DANA MCBROOM MANNO

Dana McBroom Manno is a native New Yorker who has creative talents in multiple fields of the Entertainment Industry.  As a teenager she and her elder sister Marcia studied dance with the legendary Katherine Dunham. That led to the two sisters dancing at the Metropolitan Opera in “Aida” featuring Leontyne Price. Dana then toured with Eartha Kitt on the East Coast Guber/Gross Music Fair Circuit. 

Katherine Dunham -"What Dunham gave modern dance was a coherent lexicon of African and Caribbean styles of movement—a flexible torso and spine, articulated pelvis and isolation of the limbs, a polyrhythmic strategy of moving—which she integrated with techniques of ballet and modern dance.  Katherine Dunham Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Dunham

Leontyne Price -

Dana continued to develop her skills. She acquired work as a songwriter, director and choreographer at the world renowned La Mama Theatre in New York City. That led to her nominations for two ADELCO awards for the plays “Daddy” and “Songs for my Sisters”. 

Howard Dodson, Dana Manno and director Gordon Parks, Sr.

Ms. Manno’s film credits include choreographer and actress in Gordon Parks Sr.’s classic “Leadbelly,”

In the film she portraited Leadbelly's girlfriend played by Roger E. Mosely. Dana also served as choreographer for traditional dance scenes in the film featuring legendary dances of the era like "the huck a buck."  She appeared in Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz. The N.Y. Times choreographic reviewed her choreographic talent in the former as “sensual and exciting”. 

Dana helped compose the Grace Jones classic song “Pull Up To the Bumper” which later appeared in the Eddie Murphy hit film “Boomerang.” 

  

Sistah Talk TV host Dietra Kelsey.

During a family broadcast  'THE MAGNIFICENT MCBROOM SISTERS on the Sistah Talk Show on Manhattan Cable, Dana and Marcia's Mother Marie Lee joined us on the After Show.

Dana performed and we all joined in!

   
Chris Jones Grace's brother, Nile Rodger's and Dana at the FOLD feastival featuring Grace Jones, Duran Duran, Chaka Khan and many others. Dana introduced me to Nile Rodgers and he gave me my first breaks in the music business; recording my backing vocals for Teddy Pendegrass and my songs with Sister Sledge and Phillip Bailey.

This is Dana Manno's Kwanzaa Holiday song. It's become a favorite.

Educator and administrator

The work of Dana McBroom Manno in administration, education and performing arts encompasses the worlds of theatre, dance, music, fine arts and electronic media. As a senior faculty member of Adelphi University’s Performing Arts and African American Studies departments, she developed the curriculum for and taught courses in History of Africans in America on Film, the Black Drama Workshop and Ethnic Dance. Her work with Adelphi’s La Union Latino and the African Peoples Organization resulted in her appointment as Coordinator of Talent and Library Liaison for Adelphi University’s Center for African American Studies Program.  As founder and artistic director of the Adelphi Arts Ensemble, she created a community outreach program that recruited university students to perform theatre, dance and music programs for residents and students of Nassau and Suffolk counties in Long Island, N.Y.

In recent times Dana has been a faculty member at SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology, where she worked as Faculty Advisor and Director of the F.I.T. Theatre Ensemble; managing the budget, directing plays and coordinating student events. At present, Dana is a faculty member and choreographer for Ballet Hispanico's La Academia: Professional Studies Program. She also has an entertainment facility project in development on the Caribbean Island of Monserrat.