​Director/Choreographer/Librettist/Production Stage Manager

 

Raquis Da’Juan Petree, is one of the most eclectic and quiet fires in the industry today. He began his formal training in the Stuart-Hobson Middle School Musical Theater Ensemble under the direction of Thomasena Allen and the late Harry Poe.

 

Raquis was hand selected by the late Mike Malone to be the youngest member of the Everyman Street Theater.  He auditioned and was selected to be in T.A.D.P.O.L.E, a feed program to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Dance Department.  After graduating from Ellington as the first student to graduate with a focus in Musical Theater/Producing, Raquis went on to study Musical Theater and Theater Dance at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC.  Mr. Petree, while at Ellington created the Teen Musical Theater Co., which was funded in part by DC  Art Works and DC Commission on the Arts, at the tender age of 14.

 

Professionally Raquis has worked in the US and abroad.  He choreographed the five country European tour for the DC Boys Choir.  Raquis served as Assistant Director/Choreographer to Tony award winner George Faison on many occasions:

·    25^th Anniversary Production of The Wiz at Houston’s Theater under the stars

·    35^th Anniversary Production of Purlie, starring Melba Moore, Sherman Hemsley and Robert Guilliuame, at the Fox Theater in Atlanta

·    Bubbling Brown Sugar at the Theater Virginia

 

Raquis also assisted the late Mike Malone on the very first production of Jelly’s Last Jam outside of the Broadway team at the legendary Karamu House Theater, in Cleveland Ohio. 

He was nominated as best emerging New Artist in the annual Mayors arts awards.

 

Mr. Petree, served as Choreographer for the B.E.T. Urban Nation H.I.P H.O.P Youth Choir. This association allowed his works to be seen on Planet Groove, Teen Summit, Bobby Jones Gospel and Disney’s Epcot Center.  He also choreographed their national music video “Sign of the Times”.  He has provided Choreography for the following:

·    Helen Hayes Award winning, Torn from the Headlines

·    As you Like It (Washington Shakespeare Theater)

·    Boys of All Nations (Asia Theater)

·    Gris Gris (African-American Theater Co., ACT-Co.)

·    Grease (Olney Theater)

 

Raquis Directed and Choreographed the Washington DC premiere of Bring in the Morning, at the Historic Lincoln Theater.  As Artistic Director of the Friends of the Carter He has Directed: Datra Hicks, Karen Clark Sheard, Kelly Price, Denyce Graves, Chuck Brown, Marion Barry, Tony Terry, Tanya Blount, J. Moss, Raheem DaVaughn, and many young performers on the rise.