Adesola Osakalumi

Adesola Osakalumi (born in The Bronx, New York) is an American actor, choreographer, singer, and dancer whose talents have garnered him successes in film, television, and stage. Early life Adesola's fascination with dance began as a child. He was surrounded and heavily influenced by the art form at an early age. His mother was a principal dancer with Africa I Dance Theater, a touring company founded by his uncles and subsequently joined by his father. The company's mission was to perpetuate African dance and culture throughout the U.S. and beyond, and it would fuel the young Adesola's motivation to dance, choreograph, and teach. He studied briefly with the Dance Theater of Harlem and while there on a scholarship he learned to integrate his natural ability with routine and regiment and to master the many vocabularies of dance. Growing up, Adesola was determined to be one of the best poppers and lockers on the scene (popping and locking are forms of "urban social dance" that originated from hip hop culture but have African roots). That wish came true when he was selected to be a part of Rhythm Technicians – a dance crew made up of some of hip hop's best-known B-Boys. The group gained great popularity in New York by performing regularly throughout the city. The group later morphed into the GhettOriginals Productions Dance Company (GPDC), the pioneers of hip hop theater. As a co-founder of GPDC, Adesola helped hip-hop dance make a permanent impression on commercial theater. In addition to being the first hip-hop dance group to feature at the esteemed Colorado Dance Festival, GPDC also created the groundbreaking dance production, Jam on the Groove. The production premiered Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre in November 1995 and won a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Choreography. Jam on the Groove went on to tour the US, Europe, South America, and Asia to rave reviews.