SoulXpressiion is a non-profit organization designed to educate students in the fine and performing arts, stage management, stage production management and to utilize their gifts to inspire others.

Kenyani Shanai' Henderson

Founder, Artistic Director

Shanai is the owner and artistic director of Soul Xpressiion School of the Arts. She was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey with her loving family. She began her dance training within her church’s dance ministry, Judah, where she learned her foundation of ballet, modern, and liturgical dance. Shanai then continued her dance training as a dance major student in high school and a member of Linden High School’s Dance Company under the direction of Barbara Greco-Brady. Shanai was formerly a company member of Work of Art (WOA) Dance Theater from 2010 to 2012 and was featured in the annual Christmas show Spellbound and production Deliver Us. Shanai has also performed at Sisters Network Inc. Woman’s Empowerment program hosted by actress/dancer Victoria Rowell in 2011. Shanai was also a member of Revelations Dance ministry out of Newark, NJ under the direction of Crystal Glass, and performed along with the company at Newark Symphony Hall’s Christmas production and the 2014 Mc Donald’s Gospel Fest at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. In 2014, Shanai was the choreographer of an off-Broadway play, “Life of an Addict” at the Symphony Space Theater in NYC. She received her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy (OT) and holds a BA in Social and Behavioral Sciences with a concentration in Psychology, receiving both degrees from Seton Hall University. In conjunction with her academics, she was an instructor/choreographer for Touching Humanity Inc., a non-profit theatre/educational organization that creates services and opportunities for children/adults with various disabilities. Combining her OT and dance skills, she is able to fulfill her dream in assisting those with disabilities, to help children and adults participate in performing arts despite their disabilities. Devoting her dance to Christ, Shanai was the Dance ministry leader at Abundant Life Family Worship Church in New Brunswick, NJ, the liturgical dance instructor for Inspira Performing Arts & Cultural Center, and is now the Director of Dance at Resting Place House of Prayer in Cranford, NJ. In 2021, Shanai helped to establish the Dance Track and continues to serve as the coordinator for Resting Place House of Prayer School of Ministry’s Dance Track.  Filled with the love to teach, Shanai was also an educator at North Star Academy in Newark, NJ, teaching advanced drill step to her after-school enrichment program and currently works as a school based occupational therapist.  She is also an adjunct professor for the Dance Fundamentals Course at Seton Hall University.  In August 2022, Shanai became an author, relasing her first book “Instrument of Dance”. More information on her book or events can be found at www.kenyanishanai.com. Shanai loves to see others learn and find joy in learning the arts. She plans to continue to inspire others through dance and all art forms while creating an atmosphere where students can "Express themselves with all their Heart and Soul". 

Shannon Henderson

Chief Operating Officer

Mrs. Shannon Henderson was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. Before graduating from Hampton University with her BS in Computer Science and a Minor in Mathematics, she served in the United States Army for 3 years where she was stationed in Germany. She has over 25 years of management experience as a Manager for Seton Hall University's PC Support department. Her passion for motherhood, entrepreneurship, mentoring and the arts is what fuels her to keep operations running smoothly at Soul Xpression. As a dedicated life long learner, Mrs. Henderson furthered her education by securing her Master’s Degree in Information Technology and Instructional Design from Seton Hall University in 2011. Most recently she has received two different certifications (Basic and Gold) as a ZUMBA instructor. 

DANCE

Caitlyn Bess

dANCE department dIRECTOR

Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet & Dance Company instructor

Caitlyn Bess is a graduate of City University of New York-Lehman College where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance through multimedia performing arts.  Although she feels that dance has been a part of her since birth, she has had formal training in ballet, modern, tap, jazz and hip-hop for ten years.  For the past two years, she has also received training in Afro-Caribbean styled dance.  Caitlyn has received training from notable New York based hip-hop teachers, such as Kelly Peters and Ephrat Asherie.  She has performed at numerous theaters in the tri-state area including Lehman College, the Bronx Academy of Arts and Drama, the American Theater of Actors, and the Royal Theater. She is also the choreographer for local upcoming artist Paige Milan.  To continue spreading her love for dance education, Caitlyn has been teaching as an elementary and middle school dance instructor in Newark Public School, NJ since 2020.  Since 2014, Caitlyn has been an instructor at Soul Xpressiion School of the Arts.  She has enjoyed watching her students improve in the art of Hip Hop dance throughout the years and is excited to see their continued growth in all of the students at Soul Xpressiion.   

Taina Bey

dance substitute & dance consultant

Taina Bey, originally from South Orange, NJ, is a graduate of Smith College where she received a BA in Dance and a minor in Africana Studies. Taina began her dance training at a young age and has studied a variety of techniques including Ballet, Modern/ Contemporary, Improvisation, Cunningham, Jazz and Tap. She studied contemporary and somatic dance overseas in Berlin, Germany and performed in residency with Pilobolus Dance Theater. Taina is a recent graduate of the Intensive Semester Certificate program at Peridance Capezio Center in NYC and has collaborated with Annie Sailer/ Annie Sailer Dance Company, Darcy Naganuma/ Naganuma Dance and Mathew James, URBAN//TRIBE. Her choreographic work has been shown at Eden Expressway through Movement Research, Salvatore Capezio Theater, Jennifer Muller/ The Works Studio, The Actors Fund Arts Center through NACHMO NYC and The Sans Limites Dance Festival. Currently, Taina works as a Special Event Coordinator and Dance Instructor, teaching both children and adults in Northern NJ. Taina is looking forward to another year at Soul Xpressiion, where she is able to spread and share her love of dance and the performing arts!

Maurice Chestnut

tAP dance instructor

Newark, New Jersey native Maurice Chestnut began dancing at the age of five, under the direction of Mr. Alfred Gallman. He became a professional dancer at the age of nine as an original member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble under the direction of Ms. Deborah Mitchell. As one of taps’ brightest young stars, he was featured on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show in the “My Kid’s A Star” segment, where he proudly proclaimed that he loved to dance and would keep doing it “until I die”. He was a gold medalist in the NAACP Act-So competition and was crowned “Top Dog Performer” at The Apollo Theater. At the age of fourteen, the Newark Star-Ledger’s arts reviewers named Maurice, “one of the twenty New Jersey faces to watch for in the new millennium.”

In 2003, Maurice was recruited by tap master Savion Glover, to join the national touring company of the Tony Award winning Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk. Maurice received critical favor in that role. He has continued to work with Savion as a member of his Improvography and Bare Soundz tours, as well as performing in productions such as Classical Savion, Tappin’ Into Monk, Invitation To The Dancer and on ABC-TV’s Dancing With The Stars. Off-Broadway credits include Shades of Harlem, The Wiz, Bubbling Brown Sugar directed by George Faison at Atlanta’s Fox Theater and Can I Hit That and in 2011, He was one of the performers in the movie"Happy Feet 2".

Maurice has developed an impressive list of credits. In addition to performing with his own band, he is often invited to perform or tour as a special guest with such prominent jazz musicians as Christian McBride, Cyrus Chestnut and Thelonius Monk III. His high profile engagements have included the JVC Jazz Festival, the Playboy Jazz Festival, The Apollo Theater and Birdland, as well as appearances at Carnegie Hall and throughout Europe with the Geri Allen Trio. As a featured soloist and choreographer, Maurice skillfully uses these venues to further develop his signature style of “playing tap” as a “live instrument.” He seamlessly weaves complex dance steps to interplay with musical notes, creating a powerful and distinctive energy that resonates with his audiences.

Inspired by such hoofing greats as the Nicholas Brothers and Jimmy Slyde, yet equally influenced by and connected to urban culture, Maurice Chestnut dances with truth, soul and power. As his appearance on BET’s 106 th and Park demonstrated, watching him dance is like walking through Harlem in the 1940’s…while bumping a hip-hop beat.

Moji Adesanya

LITTLE’S (combo) dance INSTRUCTOR - Substitute

Moji Adesanya's love for dance began at the age of three when she started taking classes at Michelle Oxedine Dance Studio in Union, NJ. Since then, the studio became Harmony Dance Center and Moji has recieved 15 years of training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop. In addition to this, she has been a part of the Union High School Performing Arts Company as a member of the color guard and swing choir. Moji is looking forward to continuing her education at Seton Hall University and continuing her passion for dance as part of the Soul Xpressiion family!

Dr. Malachy Williams

LITURGICAL DANCE INSTRUCTOR

The Rev. Dr. Malachy M. Williams currently serves as a Transitional Pastor, Professor and as an Emmy® Award-winning Producer in the New York metropolitan area. Passionate about worship, education and the arts, Dr. Williams holds an MA in Dance and Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University; a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary; a PhD from Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; and a ThD in Pneumatology with a concentration in Semiotics from Evangelical Seminary. Her practice is to live a Christ-centered life that reflects holistic Christian worship and wellbeing.

A liturgical artist with over 3 decades of dance ministry experience, Dr. Williams is the author of Simple Steps for Starting a Youth Dance Ministry. While the book is geared towards helping young people engage with worship & the arts, this primer is one that encourages leaders and dancers at all levels to remember that we were created to worship God with our whole selves—that is with body, mind, soul, spirit. Some of this teaching on Holistic Christian Worship can be heard in her podcasts, “SoulJourn with the Rev. Dr. Malachy M. Williams, and “Rest Stop: A Time of Sweet Refreshing.” You can also check out some of her other musings about flourishing in Christ in her blog “Mala-Key’s Musings.” To learn more go to malachywilliams.com.

Dr. Williams is a worshiper who believes in the transformative power of the arts especially through a deeper engagement with God’s Word. Her prayer is that we will all become fully engaged disciples of Jesus Christ and love God fully—which will inevitably lead us to love others and ourselves more fully.

~ Soli Deo Gloria

Laila Garrett

MINI’s & LITTLE’S (combo) dance INSTRUCTOR

Laila Garrett is a Sophomore at Montclair State University pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance and a minor in Philosophy. Laila has been dancing since she was 8 years old with Usaama Dance Company under the direction of Karen Love. Laila also attended and trained for the past 6 years at Arts High School as a dance major. From taking dance classes inside and outside of school, spending time exploring different street dance styles that she’s been brought up in, (Jersey Club, Hip Hop, House Dance, etc.) and brushing up on her  ballet and modern technique in school, Laila is excited to share her findings from being a student of dance for the majority of her life. She has been growing as a teaching artist for the past 2 years in concentrations of Hip-Hop and Modern. As she works toward her professional career as a dancing-artist, she finds herself inspired by sharing this art form with young dancers and artists alike.

Rena Hailey

MINI’s & LITTLE’S (combo) dance INSTRUCTOR

Rena Hailey grew up in South Jersey where she began her training at Dance! By Debra DiNote in Sewell, NJ, studying ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, pointe, and musical theater. In high school, she furthered her studies at Gloucester County Institute of Technology as part of the 1360 Dance Ensemble, continuing to train in ballet and modern, as well as growing her artistic voice. Rena currently attends Montclair State University, pursuing a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Film and Television.

MUSIC

Mustafa Daniels

Piano instructor - substitute

Mustafa was born and raised in Newark, NJ. Daniels first began to discover andplay piano at the tender age of nine years old, under the direction of Lanie Turner at Belmont Runyon Elementary School in Newark, NJ.  From then he went on to receive numerous music and performance awards throughout his grade school years such, as the Connie Woodruff Jazz Competion Award in 2001 and the Star Ledger Performing Arts Scholarship in 2002. He is a proud and distinguished alumnus of Arts High School in Newark, NJ. He is accredited for participating in Arts High School’s Jazz Band, Male Chorus, Advanced Chorus, Gospel Choir, and lead role in the 2001 Arts High School Production of Guys and Dolls.  Mustafa Daniels also had the pleasure and honor to perform at the 2001 VH1 televised Save the Music foundation concert in the company of India.Arie, Mariah Carey, and former President Bill Clinton. Mustafa Daniels was an active member in the United States Marine Corp Band where he held an E3 rank of Lance Corporal. He spent three and a half years traveling and performing with the Corp as their pianist before he made his way back to New Jersey. Mustafa Daniels worked as a Music Consultant for Newark Public Schools for six years. He was also very active in community activities such as Newark Idol and the Lincoln Park Summer Series. Mustafa Daniels works as a music producer, songwriter, composer,  and director. He specializes in gospel and R&B music. He is the current Minister of Music for Unity Freedom Baptist Church in Newark, NJ. He has held that title for nine years. In August of 2013, Daniels independently released his first gospel EP, Sounds of Praise and Worship that featured songs: God Made Me a Promise, Lord I Give My All to You, and Don’t Hold Back.  In January of 2014, Daniels independently released his second gospel EP that featured songs: Seek First, Are You Ready?, and Simply Beautiful. In 2014 Daniels began to offer piano and music theory lessons to family, church members, and friends of all ages. Mustafa Daniels would ultimately like to advance in his music career as a songwriter, producer and instructor of great music to uplift and bring people closer to God and each other.

Tyquron Lebron

Piano instructor

Tyquron Lebron started teaching music at the Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, New York and then moved on to teaching for the Excelsior Preparatory High School.  For the past 10 years, he’s served as a music instructor at the Springfield Gardens High School Campus in NY where he teaches a variety of musical instruments.  Mr. Lebron is an alumnus of Brooklyn College with a B.A.in Music Education, and continues to use his gift of musicianship through playing for various events and churches.  Through teaching, he is able to share with the youth his love and skill for music.

ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Charla Saunders

studio administrator

Charla J. Saunders is a graduate from Seton Hall University, where she received her baccalaureate in Social Work and her Masters in Social Work in May of 2021. Charla has worked within countless organizations with the mission of creating a better, more light filled world for youth to live in. Charla incorporates her love for people with her love for the arts. Starting at the age of 7 years old she has performed in a myriad of shows and ensembles with dance styles including ballet, hip hop, and liturgical. Charla has been self-taught for most of her dancing career, and has recently had the pleasure of receiving further training from A Step in Time Dance Company, Inspirational Dance Studios, and The Broadway Dance Center. Chala loves to share joy for the arts through her service at Soul Xpressiion.

Sairis Martinez

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Sairis Martinez has always had a passion for fine arts. She started singing in choir at the age of 10 while also learning to play piano and violin. Whether it was through music or dance she has always had a love for it. She was a homeschooled student in the Bergen County area where she was able to be part of a high school ministry choir that traveled to different states and incorporated dance in it as well. Music has always been a part of her life and has allowed her to express herself through it. Sairis is now studying at Seton Hall University where she plans to study for the next four years to obtain her bachelor’s degree. She is very excited to see the next generation at Soul Xpressiion also find their love for the fine arts as well through music and dance.