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Biography

Kymbali Craig is a multi-talented artist. She has the unique ability to combine her training and experience as a dancer, actress, poet, teacher, mediator, and video artist into a one-woman show or into a production built upon the raw talent of young people.

Growing up in Chicago, opportunities for Kymbali to attend dance and performance classes were limited but these circumstances did not curtail her desire, enthusiasm, and determination. When she was able to move to New York at the age of 19, due to her natural talent, boldness and flexible style, Kymbali was selected to dance for rapper KC Flight and, as a result toured the world traveling with his group. Her career as a dancer and choreographer gave her access to the hip-hop community where she developed her skills as a spoken word artist and an actress. Not only did she use the arena of hip-hop theatre to nurture her own growth as a creative artist but turned around and brought these experiences into the New York City and New Jersey school systems to work with young people.

In addition to Erykah Badu, Kymbali has performed with The Last Poets, Nona Hendryx, The Fugees, Ben Harper, Digable Planets, Spearhead, Reg E. Gaines, world-renowned drummer and producer John Arnold and others. She is featured on the poetry compilation album "Eargasms," choreographed various artists including KC Flight, Sweet Sable, Neffertiti, and most recently Luke Campbell’s "Oh Shelia" music video. Kymbali served as Chief Creative Consultant for the Freedom Rag, a multi-cultural literary arts publication. Under the auspices of her own marketing communications company, Kymbali Concepts, she joined with Reel-Deal, Inc. to create her first television production, "Talking Headz," which focused on bringing poetry/spoken word movement to mainstream America. Kymbali is a primary member of New York City's Playback Theatre Troupe and an Artist-in-Residence at Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, where she is the creator and director of the Peer Education Performers program.