dancer. storyteller. educator.
Photograph by Danny Alvarado
the man.
joseph webb is an interdisciplinary artist (35 + years) rooted in African diasporic vernacular dance, music, and AAV poetics from the DMV and working in NYC. His current work engages with the political soundscape of lovers rock reggae and its role in the liberation and resilience of Black love. He expresses these mediums in the lineage of the African griot who serves as a vessel for embodied messages to come through. An award-winning artist and educator, he has showcased his talents in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production “Bring in ‘da Noise Bring in ‘da Funk” and Martin Scorsese’s film “Bringing Out the Dead” among numerous others. His work on stage has been awarded by the Helen Hayes and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. joseph also directed and premiered “Lotus” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the grand re-opening of the Terrace Theater to critical acclaim.
He is a graduate of the CUNY/School of Professional Studies where he received an MA in Applied Theater. As an early artist, joseph was awarded the Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 1996, and since then has received a grant for YoungArts Alumni to co-direct the award-winning 2016 film “Hell You Talmbout.”. He also was awarded the NextLOOK Residency in 2022 and recently, he was awarded the 2024 Changing Tap Times Initiative grant to do further research on lovers rock reggae music and culture and was commissioned by Symphony Space to choreograph work for the “Wall to Wall Prince” celebration. His work is best captured by the New York Times dance and cultural critic Roslyn Sulcas who regards joseph “a natural star: a fabulous tap dancer who also raps, sings…”
Photographer Nick Moreland
No Chaser Magazine
Photographer Nick Moreland
Photograph by Stephane Clerge
Photographer Nick Moreland
Carlos Alayo Photography
the work.
the experience.
joseph webb is an award-winning artist and educator, who captivates audiences with his dynamic performances and choreography rooted in African diasporic culture, showcased on Broadway and prestigious venues like the Kennedy Center, Symphony Space, and New York City Center.
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joseph received a grant to research lovers rock reggae music and culture for his new show, Prayers for a Hopeless Romantic: Lovers Rock. This performance art piece honors the liberation and eroticism of Black love through vernacular dance and Black diasporic language. It celebrates the reggae sounds and culture of the lovers rock era of the 70s and 80s through tap dance, blues dance, early dancehall movement, and original spoken word enactments.
joseph was commissioned to choreograph two works to Prince's music for the Wall to Wall Prince Celebration at Symphony Space (NYC) in May.
In June, joseph joined his brother and Broadway colleague, Baakari Wilder, for his show An Evening with Legendary Tap Dancer Baakari Wilder & Friends in Maryland.
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joseph has been teaching tap dance at The Ailey School for four years and Rosie's Theatre Kids for two years. He enjoys being a dance educator and considers it an honor to pass on the knowledge imparted to him by his own dance teachers.