St. Louis native and 1990 class valedictorian, Tanya Alexander, was recently honored with the “Best Music Video” award at The Hollywood Black Film Festival in Beverly Hill, CA. The 30-something Alexander’s video, “1 Out of 10,” is the first spoken word music video to screen at the film festival and was one of only three music videos selected for the event.
The video is a track from Alexander’s current work, Pieces of Tanya…A Spoken Word Project. In recognition of the win at the black film festival, Alexander will celebrating by hosting a CD release party July 11 in St. Louis. Several top-notch local acts will be featured in the show, as well as a live performance by Alexander. Other tracks on the CD include “The Mirror/rorriM ehT,” and “Celibacy.”
In addition to her talents as a spoken word artist, Alexander is an up-and-coming actor, having appeared in numerous television, film and stage productions such as: The Shield; Law and Order SVU; Lucky Louie; Half N Half; the feature film, Material Girls; the indie film short, Kai; and The Wiz National Tour.
Alexander was home June 25 to receive a proclamation for her achievements during a reception at the Black Label Gallery Lounge downtown St. Louis. She doesn’t take lightly the role model that she is for so many, especially aspiring students from Jennings.
“There is lots of talent in St. Louis,” Alexander said. “I always tell kids that there are avenues to take that lead to good places. We have no limits.”
Alexander said the desire to travel and see the world is the driving force behind her growing success. She expressed a deep love for entertainment.
“I wanted to act, dance, see entertainers – the whole thing,” she said. “I just wanted to do something bigger than just in my hometown.”
Alexander began writing and performing publicly at age 11. She said her natural talents as an entertainer also requires mental toughness and a solid educational background, the foundation of which was laid during her time at Jennings High School. “It takes a lot of brains to do what I do. I chose acting and entertainment instead of being a lawyer or doctor, which a lot of people wanted me to do.”
Alexander’s parents were at the reception in her honor. Her dad, Jimmy Henderson, said he as he made sure his daughter hit the books before anything else. “I want very strict. Education came first,” he said. “No television, no playing if grades weren’t kept up.”
Mom, Joyce Henderson, added that they encouraged their daughter to stay focused and follow her heart. “We encouraged her to live your dream, work hard, go for it, and remembering reality that things may not work out.”
Jennings School Board Member and Jennings 1st Ward Councilwoman, Yolanda Fountain-Henderson, presented the proclamation on behalf of the City of Jennings. Like everyone else, Fountain-Henderson expressed a sense of pride in the former Jennings student’s achievements.
“We like to follow the success of all our Jennings graduates,” she said. “This will help our current students see what vision and dedication can accomplish.”
On top of being a high school valedictorian, Alexander is a Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Fine & Performing Arts from St. Louis University. She received additional training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and the SAG Conservatory. She was the 2005 NAACP Theatre Award.
Alexander poetry has been featured in live productions at New York City’s The Groove, The Underground and the infamous Nuyorican Poets Café. She has traveled the world as a performer appearing in The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Union, RnB Live, Stevie’s Creole Café, The Poetry Lounge, Spoken Funk, The Savoy, The Red Sea and others. Alexander has also performed in Japan, Germany and Turkey.
Alexander’s videos can been viewed on YouTube. Fore more information on Tanya Alexander, visit http://www.supernovaproductionsgroup.com/.
The video is a track from Alexander’s current work, Pieces of Tanya…A Spoken Word Project. In recognition of the win at the black film festival, Alexander will celebrating by hosting a CD release party July 11 in St. Louis. Several top-notch local acts will be featured in the show, as well as a live performance by Alexander. Other tracks on the CD include “The Mirror/rorriM ehT,” and “Celibacy.”
In addition to her talents as a spoken word artist, Alexander is an up-and-coming actor, having appeared in numerous television, film and stage productions such as: The Shield; Law and Order SVU; Lucky Louie; Half N Half; the feature film, Material Girls; the indie film short, Kai; and The Wiz National Tour.
Alexander was home June 25 to receive a proclamation for her achievements during a reception at the Black Label Gallery Lounge downtown St. Louis. She doesn’t take lightly the role model that she is for so many, especially aspiring students from Jennings.
“There is lots of talent in St. Louis,” Alexander said. “I always tell kids that there are avenues to take that lead to good places. We have no limits.”
Alexander said the desire to travel and see the world is the driving force behind her growing success. She expressed a deep love for entertainment.
“I wanted to act, dance, see entertainers – the whole thing,” she said. “I just wanted to do something bigger than just in my hometown.”
Alexander began writing and performing publicly at age 11. She said her natural talents as an entertainer also requires mental toughness and a solid educational background, the foundation of which was laid during her time at Jennings High School. “It takes a lot of brains to do what I do. I chose acting and entertainment instead of being a lawyer or doctor, which a lot of people wanted me to do.”
Alexander’s parents were at the reception in her honor. Her dad, Jimmy Henderson, said he as he made sure his daughter hit the books before anything else. “I want very strict. Education came first,” he said. “No television, no playing if grades weren’t kept up.”
Mom, Joyce Henderson, added that they encouraged their daughter to stay focused and follow her heart. “We encouraged her to live your dream, work hard, go for it, and remembering reality that things may not work out.”
Jennings School Board Member and Jennings 1st Ward Councilwoman, Yolanda Fountain-Henderson, presented the proclamation on behalf of the City of Jennings. Like everyone else, Fountain-Henderson expressed a sense of pride in the former Jennings student’s achievements.
“We like to follow the success of all our Jennings graduates,” she said. “This will help our current students see what vision and dedication can accomplish.”
On top of being a high school valedictorian, Alexander is a Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Fine & Performing Arts from St. Louis University. She received additional training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and the SAG Conservatory. She was the 2005 NAACP Theatre Award.
Alexander poetry has been featured in live productions at New York City’s The Groove, The Underground and the infamous Nuyorican Poets Café. She has traveled the world as a performer appearing in The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Union, RnB Live, Stevie’s Creole Café, The Poetry Lounge, Spoken Funk, The Savoy, The Red Sea and others. Alexander has also performed in Japan, Germany and Turkey.
Alexander’s videos can been viewed on YouTube. Fore more information on Tanya Alexander, visit http://www.supernovaproductionsgroup.com/.
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