A native of Winston Salem, NC, Dr. Darian Marcel Parker is a choreographer, author, professor and entrepreneur. Specializing in Guinean and Malian dance, he has received grant awards from the Jerome Foundation, Harlem Stage Fund for New Work and the New Haven Arts Council. His performance credits include the Hollywood film “Step-Up 3D”, the G’Bassikolo Mexican National Tour, Dance Africa and others. Dr. Parker has worked with various dance companies, incl. Les Ballet de Kouman Kele (Nzingha Camara) and Harambee Dance Company (Sandella Malloy) among others. He’s held teaching residencies at renowned institutions such as SUNY Purchase and served on the faculties of Harlem School of the Arts, Forces of Nature Dance Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy and Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center. He’s the Founder & CEO of Parker Academics, a Manhattan-based test prep and tutoring company that takes a whole-person approach to learning (www.parkeracademics.com). He’s also the author of several books, such as: ‘No Child Left Behind: An Existential Psychoanalytic Anthropology of Urban Schooling’. Dr. Parker graduated from Yale University with his PhD, M. Phil and MA in anthropology and African American studies, and from UCLA’s College of Honors with degrees in anthropology and English literature. He’s an adjunct professor of anthropology in NYU’s Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies.