Vedra Della Chandler (born 1980) is a singer and dancer from Camden, New Jersey.
Chandler attended Westfield Friends School where she received an education grounded in the spiritual teachings of the Quaker religion. Following Friends school Vedra choose to attend Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey, [1] where she was captain of the tennis team, Student Council President and Homecoming Queen. She was accepted to Harvard University and graduated in 2002 with a degree in Government. Early on she pursued a career in business as a warehouse supervisor.
Vedra began dancing when she was four years old at the Marcia Hyland Dance and Arts Center in Mt Laurel, NJ. She performed in high school musicals and while at Harvard she danced with the Harvard Crimson Dance Team which earned 5th and 4th rankings at the NDA National Cheerleading and Dance Competitions in 2001 and 2002 respectively. She continued performing while working in the business world, dancing for Bon Joviʼs Philadelphia Soul arena football team. In 2005 she joined the touring company of “Hairspray!”, the hit Broadway Musical.
Later she performed in multiple theater projects around the world. These included productions of Aida , All Shook Up! , High School Musical , [2] and a national tour of The Wizard of Oz. In 2010 she accepted the role of Soul Singer on Cirque Du Soleil's big top touring show, Kooza.
In 2010 Chandler joined Cirque Du Soleil to perform the role of the Soul Singer on Kooza. Her last show was on 5 April 2015 in Bern, Switzerland.
After 10 years on the road performing with musicals and circus, Vedra returned to her hometown of Camden, NJ where she serves as the Associate Director at The Neighborhood Center, Inc. She oversees programming designed to enrich the lives of children and families living in the South Camden neighborhoods.
Vedra currently performs with local theater companies and with local musicians including the Stan Maltz Orchestra and her own band, CamdenPopRock, based in Camden, NJ.
Chandler is a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,550, an increase of 957 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count of 11,593, which in turn reflected a decline of 66 (−0.6%) from the 11,659 counted in the 2000 census
Alfred Eastlack Driscoll was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate (1939–1941) representing Camden County, who served as the 43rd governor of New Jersey, and as president of Warner-Lambert.
Mystère is one of six resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Held in a custom theatre at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, the show was first performed on 25 December 1993, making it the company's longest running show. As with many Cirque du Soleil productions, Mystère features a mixture of circus skills, dance, elaborate sets, opera, worldbeat music, and street theatre-style comedy. Featuring a musical score composed by René Dupéré and Benoît Jutras, the show was created under the direction of Franco Dragone.
La Nouba was a Cirque du Soleil show that ran for 19 years in a custom-built, freestanding theater at Disney Springs' West Side at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was a contemporary circus performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers. The show's creation was directed by Franco Dragone, who also directed many of Cirque du Soleil's earlier shows. Its title derives from the French phrase faire la nouba, meaning "to party" or "to live it up".
Sarah Dash was an American singer. She first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash was later a member of Labelle, and worked as a singer, session musician, and sidewoman for The Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards.
Lisa Maree Skinner is an Australian artistic gymnast who competed at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. She was the first Australian gymnast to qualify for an individual event final at the Olympics. She has toured with Cirque du Soleil performing aerial hoops.
Eastern Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades from Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township, three communities in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Eastern Camden County Regional High School District. The high school is located in Voorhees Township.
David Shiner is an American actor, clown, physical comedian, playwright and theater director.
Benoît Jutras is a Canadian composer. Jutras is best known for his work with the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, first as music director and later as composer for several of the company's contemporary circus shows. Jutras' music often blends eclectic influences, including world beat, classical, rock, trip hop, and electronica. His scores for Cirque du Soleil shows include O, Mystère, Quidam, and La Nouba. His work outside Cirque du Soleil has included original soundtracks for Le Rêve, the Glow in the Park Parade, and The House of Dancing Water. He has also composed for film and television.
Haddonfield Memorial High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Haddonfield, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Haddonfield Public Schools.
Shenea Booth is an American acrobatic gymnast who represented the United States of America at the 2001 World Games, the 2002 World Championships and the 2004 World Championships in the Mixed Pair event, along with her partner, Arthur Davis.
Tuuli Pauliina Räsänen is a circus performer and actress from Finland. Her career jump-started when she was invited to perform as the first Fennoscandian soloist with Cirque du Soleil. She was awarded a five-year grant from Finland's Central Commission of Arts to pursuit artistic work. She has succeeded in establishing her career in the international market and at the moment performs with Komische Oper Berlin.
Zed was Cirque du Soleil's second resident show in Asia. It premiered on October 1, 2008, at the Cirque du Soleil Theater, Tokyo Disney Resort, in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Inspiration for Zed was taken from the Tarot and its Arcana; the main character Zed represents the Fool of the Tarot. The show depicted Zed's journey and his role in uniting two mythical groups, the people of the earth and sky. The production closed permanently on December 31, 2011.
Koozå is a touring circus production by Cirque du Soleil which premiered in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, in 2007. The show was written and directed by David Shiner, who had previously worked as a clown in Cirque du Soleil's production of Nouvelle Expérience. His experience as a clown and his time with Switzerland's Circus Knie and Germany's Circus Roncalli informed his work on Koozå.
Banana Shpeel was a touring stage show created by Cirque du Soleil which premiered on November 19, 2009, at the Chicago Theater. The vaudeville-based show was directed by David Shiner, who also created Koozå. The show lasted less than a year, only playing in Chicago, New York City, and Toronto. The show was cancelled in 2010, due to its poor reviews and many complications.
Julia Rose Udine is an American theater actress best known for playing the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera in the U.S. tour and on Broadway.
Shanice Williams, also known as Shanice Shantay, is an American actress and singer. She is known for her performance as Dorothy in the televised live performance of NBC's The Wiz Live! in December 2015.
Anna Stankus is a circus performer who specialises in hula hoop manipulation whilst also incorporating rhythmic gymnastics and contortion in her acts. She is currently on tour with Cirque du Soleil Kooza for its North American tour. Since first beginning her career in 2007, she has gone on to perform in many productions worldwide including for Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Le Noir, Franco Dragone shows and in various variety shows in her hometown of Las Vegas.
Volta was a touring circus show by the Cirque du Soleil and was based on extreme sports; the principal character is a game-show host named Waz.
Ron Kellum is an American producer, director, artist and choreographer known for being a Broadway veteran and the first African-American artistic director for the award-winning Cirque du Soleil. He was the artistic director for the productions of Koozå from 2015 through 2016 and Volta from 2018 through 2020.