We invite you to support a truly remarkable artist, Alexandria "Brinae Ali" Bradley as she prepares for the premiere of her upcoming show, The Baby Laurence Legacy Project, a vibrant tribute to the legacy of iconic jazz tap dancer “Baby” Laurence Donald Jackson. Brinae Ali’s new work blends innovative choreography, musical compositions, and archival research with powerful storytelling.

To realize the full potential of this project, we have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000, and we need your help to bring this extraordinary production to life!

Your contribution will directly support essential production costs, including costumes, set design, rehearsal space, and paying the incredible artists involved.

About the Baby Laurence Legacy Project:

The Baby Laurence Legacy Project is an immersive, interdisciplinary performance experience that celebrates the life and legacy of iconic jazz tap dancer “Baby” Laurence Donald Jackson. This multi-dimensional project translates intensive cultural and social research into original dance and music that both honors Baby Laurence's artistic genius and probes the social context that led to his alcoholism, chronic drug use, continual incarceration, poverty, and early death at age 53. As band leader, lead vocalist, and tap dancer, Brinae Ali will lead this excavation, in collaboration with a six-piece jazz ensemble; tap and contemporary dancers; actors; and a DJ.

Brinae narrates this telling of his story, using spoken word, contemporary and tap choreography, music and dance improvisation, and sound-scaping, through which responsive electronic tap floors and a loop machine are integrated to create entirely new and unique moments of artistry during every performance. The hope is that the audience emerges from the work with a deeper understanding of Baby Laurence and his legacy, as well as an increased curiosity about lives lost, stories left untold, and the importance of preserving Black culture and cultural history for future generations.

About Brinae Ali:

Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and is an interdisciplinary artist who believes in using the power of the arts to transform the conditions of the human spirit.

Brinae has served as the artistic director of Tapology, Inc. in Flint, MI, Fourth Wall Arts Salon, and Sound and Movement, LLC in Philadelphia. She has also partnered and served as a teaching artist with organizations such as Ping Chong and Company, NJPAC, Moving History in Baltimore, and the Apollo Theater Education Department. She has also received awards for Best Short Play at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival for her one-woman show “Steps” and the Vox Populi Independence Music Award for “Destination Forever: Vol.1 EP.” Her Broadway and off-Broadway experiences include Shuffle Along and STOMP.

Currently, Brinae is a lecturer at Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory, co-creator of a work in progress with trumpeter Sean Jones called “Dizzy Spellz”, a member of the Baltimore Jazz Collective, and cultural ambassador for diplomacy through the lens of Hip Hop culture as an artist in residence with Next Level-USA in partnership with the U.S. Department of State Education and Cultural Affairs, the University of North Carolina, and the Meridian International Center.

We believe in the power of the arts to inspire and connect communities, and with your support, "The Baby Laurence Legacy Project" can achieve new heights. Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference. Together, we can ensure that Brinae Ali's vision is brought to life for audiences to enjoy.

The Baby Laurence Legacy Project is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts, Chamber Music America, Johns Hopkins University, Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Creative Alliance, Maryland State Arts Council, and the Baltimore Jazz Alliance.

Baby Laurence Legacy Project

By Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center

Baby Laurence Legacy Project