‘Baba' Obediah Wright appeared in the Walt Disney Production of "Head of the Class/The Lion King", a documentary in which he played the role of actor and teaching artist working with fifth graders teaching mask-making, storytelling, African songs and dance related to the Broadway musical, The Lion King. As a performer he was cast in the national tour of the Broadway production of the ‘Wiz' and principal dance in the MGM production of the television series starring Debbie Allen. He has choreographed and taught master classes throughout the country and abroad in prestigious places such as Japan, Hong Kong, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and Martinique, French West Indies. ‘Baba' Obediah Wright's impressive stage direction and choreography for the Pele-Pele clothing line at Fashion Week 2000 integrated dancers with models creating a show stopping performance aired on New York One News. As the Artistic Director of ChoreoQuest, a project sponsored by the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Cultural Arts Center that provides opportunities for emerging and established artist and choreographers to create new works, he lends administrative support, mentors and creates choreography for the Restoration Junior Dance Company. Giving back to the community he has trained dancers as teaching artists for Restoration.

 

In 2001, ‘Baba' Obediah Wright premiered Higher Ground, Still Rising! at the historical Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture in Harlem. This full length work, created to safeguard the legacy and culture of African Americans was initiated when a Japanese business man that admired his work requested ‘Baba' Obediah to remain in Japan. When 'Baba' shared that he felt a desire to return to the states to work with the cultural themes of his emerging works, the business man replied that he did not know that African Americans had a culture. Disheartened by this statement Baba Obediah promptly returned to the states to produce Higher Ground, Still Rising, a work that chronicles the journey from Africa, the Middle passage to the present day. The cast include over forty professional singers, dancers, actors, and musicians intermingled with children, youth and adults from the local communities. This work is presently archived at the Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture. Others who were inspired by his work commissioned him for similar projects. Since 2004, he was the principal choreographer for the MAAFA, the Struggle Continues. In 2008 he choreographed the MAAFA, the Struggle continues, produced by St Paul Community Baptist Church, with an all male cast performance of thirty-two men. In 2003, having choreographed thirty ballets, Baba Obediah Wright founded the Balance Dance Theatre as a vehicle to showcase his works. His new company received overwhelming responses from appearances at the River2River Festival, The World Financial Center, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Brooklyn Museum, Aaron Davis Hall, The Museum of Natural History, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, The Bendheim PerformingArts Center in Scarsdale New York, The South Orange New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Broadway Cares for AIDS, LIU Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts, and other noteworthy stages. In 2004, Obediah initiated the Auobeni Project, a male mentoring program integrated with the performing arts.

 

Since its inception the Aoubeni project has served over one hundred male youth of color from ages 6 to18. In 2008 he introduced the Higher Ground, Still Rising in Schools arts education program to the Roosevelt Long Island Union Free School District. Over 70 children from grades 4 to 6 were introduced to mask-making, drumming, story-telling and dance culminating into a performance that included principals, teachers, and parents who intermingled and performed side by side with professional artists from the Balance Dance Theatre. Baba Obediah spent over ten years as teaching artist at the Jewish Community Center in Scarsdale, New York. He created their jazz department that lead to the development of two new performance classes on Jazz and integrating the techniques and skills taught, produced two performances for the Scarsdale community. In 2008, Baba Obediah Wright received a nomination for his role as the choreographer in "Lifted" a short film produced by Randall Dotton. The cast included a guest appearance by members of Balance Dance Theatre Dance Company. He also choreographed and included members of the company in the film "Harlem Moon" and provided talent direction for TV One broadcast program "Get the Hook Up". Baba Obediah Wright acting experience include receiving thunderous applauds for his role as Judah in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. His classical dance background include guest appearances with the Houston Grand Opera, the New Orleans Opera, and appointment as rehearsal director for Opera Ebony New York for the United Kingdom tour. Baba Obediah has mentored a number of professional artists including Jamal Gaines, founder/artistic director of Creative Outlet and artists currently performing in The Color Purple, STOMP, the Madonna Tour, Broadway's AIDA, on tour with recording artist PINK, Cirque Soleil, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

 

Obediah Wright, himself have been mentored by dance icons Geoffrey Holder and Baba Chuck Davis (Dance Africa) both winners of the prestigious Capezio Award and academy award winning choreographer and artistic director, Otis Sallid. ‘Baba Obediah Wright's choreography and performance style is an eclectic mix of his extensive training in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Swing, and Afro-Cuban dance that allows him to creatively fuse each style to capture the imagination and vision of artists and audience. Baba Wright's background also include training in video production and musical theatre allowing him to move with ease from one artistic genre to another creating a edge that raises him above the rest to become one of the best in the business to customize the work to fit the clients artistic needs. Obediah Wright is working on touring the dance company on national and international stages, including international arts exchange and expanding his arts education and community programs. His future plans include building a Balance Arts Academy and pursuing a commercial career as a commercial director and choreographer for musical theater, film and television. Mr. Wright is available for lectures, conferences and forums.