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Jai Shanae Credit: Courtesy

A simple but profound Sondheim lyric comes to mind when thinking about the seven actors and dancers interviewed for the 2025 spring arts issue: โ€œNo one is alone. Truly. No one is alone.โ€

Every one of these artists pointed to the help they got along the way.

Blake High School in Tampa, Gibbs H.S./Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Pete, Harrison School for the Arts in Lakelandโ€”these institutions have nurtured many of the talents youโ€™ll read about. So have dance studios like the Academy of Ballet Arts and theater companies like the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.

SPRING ARTS 2026

Then thereโ€™s the good counsel these performers have received from their teachers and mentors, and from their parents, most not artists themselves but still dedicated to supporting their childrenโ€™s dreams.

The talent and drive of these seven have played the biggest role in their success. But I was also struck by the fact that so many are driven by their desire to help others.

They know that, in the artsโ€”in classrooms and rehearsal halls, on stage and offโ€”no one can or should be alone.

Truly.

A tight, vibrant headshot of a person with a joyful expression and a wide smile, framed against a warm brown background. They have short, voluminous dark hair with light brown highlights and are wearing a light blue button-down shirt, a small gold hoop earring, and a subtle gold nose ring.
Jai Shanae Credit: Courtesy

From local stages to TV ads to Tammi Terrell, Tampa Bay actor Jai Shanae can do it all

A studio portrait of a person with long, curly brown hair and a bright smile. They are wearing an olive green sleeveless top and a delicate gold necklace, posed against a solid dark grey background.
Alaina Rahaim Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Alaina Rahaim’s nickname in school was ‘Sparkles’โ€“and thatโ€™s exactly what she does

An individual in a red leotard performs a graceful leap in mid-air along a waterfront promenade at dusk. Their reflection is visible in the calm water, with a city skyline, palm trees, and sailboats in a marina under a soft, cloudy sky in the background.
Mackenzie Mclean Credit: Courtesy

Mackenzie Mclean is a dancer, a teacherโ€”and executive director of the Pinellas Dance Collective

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Aiofa Maki at Dave Decker Photography in Ybor City, Florida on Jan. 12, 2026. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Pinellas actor Aoifa Maki been hailed as ‘pure magic’ onstage

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Lance Markeith Felton at Dave Decker Photography in Ybor City, Florida on Jan. 12, 2026. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Tampa actor Lance Markeith Felton is incapable of making a false moveโ€”on stage, at the mic, or in the classroom

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Max Carley at Dave Decker Photography in Ybor City, Florida on Jan. 12, 2026. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Tampa actor Max Carley turned his life around and rediscovered theater

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Justin Brock Credit: Courtesy

Polk County’s Justin Brock is a powerful mover whoโ€™s developing a choreographic style all his own

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This article appears in Jan. 29 – Feb. 04.