Meet the Sugarfoots Camp Instructors
Campers will enjoy learning the fundamentals of acting, dancing, music, art, and voice from the following professionals; Barbara El Mosima (Founder/CEO and Acting Coach), Gabriel Mosima (Music Director), and Angela Peterson (Art Director). At the end of the five weeks, campers will present what they have learned to parents and friends at an exclusive dinner theatre performance.
Unlike other performing arts camps, Janice Robert (Company Chef), will provide campers with breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack daily. Want to learn more about the exciting Sugarfoots Performing Arts Camp? Visit our camp page.
Barbara El Mosima | Founder/CEO and Acting Coach
Barbara El Wilson is a graduate of Howard University's Drama Department, She is an accomplished actress, comedienne and storyteller and has performed throughout the Washington metropolitan area and the East Coast. She has worked with celebrity artists such as Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Patti Labelle, and Bill Cosby. She is a dedicated and committed performer and delights audiences wherever her path may lead her. She founded her multi-cultural rag doll company in 1992, debut Sugarfoots Performing Arts Camp in 2009 and has been thrice featured in Essence Magazine.
Gabriel Mosima | Music Director
Gabriel Mosima is an accomplished vocalist and has been performing live concert throughout his native country in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He is very versed in working with youth of all ages. Teaching them vocal harmonies, and performance skills. He is a song composer and passionate about music, always making the joy of teaching a pleasure and not a pressure. Sugarfoots is delighted to welcome him to the Sugarfoots Performing Arts family.
Aakhu TuahNera Freeman | Choreographer
Aakhu is an actor/educator who has just recently returned to the U.S and Sugarfoots after 5 years of teaching English in South Korea and Saudi Arabia. In addition to performing at Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Theatre Alliance, as well as other local and national venues, her instruction experience ranges from teaching acting as a graduate student at American University to doing the same at Oak Hill Youth Detention Center; from interactive children’s workshops at Ford’s Theatre to teaching theatre and directing productions at Everyday Theatre Youth Ensemble! Sugarfoots clearly struck gold with this multi-talented Sistah!
Angela Peterson | Art Director
Angela Peterson has a BFA in Graphic Design. The Corcoran School of Art and Design is a visual artist as well as a freelance graphic designer. She has taught art at Our Savior’s Private School in Maryland from 1998 until its closure in 2009 working with grades from 3-8. She joined Fillmore Arts Center in 2012 as a Visual Arts Teacher. Her goal is to help give children a better education as well as teaching them how to freely express themselves. In 2011, Mrs. Peterson pursued her passion for art further by launching her CREATIVE ROCKZ Company. CREATIVE ROCKZ sells innovative and edgy handmade adult and children’s jewelry. This is her first year with Sugarfoots and as she takes the children step by step to create the art work for the performance, they themselves will be in pure delight of their accomplished masterpiece at the end of the season!
Janice Roberts | Company Chef
Janice is a certified District of Columbia Food Protection Manager. She has worked in the system for many years and it shows with her experience. Cook2Serve is her delectable catering company providing variety selections of pure exquisiteness! This is her fifth year with the camp and her hands on approach; to creating Sugarfoots theme based cuisines are always so satisfying to the palate!
India Soodoo | Technical Director + Lighting Designer
India has worked at Walt Disney World as a sound and lighting technician. Other production companies she has previously been involved with are Live Garra, formerly Bonifant Theatre, New Millennium Howard Players, GroundWorkEntertainment and Sugarfoots. She has trained children techies in Arlington middle schools for their theatre productions consisting of set design, lighting and sound, performances - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Wiz. This is her first full season with Sugarfoots and we are delighted to be in her capable hands giving us – light, sound and action!
Kimberlie Blagburn | Assistant to the Director
Kimberlie has been working in the DC Public School system as a Teacher’s Assistant with the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools for the past 15-years. She is an early riser that “wakes before bird’s wife” and is the perfect addition to Sugarfoots! She is the first person parents and students see in the morning. Not only is she a dedicated professional who is exceptional at her job with school age children, but you can also see her artistic strokes with a mural created with students currently displayed at Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street, SE. She is a proud mother of her 21-year old son Jordan and Sugarfoots is thrilled she is making her debut with our 2017 season!
Brother Ah
In Memory of our beloved Music Director, Robert Northern – Brother Ah
2009 to 2020
Navigating the DC Performing Arts Camps
We know that navigating through the endless performing arts camps in the DC area can seem daunting. We hope that after being introduced to our talented instructors, the decision will be that much easier. Not only are all of the above instructors extremely passionate about their art, but they have the experience to back it up.