Company Members

 

Blair Hornbuckle, Instructor and Bush Mango co-founder

Blair Hornbuckle, co-founder of Bush Mango and current instructor, enjoys teaching, working hard and performing; he’s fascinated by the precision and chaos inherent in playing West African music. Mr. Hornbuckle’s performance career highlights include opening for the Wailers and playing to a crowd of 80,000 people at Woodstock ’99.

 

 

 

 

Ziad El-Bejjani

Ziad El-Bejjani, was born in Rochester. His mom is the Artistic Director, so he has been with the company since birth, though he’s been performing for five years. Since the fall of 2010 he has been a junior at Wilson Commencement High School, where he plays on the varsity soccer team. Ziad likes “being part of Bush Mango because it’s a positive contribution to the City.”

 

 

Kris Kimmel

Kris Kimmel, a Rochester native, owns Kris. B. Kimmel Construction Drafting, Inc., where he does mechanical drafting and coordination for commercial projects statewide. He’s been with Bush Mango Drum & Dance for eight years and says, “I love the Bush Mango community as well as the individuals within the community. I love watching the kids grow up and learn, and I feed off of their excitement. It’s really great that Bush Mango gives me the opportunity to just play and have fun in a setting which brings so many other wonderful and very satisfying aspects into something I already love doing—drumming and dancing.”

 

Amy McDonald

Amy McDonald, was born in Auburn, NY. When not dancing or teaching with Bush Mango Drum & Dance, she works as a bookkeeper and gardener. She has been with Bush Mango for four years and “loves working with the kids; it’s a great community with a lot of talent.” Amy also plays the clarinet in a local band, The Lobster Quadrille.

 

 

 

Keith Rosengren

Keith Rosengren, the Chef Manager at Roberts Wesleyan College, was born in White Plains, NY. He’s been with the company for six years and says that he loves being a part of Bush Mango Drum & Dance because of “the excitement; the rich, continuous learning; and the people.” Keith also plays the keyboard and bucket in The Lobster Quadrille.

 

 

 

Sonnet Stepp

Sonnet Stepp, was born in Buffalo, NY. She is a Telecom Analyst at Paychex, Inc. when not dancing with Bush Mango Drum & Dance. She has been with the company for eight years and says, “I LOVE to dance, and Bush Mango provides me a welcoming place where I can do just that. It sometimes serves as a stress reliever from a hard day at work, and I’m thankful for my dance family!”

 

 

 

Ariel Washington

Ariel Washington, is a native of Rochester. She is a ninth-grader at Dr. Freddie Thomas High School. She has been a student at Bush Mango Drum & Dance for five years and dancing with the company for four years. Ariel says, “Bush Mango doesn’t feel like just a dance company. We are one big family. I have lots of brothers and sisters here that help me out. Even if they are younger than me, I still learn from them.”

 

 

 

James (Sammy) Welch

James (Sammy) Welch a native of South Carolina. He is a senior at Wilson Commencement High School. Sam has been a student at Bush Mango Drum & Dance for seven years, performing with the company for five years. Sam says, “I love the freedom I have to express myself creatively with Bush Mango Drum & Dance and all the friends that I have here.”

 

 

 

Jordan White

Jordan White is a native of Webster and is a freshman at the University of Rochester. He has been with Bush Mango Drum & Dance for eight years and it’s “the people” that he loves the most about the experience.