LadyBlack, born Natalie Kamille, is a professional speaker, spoken word artist, dancer and all around creative.  She first performed her poetry at 17 in her hometown of Queens NYC, at the African Poetry Theater.  She would go on to perform on all of the major poetry stages in NYC including The Nuyorican Poets Café and The Bowery Poetry Club.

 

One of her earliest jobs, youth counselor at a neighborhood summer camp, changed her life.  Her love for working with children was born.  After graduating from The City University Of New York, she focused on a career in youth and community development.

 

From case manager to After School Director at The Valley Inc., from curriculum development and implementation, workshop facilitator and teaching artist with The Leadership Program, to classroom management training and after school program director, LadyBlack has done it! 

 

Her career didn’t keep her from her art, but it did shift it.  She stayed connected to the community not only by working in it, but also by participating with it.  This afforded her the rare opportunity to dance for Katherine Dunham before her passing, while attending the Katherine Dunham institute, putting her in position to dance professionally. 

 

As a dancer, first for Artistic Director Rol’hans Innocent with Ayiti La, a Haitian dance company based in Brooklyn and Queens, and then for Artistic Director Abdel Salaam with The Forces of Nature Dance Theater in Harlem, LadyBlack has performed across the country, for audiences small and large, including at BAM Dance Africa in Brooklyn NY, at The Gran Ole Opry in Nashville TN, and many more.

 

The last few years have found LadyBlack fighting to survive an autoimmune condition that attacked her liver.  This battle kept her away from her dream of marrying her art to her work.  In 2016, God gave her a liver transplant.  What a miracle life can be when we trust in God.

 

Now she embarks on the inspired task of bringing her art to the world of Motivational Speaking, personal and professional development training, and youth and community organizing.  Come speak and dance with her . . .