Monti Ellison is an accomplished percussionist/drummer, composer and performer. Monti also teaches African dance and African drumming. He has performed worldwide as a soloist with Harry Belafonte, Stephanie Mills, Lonnie Liston Smith, Little Steven and others. As a dance musician, he spent 15 years at the Alvin Ailey School in New York where he was head staff musician and currently he is an accompanist at CSU, Long Beach, Loyola Marymount, Orange Coast College and St. Joseph’s Ballet

He has composed numerous scores including Judith Jamison’s “Divining” for the Ailey company, percussion score for the New York based Urban Arts Corps’ production of “Alice in Wonderland” directed by Vinette Carroll and choreographed by Talley Beatty; “J5A6Z7Z8” for jazz choreographer Jose Meier; “Dat’s Right,” “Espiritu,” “Riptide,” “FOIL/Copper, Zinc, Brass,” “Stroke of the Oarsmen” and “Deciduous Dances” for Rhapsody In Taps plus many compositions for the Monti Ellison Percussion Ensemble..

As a dancer Monti trained in New York for six years in Dunham, Horton and Graham techniques, jazz dance and ballet and he performed in the Congolese Dance Company, Tanawa, directed by Congolese master dancer/drummer, Titos Sompa who emigrated from Africa to New York. Monti also studied acting and went on to combine his many talents in a successful performing career that has included three Broadway shows.