Roderick Jackson, Music Director
Roderick Jackson was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where he learned to play the drumset at the age of ten. In 1990 he relocated to New York City. Here he began to study the rhythms, dances, and instruments involved in the Afro Haitian, Afro Brazilian, West African, South African, Angolan, Korean, and Japanese cultures. Roderick is currently a collaborating for several dance companies, including: Chet Walker’s (Broadway’s "Fosse"), "Eight and A One" Dance Ensemble, Omar Edwards’ ("Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk"), Jeremiah Funk Ensemble, David Pleasant’s RiddimAthon Percussion Ensemble (dealing with Black-American music and the Gullah Culture), and Young Soon Kim’s White Wave Rising Dance Company. Roderick is also a drummer on staff at the Alvin Ailey School of American Dance. He has also recorded works for The Children’s Television Workshop, Sesame Street, Rabbit Ears Productions, and The Smithsonian Institute. Roderick has been the Music Director of Batoto