Dr. Shola K. Roberts is an international performing professional dance artist, dance educator, choreographer, and fitness instructor based in Arizona and Brooklyn, New York by way of Grenada, WI. She serves on the Arizona State University Herberger Institute Music, Dance, & Theatre Faculty, as an Assistant Professor and the Dance Education coordinator. Shola is also the Founder and Artistic Executive Director of Dance Grenada Incorporated an organization rooted in creating a network for international and local Grenadian dance artists. Most recently, she founded and is the director of the ASU Dance Department, Sol Rhythmz Festival which is a part of the department’s Sol Series.
Shola, a proud Grenadian American, and has had the opportunity to work with many renowned dance companies and choreographers. Her credits include performances with Kowteff West African Dance Company under the Artistic direction of Sewaa Codrington, Oyu Oro under the Artistic direction of La Mora, Fritzalyn Hector whom she most recently performed for the 2021 Dance Africa film: Vwa zanset yo: y’ap pale, n’ap danse!, which earned a Bessie Award. Francine Elizabeth Ott and Otis D. Herring, for whom she served as an assistant choreographer. Shola was a part of the 2018 Voices of Congo Square cast, which made its debut in the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2023, she founded the Shola K. Roberts Dance Company, which made its premiere in Scottsdale, Arizona, with the original choreographed piece entitled ‘The Spirit is Callin…’ She has also served as a choreographic consultant for Chanel DaSilva’s ‘Basel’ that was featured at the Baryshnikov Arts.
She has also worked with the Purelements, an Evolution in Dance as a professional company member, teaching technique styles like Dunham, African, and Jazz, just to name a few. In 2014-2017, she choreographed the award-winning dance presentation for the Ramajay Mas band for theWest Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn. She served as Dance Caribbean Collective Lead Artist and served as the Choreographer/ Rehearsal Director for Dance Caribbean Collective’s and WIADCA’s Youth Performing Arts Company. In 2017-2019 Shola served as one of the dancer’s/ choreographers for Grenada’s own four-time winning Groovy Soca Monarch King Dash. In February 2020, she was selected to perform as a dancer for the international soca king Machel Montano in his final concert series Machel Monday: The Wedding.
Shola is certified by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America as a group fitness instructor and by Madd Dogg Athletics Inc. as spin instructor. As a model, she has been featured on the Today Show, Good Day New York, Good Morning America, The View and a number of fitness print ads throughout the nation. For the past 4 years, she has also partnered up with Akosua Akoto founder of ASA Fitness to launch a 2-hour dance fitness tour, touring and promoting Antigua’s Fuze Carnival band throughout the nation, promoting the connection between Africa and the Caribbean. She has partnered and launched a body conditioning and fitness series with Grenada’s mas band, Carnival Xcstacy, called Spicemas Pump Up! in an effort to bring awareness to Grenada carnival revelers about taking care of their bodies through physical activity.
Taking her love for the arts to higher- ed, Shola has taught guest workshops at Centennial College in Canada, North Carolina State University, and her alma mata Howard University. Shola has also had the opportunity to serve as a guest teacher in Chicago at the Artistically Speaking Body Language Summer Dance Intensive and the World Dance Rhythm Series.
Shola has even taken her passion and love for the art form to the island of Grenada and St. Marteen. In Grenada, she led several dance workshops at the Conception Dance Theater under the direction of Ms. Cecilia Griffith in 2014 including a week-long West African Diversity in Dance workshop with over 75 students. In addition to promoting the arts through dance workshops, Roberts has appeared on several TV and radio shows
like “Chit Chat with Lexan Fletcher” “MTV Evening News”, “Good Morning Grenada'' to share her passion for dance. For 3 years Shola was named an emerging choreographer for Dance Caribbean Collective New Traditions Showcase, showcasing her choreography.
Most recently, Shola received the Caribbean African Women of Impact Award (2025). For the past two years Shola was also featured as Caribbiz Caribbean Boss Lady Digital Honoree (2024, 2025) for her efforts as an educator, dancer and entrepreneur. In 2020 she received the Outstanding Leadership Award from The New York State Dance Education Association. The Grenadian Consulate and the Grenadian Independence Committee in New York also honored Shola with the 2020 Cultural Ambassador Award. Shola was also the 2019 Caribbean Life Impact Award Honoree. In addition, she was an awardee of the Caribbean Life’s 40 under 40 award- an award given to Caribbean Americans who have made an impact in their community, in 2014. She was also featured in The Caribbean Life News Paper and a two-part article series in Grenada’s paper The Informer. The title of the series is called “Shola K. Roberts: Making Grenada Proud.” She has also been featured in NY Carib New for her endeavor in taking Caribbean dance culture and bringing it to Arizona State University while also launching the third season of Dance Grenada’s Dance Festival: Finding Our Power in Joy and Resistance.
In 2019, Shola accepted her invitation and recently defended her Doctoral degree in Dance Education at Columbia University. Her research focus is grounded in a Ubuntu pedagogical approach to developing curriculum rooted in the culturally relevant pedagogy of Grenada Folk dance in higher education as means to inspire and empower learners. The circles/communities in which they come from, pushing them to use those experiences to influence their development as a holistic citizen in this global community. In 2015, she was named a Lincoln Center Scholar, where she and 9 other individuals received a full scholarship in the Hunter College Arnhold Graduate Dance Program. She earned a Masters in Arts- Dance Education while still teaching in New York City. She currently serves as the Performing Arts Director and Dance Educator for MS 354- The School of Integrated Learning. Her students have had the opportunity to perform at a number of community and cultural institutions including the world-renowned Kings Theater, The Brooklyn Borough President School Lunch Time series, The West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) School Time Concert, and The 2019 Chancellor’s Citywide Principal’s Kickoff. In May of 2017, Shola was featured on WNYC for her efforts within the community and Dance Education program and was honored by the Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams for the work she has done in her community.
Her endeavors continue as she continues to launch Dance Grenada, an international dance festival which launched in October 2020.
In 2016 Shola was honored with the Barnes and Nobles Favorite Teacher Award. Shola was selected out of a number of submissions and was recognized by the New York Daily News and The Caribbean Life Paper as “ a pillar and shero for the community.” She also launched a program between two New York City public schools entitled Kə-ˈnek-shən: The Dance Workshop Series creating a platform for students to have a dance exchange.
Traveling and taking her message of uplifting people through dance and fitness is something this Howard University Fine Arts graduate has made her mission. Shola is extremely passionate about the arts and her Caribbean culture and is grateful for the opportunity to share her passion for dance to inspire, to touch and change lives.