Shereen Manalani Jarrett, a visionary who weaves together artistic excellence and educational innovation, has built an impressive legacy in cultural arts performance and transformative learning. Since founding All Now! Performance and Outreach in 2005, she has served as an instructor, choreographer, and administrator, promoting cultural arts through innovative programs. Since 1995, she has also led Joy Generation LLC as executive director, focusing on program and curriculum design with an emphasis on experiential education and art-based academics. In addition, she has been a dance instructor, performer, and choreographer with Dance Kaiso in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1991.
Ms. Jarrett’s career began early when she took on an administrative role at 17. In 1993, she co-founded Universal Moves and World Rhythms, where she continues to serve as administrator, supervisor, instructor, choreographer, and outreach director. Her dedication to education is evident in her work with Rising International from 2008 to 2023 as a representative, party organizer, lecturer, and fundraiser. She also served as program director for Academic Antics Inc. in San Jose from 2010 to 2019.
Ms. Jarrett’s academic contributions include nearly three decades as a dance instructor and lecturer at West Valley College, from 1992 to 2019. From 2008 to 2018, she developed curricula across multiple disciplines, including dance, art, reading, writing, poetry, theater, physical education, geography, and technology. Earlier in her career, she served as director and head teacher at Child Development Inc. from 1988 to 1999 and as developmental facilities administrator at Early Horizons from 1992 to 1995.
Ms. Jarrett holds extensive certifications in dance, having trained and performed in ritual, folkloric, and traditional dance forms with various masters since 1988, including direct training and co-teaching with renowned dance master Wilfred Mark in Trinidadian folklore since 1991 and Brazilian folkloric dance since 1994. Her leadership credentials include conflict de-escalation training, assessment and accuracy administration, and expertise in modern media, remote education, and legal hiring practices. She has also completed specialized safety, supervision, and abuse prevention training and holds advanced certifications in educational kinesiology, coaching, and movement education. Additionally, she pursued extensive studies in program administration, education theory, and curriculum evaluation with California state advisers and distinguished educators from 1988 to 1995.
Ms. Jarrett is actively involved in civic work, volunteering with the Bill Wilson Foundation to support troubled youth. She credits this engagement with not only contributing to her personal growth but also positively impacting her community by providing guidance to those in need. Her creative achievements include choreography and performance awards at Carnival San Francisco in 2017.
Reflecting on her path, Ms. Jarrett has always been drawn to working with younger children, a passion she attributes to her grandmother’s joy-based, cooperative methodology. With both parents in education, she embraced teaching while nurturing her love for dance, art, and creativity. Recognizing the time constraints teachers face, she developed play-based learning strategies to enhance engagement and reduce stress. Guided by mentors whose techniques were both groundbreaking and intuitive, she found the right support at the right time, accelerating her journey in education.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Ms. Jarrett is a proud mother of three. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, writing, hiking, coaching soccer, and developing physical education curricula. Looking ahead, she plans to establish a physical campus that will serve as a mini community center, integrating her educational work with cultural arts initiatives.