the Fulton County Teaching Museum. He also works as DR. tiny for Humorology Atlanta at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is their site supervisor at Piedmont Columbus Regional.
Ron’s program titled F.I.G. Newton, explores Isaac Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. The program also gets students up and moving, tapping into their concentration and balance. Students explore physical science concepts by juggling scarves, spin and toss Chinese yoyos, spinning plates and other activities.
Beatin’ Path
Beatin’ Path Rhythm Events is a team of professional performers, facilitators and teaching artists who believe in the power of rhythm to create high impact experiences and long-lasting connections!
Leading this team is Dave Holland, one of Atlanta’s most regarded figures in rhythm-based facilitation, world percussion and teaching artistry. Dave’s dedication to world culture and music has taken him around the world to study from master performers and bring those experiences back to the U.S. to create memorable assembly programs, workshops, and residencies.
Beatin’ Path Rhythm Events programs are endorsed and promoted by many leading arts organizations, including Young Audiences, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Arts Now, the Fulton County Teaching Museum, Better Basics, and the Georgia Council for the Arts.
Carmen Deedy – Bilingual Storyteller
Carmen Deedy, who was born in Cuba and then moved to the United States as a child, has many real-life experiences to share with students. As a bilingual story teller, she is able to converse with students in Spanish as well as English. The moral values she incorporates into her stories are important for all students to hear and learn from.
Although she is best known for her beloved children’s books, Deedy is also an accomplished lecturer, having been a guest speaker of the TED conference, the Library of Congress, and Columbia University. Her NPR commentaries on All Things Considered were collected and released under the title, Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia. According to Carmen, her favorite audience is school children. We anticipate that Carmen’s focus on literacy and Latino culture will inspire our students.
Sean Driscoll
Sean Driscoll is a proven innovative educational entertainer that reaches over 16,400 children through hundreds of
shows and workshops each year. Shows and workshops meet curriculum standards in math,
science, STEAM, character education, reading, language arts and social studies, and include
comedy-theater, animation, puppets, music, storytelling and/or gaming. Venues include
theaters, museums, schools, libraries, resorts, and festivals. Additionally, a professional
classical guitarist with experience as a university professor, recording artist and performer.
He has performed for live audiences up to 10,000 people and continues to produce educational videos and virtual shows during these challenging times.
Michael Levine
Michael is the co-founder of The Learning Groove (TLG), which offers music classes, preschool music curriculum, and an extraordinary line of educational music. He also is the music producer of The New York Times bestselling “Pete The Cat” books by Eric Litwin and James Dean, and he regularly performs “Pete The Cat” stories and TLG songs at concerts, workshops and keynotes throughout the nation.
As a singer-songwriter, he has won many awards and has opened for such acts at Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, Live, Joe Walsh, and many more. As a performer for children, he plays guitar, bass, and percussion, and he uses the latest hip-hop technology to create live music loops and beats.
During school performances, participants sing, dance, shake, laugh, wiggle and learn together. Michael shares his music and storytelling inspiration with children as they sing interactive songs.
Michael has been performing at schools, libraries and festivals for over 14 years in the southeast, and is a member of Young Audiences of Atlanta at the Woodruff Arts Center.
Suehyla E. Young
Suehyla E. Young is an actor/writer/director/VOActor based in the Atlanta area. Born in Mississippi to Egyptian-Muslim parents who became naturalized American Citizens, Suehyla has a natural love for stories, and a drive to help anyone who wants to share their stories. Her active professional theatre and film/TV careers span nearly 20 years as an actor. In 2014, she received The Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award for her play Third Country. She was named the 2014 Alliance Theatre Directing fellow in the inaugural year of the program. She was honored as an inductee into the Georgia Theatre Hall of Fame during the 2021 Georgia Theatre Conference. As a Teaching Artist, she’s been visiting schools across Atlanta with her playwright residency for the last 12 years. She is currently a Horizon Theatre and Alliance Theatre teaching artist. She lives happily with her husband and their cats in Decatur.
Carmen Deedy – Bilingual Storyteller
Carmen Deedy is a noted bilingual storyteller and children’s author.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Deedy came to the U. S. As a refugee in 1964. She grew up in Decatur, Georgia where she lives today. Deedy began writing as a young mother and storyteller whose NPR commentaries on All Things Considered were collected and released under the title, Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia. Many of her stories are true experiences that occurred to her as a result of her immigration to the United States.
In addition to being a wonderful storyteller, Deedy is also well know for her beloved children’s books. Each of her books is beautifully illustrated and exhibits wonderful morals and values. Many of her books are written for elementary students, but have an important lesson for all ages.
Deedy is also an accomplished lecturer, having been a guest speaker for the TED Conference, the Library of Congress, Refugees International, the Kennedy Center, and Columbia University. She has also been the host of the Emmy-winning children’s program Love That Book! Although she has shared her stories with a wide variety of people, school children are still her favorite audiences.
