Gamble's Green Room

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Shenny found herself living in Copenhagen, Denmark without a job, which prompted her to obtain her Masters in Management at Lund University across the bridge in Sweden. While studying, the opportunity of a lifetime landed in her lap and she found herself in a Communications, Partnership and Outreach internship with The United Nations Development Project at the headquarters in Copenhagen, which would later lead to finding herself in a full-time in Project Development within The United Nations Refugee Agency in Stockholm, Sweden. As time continued, she started to realize her self-worth was being determined by the status of being a part of the UN and learned she had to start to put her faith in trust. And once she found that trust in herself, she forged her path into the fitness sector, becoming a Holistic Wellness Personal Trainer, Online Fitness Coach and Certified Glute Specialist, now helping to transform the minds, bodies, curves and lives of women along their own health, wellness and fitness journeys around the world. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Aurelia’s artistry crosses different worlds as does her heritage; born and raised in Sweden to Ghanaian parents. She combines the intersectionality of her heritage in her artistic expression, combining traditional Swedish folk music, Ghanaian highlife and Afro-Caribbean rhythms into her sound, winning Best Female Act and Best Stage Performer at the 2019 Scandinavian AfroBeats Music Awards. In the same year, she made her theatrical debut as one of the lead roles in the South African play “Wowza Albert” with The National Black Theater of Sweden, followed by the one-person show “Random” by Afro-British playwright Debbie Tucker Green at Stockholms Stadsteater and now on her way to premiering and starring in her own newly written Afro-Swedish play in the fall of 2024. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

A North Philly native, Jeff got his jump on combining classical music with Hip Hop when at the age of 13 he made his first mix with the Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere” and Beethoven’s 5th. Since then he has played sold-out shows at world famous venues like The Kimmel Center in Philly and Carnegie Hall & The Kennedy Center in New York, among other various venues across the US. In each city he plays, he builds his orchestras with local classically-trained ethnic minority musicians, providing opportunities for them to play in places they aren’t normally granted or afforded access to. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Philly native Mark Gerban navigated his way through some hefty personal and political obstacles in his life and still came out on top. He would become a collegiate conference champion swimmer while being a TRIPLE-major (after his high-school grades were so bad they lost him a collegiate scholarship for rowing) and then continuing the champion route as a world-class rower, becoming a US Men’s Lightweight Double National Champion, placing top 16 in the World Championships (2005 & 2007) in the Lightweight Men’s Single, and becoming an 2008 Olympic contender while representing Palestine. This all after he was diagnosed in his youth as having a learning disability and written-off to not amount to much (due to a misdiagnosis of deafness in one ear) while also struggling thru adolescence to find his identity within himself and through the eyes of the world, being a child of a Palestinian-Muslim father and a American-Jewish mother. Later, he would end up in Germany and be responsible for payment systems we have today with Apple and the user-interface experience of a major international luxury car brand, having filed nearly 40 patents for the company himself. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Merry was born in Philly but grew up in Cape May, NJ where the small town racism would lead her to attending the prestigious George School back in the Philly area. At George School she learned the life skill of self-perseverance which she would take with her to Los Angeles where she built her burlesque performance company empire working with artists like Panic! At the Disco, SpikeTV. residencies in Reno, Laughlin, Las Vegas and the world famous Viper Room in Los Angeles. From the principles of social justice and community development she also learned at George School, she now runs The Swan Within – a program helping incarcerated and foster care youth - victims of abuse and exploitation - to gain ownership over their bodies. An abuse survivor herself, Merry utilizes the therapeutic elements of dance to help students heal, reclaim their power, increase their self-esteem, and improve their life choices thru the principles of ballet and dance. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Tyedric connects the past to lead the present back to the future.  He has a background in Black dances (HipHop, Breaking, Stepping, Popping and House) and although he may have stumbled upon Vernacular Jazz dance by way of a socially-pressured first date, after having been taught by the likes of Chester Whitmore and Norma Miller, mentored by Latasha Barnes and becoming a Frankie Manning Ambassador, he has been chosen to be one of the next gen torchbearers of Lindy’s Black American dance history and lineage. Within this newfound journey he is refining his dance voice, strengthening his story,  and cultivating his craft to continue to be the vessel through which the legacy of the ancestors passes through and lives on within his students and lindy partners around the world. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Viktor Manoel is the last of his kind – the sole remaining living legend of a small group of friends that were the originators of the dance form Punking; the origin of the dance style known today as Wha(a)cking.  Born in the Michoacan region of Mexico, his family moved to Los Angeles at the age of 9 where he would navigate a number of cultural, social and domestic factors that would lead him to the LA underground club scene then to touring with artists like Grace Jones and David Bowie and movies STAYIN ALIVE and BREAKING 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO; a testament to the nature vs nurture paradigm – your genetics and experiences shape you but do not define you.  After a dormant period away from the culture, the universe brought him back to shed light and pass the torch, informing and inspiring the next generation of punkers and femmepunks to preserve the true history and perpetuate the legacy of the Punking artform and it’s historic influence through the industry and culture.   Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host   Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media   Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition   Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production   Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer   Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Brian thought he was a late dance bloomer, not getting his feet wet until he was 11. But, when he started, it’s like the world was waiting for him all along. Leaving Arizona to train with his friend for a summer in LA, he was scouted in class and within months booked his first gig, Disney’s movie NEWSIES at age 13, followed by a three year run with the hit show KIDS INCORPORATED, working with top-tier artists like Paula Abdul, Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion and Michael Jackson and opening up a studio back home in Scottsdale, AZ with his mother all by the time he was 16. Later he would go on to work with and choreograph artists including Beyonce, Rhianna, N’Sync, Christina Milian and Britney Spears’ iconic videos I’m A Slave and Toxic, and also leading the next generation into their passion for performance as a judge on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, X-FACTOR and teaching around the dance convention circuits. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host   Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media   Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition   Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production   Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer   Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Karen Osborn grew up playing sports in Portland, OR and is the Director for the LA office of Sports & Lifestyle Unlimited - the top sports and lifestyle modeling agency in the US.  After sustaining a basketball-ending injury in her first year of college, her life choices and experiences would lead her from Portland to LA in various positions in the entertainment industry as: a Licensed Make-up Artist, On-Camera Talent, Casting Assistant, Director’s Assistant, a stint in Public Relations and a temp position in Business Affairs/Contract Negotiation with Aaron Spelling’s production company on his daytime tv endeavour, “Sunset Beach”.  It was these experiences and learning how to not say “No”/being open to what came along/what she thought didn’t fit her that would culminate into her “formal” education in the entertainment industry and ultimately to her position today.   Then, In 2008, her journeys through life experiences continued over to MALAWI, where she would develop a relationship with one of the local communities and later founded the non-profit NGO organization, KUSEWERA, building a locally-run community center driven by active and creative play activities, afterschool programs and educational offerings for local children, while also actively filtering out and educating against any presence of White Savior complexes amongst international volunteer applications. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: @gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host   Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media   Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition   Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production   Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer   Beats by DJ Neno #GGR

Evan grew up in Huntington Beach, CA playing sports. He, along with his brother, was introduced to dance at a young age at the suggestion of their grandmother. After a year when asked if they wanted to continue, his brother responded with a resounding “Hell no!” while Evan, a “say yes, figure it out later”-type person, decided to take on the challenge. He was then introduced to ballet which would lead him to his path as a performing artist seen in commercials for NISSAN, Jack in the Box and OLD NAVY; TV shows HOUSE, GREY’S ANATOMY and HAIRSPRAY LIVE; movies JERSEY BOYS and TED2; dancing with the late Marie de la Palme’s company MOTION TRIBE, a stint with Tokyo Disney, and most recently on stage with the US National tour and the Singapore leg of the International tour of FROZEN The Musical, all while cracking his skull TEN (10) times along the way. Follow Gamble's Green Room Instagram: @gamblesgreenroom Contact Gamble's Green Room Email: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host   Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition   Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production   Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer   Beats by DJ Neno

Adopted from Ethiopia at the age of 6months,  Anna G Jansson grew up outside of Gothenburg, Sweden in a small town on a golf course – no literally, her hometown stood on a golf course.   Her childhood was reminiscent of the dance movie classics FOOTLOOSE - growing up in a religiously conservative community and finding her voice and expression through dance against the wishes of her father who wanted her to play golf and be an academic.   Her formative years were spent in Sweden during the 90s where she would encounter and navigate numerous challenges as the ethnic minority girl, blatantly told “I would love hire you but you would stick out” and “I wanted 3blondes and 3brunettes but she couldn’t do it so I guess I’m asking you”.  Thru the tough-love tutelage from the likes of Bill T. Goodson, she would find her power and persevere, going on to performing in the world renowned musical THE LION KING on West End (London), the musicals A CHORUS LINE and LEGALLY BLONDE, choreographing productions for SVT (Swedish Television) and currently a judge with Swedish Dance Sport Federation (the Swedish branch of the European dance competition circuit).   Follow: @gamblesgreenroom Contact: get@gamblesgreenroom.com  Gamble's Green Room Team  Mike Gamble - Host  Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media  Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition  Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production  Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer  Beats by DJ Neno

Brooklyn born Orlando ZEPS Molina found HipHop in his early teen years and it changed his life.  He developed his freestyle rap game in high school. honing his skills in wordplay, alliteration and real-time inspiration from his surroundings, realizing this was a creative path he wanted to follow.  After a couple bad decisions caught him with minor misdemeanor charges, he straightened-up upon graduating and started working fulltime to raise the capital to pursue his dream while staying in the open mic scene and small bar stages around the city.  Later on a whim chance, he was flown to Norway as a performer (his friend’s passport was expired so he was sent as a replacement) and rocked a crowd of 3000 people – it was in this moment he realized the international potential of underground HipHop and committed to investing in himself to thrive as a Norwegian underground artist, living the nomadic life (wherever he laid his head was his home including couches, -the subway, and even overnight on a bench in a mall) to make it all work.  He boom-bapped across the map, rocking shows across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and The UK and he’s now using all of his experiences thanks to the elements of HipHop to pay it all forward to the next generation, helping them to learn through rhythms, rhymes and writing with his new children’s book series RHYMOSAURS.   Follow: @gamblesgreenroomContact: get@gamblesgreenroom.comGamble's Green Room TeamMike Gamble - HostJudi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital MediaAnastasia Miller-Burns - Talent AcquisitionTony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual ProductionSimon Larsson - Sound EngineerBeats by DJ Neno

Growing up as a nerd in search of a better education (his words!) and becoming 1 of 10 scholarship recipients among 2000 students at the Singapore location of the international United World College, Kevin Stea never imagined he would be a legendary-level dancer.  But, after booking 7 of 7 jobs in one day (with less than 2yrs of formal dance training), he never looked back.  With over 30yrs in the industry – which includes numerous commercials and awards shows; working with artists like: MADONNA, MICHAEL JACKSON, JANET JACKSON, LADY GAGA & DAVID BOWIE; movies including: THE BIRDCAGE, SHOWGIRLS, DISNEY’S NEWSIES and the documentary STRIKE A POSE about the dancers from Madonna’s BLONDE AMBITION tour; as well as being an artist himself under the name That Rogue Romeo - his body of work earned him a LIFETIME CAREER ACHIEVEMENT recognition at the Choreographer’s Carnival Ball in Los Angeles in 2022. And yes, he’s still going strong. rehabilitation process on social media and inspiring other dancers to reclaim their voice for their bodies as well. Follow: @gamblesgreenroomContact: get@gamblesgreenroom.comGamble's Green Room TeamMike Gamble - HostJudi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital MediaAnastasia Miller-Burns - Talent AcquisitionTony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual ProductionSimon Larsson - Sound EngineerBeats by DJ Neno

Growing up as a nerd in search of a better education (his words!) and becoming 1 of 10 scholarship recipients among 2000 students at the Singapore location of the international United World College, Kevin Stea never imagined he would be a legendary-level dancer.  But, after booking 7 of 7 jobs in one day (with less than 2yrs of formal dance training), he never looked back.  With over 30yrs in the industry – which includes numerous commercials and awards shows; working with artists like: MADONNA, MICHAEL JACKSON, JANET JACKSON, LADY GAGA & DAVID BOWIE; movies including: THE BIRDCAGE, SHOWGIRLS, DISNEY’S NEWSIES and the documentary STRIKE A POSE about the dancers from Madonna’s BLONDE AMBITION tour; as well as being an artist himself under the name That Rogue Romeo - his body of work earned him a LIFETIME CAREER ACHIEVEMENT recognition at the Choreographer’s Carnival Ball in Los Angeles in 2022. And yes, he’s still going strong. rehabilitation process on social media and inspiring other dancers to reclaim their voice for their bodies as well. Follow: @gamblesgreenroomContact: get@gamblesgreenroom.comGamble's Green Room TeamMike Gamble - HostJudi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital MediaAnastasia Miller-Burns - Talent AcquisitionTony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual ProductionSimon Larsson - Sound EngineerBeats by DJ Neno

From Stockholm to London and Vienna to San Francisco, Nikisha Fogo is an international power en pointe. She began her professional legacy with the Vienna State Ballet – a serendipitous full circle moment as it was a New Year’s television performance of this company she saw at the age of 9 that inspired her to pursue her dream as a ballet dance - where within FIVE (5) years she climbed the ballet ranks from Corps de ballet, Demi Soloist, to Soloist and having a full new work created around her, after which she achieved the (highest) rank of Principal within the company, leading to her current position as Principal with San Francisco Ballet. But the journey has not been without a number of battles, including a lifestyle battle with an international pandemic, an immigration battle with a visa application, and a battle with a medical misdiagnosis and treatment that left her badly injured and out of commission for the past year until the recent fall.winter season of 2022. But of course, she did not let any of this stop her, changing the battles into self-uplifting moments to reclaim and redefine her identity for herself, as well as reclaiming and re-prioritizing her body and physical health needs over the business needs of the company, being transparent throughout her rehabilitation process on social media and inspiring other dancers to reclaim their voice for their bodies as well. Follow: @gamblesgreenroomContact: get@gamblesgreenroom.comGamble's Green Room TeamMike Gamble - HostJudi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital MediaAnastasia Miller-Burns - Talent AcquisitionTony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual ProductionSimon Larsson - Sound EngineerBeats by DJ Neno

Noel grew up in Union City, NJ with his Puerto Rican family surrounded by music and food, As the only male in the family, there was a lot of unwritten pressure for him to be successful which would inspire him to become a chef. But, while at culinary school, the universe had different plans which would steer him into his dance path and later booking the VH1 HONORS award show and introducing him to choreographer MIA MICHAELS, leading to a contract with CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.  Upon moving to LA, he went through his savings within the first 6months trying to make it work, but that NY state of mind would keep him focused and present him with opportunities dancing with artists like DADDY YANKEE and MADONNA; in the movies LA LA LAND and IN THE HEIGHTS; and his current role as choreographer for the phenom KIM PETRAS,  thanks to his recipe for success mixing patience and perseverance with flavor and sabor.Follow: @gamblesgreenroomContact: get@gamblesgreenroom.comGamble's Green Room TeamMike Gamble - HostJudi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital MediaAnastasia Miller-Burns - Talent AcquisitionTony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual ProductionSimon Larsson - Sound EngineerBeats by DJ Neno

With an innate passion for inclusion and human rights, Tolley has been one of the queens of casting for almost FOUR decades.   Against many homogenous ideologies in the industry, she has casted for Mademoiselle,  NIKE, McDonald’s, GAP, Target, Cher, Nicki Minaj, Lenny Kravitz and the recent music video masterpiece of visual representation “Queen” by Jessie J.  Her standards for human life also drives her work as a grassroots activist as well as a death doula,  fighting for an autonomous human experience.  As she says, “it’s not about beautiful people; it’s that people are BEAUTIFUL.” So much fun the first time, they had to do it again – the legendary Popin Pete returns to The Green Room!  Picking right back up where they left off, Gamble and Pete go deep on the topics; teaching vs choreographing, imitation vs interpretation, pay homage to the magic of Gamble’s former fro, and give a glimpse into the world of Karate-Loo - keeping it moving from serious to seriously hilarious, as expected with these two. Follow: @gamblesgreenroom Contact: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno

So much fun the first time, they had to do it again – the legendary Popin Pete returns to The Green Room!  Picking right back up where they left off, Gamble and Pete go deep on the topics; teaching vs choreographing, imitation vs interpretation, pay homage to the magic of Gamble’s former fro, and give a glimpse into the world of Karate-Loo - keeping it moving from serious to seriously hilarious, as expected with these two. Follow: @gamblesgreenroom Contact: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno

Another fellow American ex-pat now based in Sweden, Alyssa grew up in the multicultural Hyde Park neighbourhood on the South side of Chicago, surrounded by living legends; Black artists, athletes, politicians, and musicians.  Fate would later take her to New York where she would continue to engage with and be tutored by legends of  dance - House, Vogue and Whacking/Punking - setting her up to be the torch-bearer of the culture and history around the world.  And she is doing just that, having recently becoming the recipient of three different Swedish government artistic stipends and grants to produce her own work about Whacking/Punking and Ballroom culture – and that’s just the beginning. Gamble’s Green Room is celebrating one year of podcasting! Follow: @gamblesgreenroom | instagram.com/gamblesgreenroom Contact: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno

Gamble’s Green Room is celebrating one year of podcasting! For this special episode, Gamble is joined by the longtime leading lady of the Philly scene; the woman he owes much of his past, present and future to; none other than his bestie, Crystal Frazier. She was first lady of Rennie Harris Pure Movement, co-founded MONTAZH Performing Arts Company, toured solo with Jill Scott, and is now on track to be tenured as a university-level educator of HipHop; probably the first person (male or female) to do so. Follow: @gamblesgreenroom Contact: get@gamblesgreenroom.com Gamble's Green Room Team Mike Gamble - Host Judi "JudiLew" Lewinson - Web & Digital Media Anastasia Miller-Burns - Talent Acquisition Tony "FreshTea" Hulten - Visual Production Simon Larsson - Sound Engineer Beats by DJ Neno