Saleemah E. Knight shines on HBO Max as a dance expert in Khadifa Wong’s feature film/ documentary, UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance
Saleemah E. Knight is a choreographer, master teacher, professional dancer and professor of dance studies.
(Saleemah E. Knight on the red carpet for UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance premiere at the Micheaux Film Festival)
With the release of “UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance” on HBO Max, Saleemah has exhibited a stellar performance as a dance expert.
Saleemah E. Knight graced screens as a leading dance expert on HBO Max’s highly anticipated documentary and dance film, UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance. Directed by Khadifa Wong, conceived by Zak Nemorin and produced by Lisa Donmall-Reeve, the film offers insight on the history of jazz dance. The film also features other legendary choreographers, dancers and scholars such as Debbie Allen, Chita Rivera, Andy Blankenbuehler, Josh Bergasse, Al Blackstone and Thomas DeFrantz amongst other notable artists.
Knight is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, TV-personality, lifestyle influencer and professional dancer. A student of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and trained in the Gus Giordano jazz dance technique, Knight formally received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at The University of Arizona School of Dance and her Master of Fine Arts as a graduate fellow at the University of California, Irvine. Knight’s commercial credits include: The Daytime Emmys, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, The Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Television’s “MADE” TV Series, The Lion King Broadway Musical, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Tyrese, Jillian Michaels, choreography for Daddy Yankee and more. She has also danced the concert works of renowned choreographers Bill T. Jones, Donald Byrd, Bebe Miller and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. She teaches contemporary jazz master classes globally and is a special guest master teacher for Tremaine Dance Conventions.
Saleemah is also a distinguished scholar and Professor of Dance Studies. She is one of the original founding faculty at the highly acclaimed USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and developed a portion of the curriculum that serves as the infrastructure for the school’s program.
After years of dedication to her craft, Saleemah E. Knight makes her official documentary debut, with the release of UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance on HBO Max. The award-winning documentary has previously debuted world-wide at the Columbia Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Beirut Art Film Festival, Micheaux Film Festival and more. Saleemah’s initial voice and image sets the tone for the context of the full 1 hour and 33 minute documentary.
The trailer begins with Knight stating, “Jazz [dance] is in a place of flux at the moment, there’s a little bit of confusion about whether or not it’s necessary, or whether it’s relevant.” Within the film Saleemah informs us that the history of jazz dance has been routinely taught from the incorrect lineage, centering five White males as the creators of the form, which is a burning issue in the dance community, especially amongst BIPOC educators in higher education. Knight adds that UPROOTED is “a start” at opening up conversations on changing the narrative of jazz dance history.
(Saleemah E. Knight as a dance expert for UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance)
Saleemah states, “The next step after recognizing its Africanist origins, is to normalize the naming of Black creators as the founders of jazz dance. These founders include: Norma Miller, Chester Whitmore, Billy Ricker, Al Minns, Leon James, Pepsi Bethel, Consuela Harris, George Snowden, Big Bea, Florence Mills, the outstanding choreographer and dance anthropologist, Katherine Dunham and many more. And for those who purport to be heavily steeped in dance education, it is not only good enough to know them by name, a dance educator must also be able to expound upon their specific contributions and implement their movement research in technique training.”
Saleemah E. Knight and the production team for UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance. (Pictured clockwise from top right: Tom Camm, Matt Simpkins, Saleemah E. Knight, Khadifa Wong, Lisa Donmall-Reeve and Zak Nemorin.)
You can experience more of Saleemah E. Knight’s scholarly insight by watching her on HBO Max in UPROOTED: The Journey of Jazz Dance here. To discover more about Saleemah’s incredible journey as a dancer, choreographer, professor and master teacher, visit her website saleemaheknight.com and follow her on Instagram @saleemaheknight