Raianna Brown, 2018 Georgia Tech alumna, exhibits the dynamism of the modern young professional through her multidisciplinary work. While at GT, Raianna studied dance through dual enrollment at Emory university.

While in undergrad, she founded Komansé Dance Theater. Komansé’s sold-out shows, integrated technology, and the arts in partnership with the GT Industrial Design School (projection mapping) and GT Invention Studio (3D printed costumes). The shows centered on the narratives of marginalized people, using technology to amplify the performance. The most recent production was created in partnership with Covenant House, a homeless shelter servicing at-risk youth.   

In 2021, Raianna worked as Creative Director and Choreographer on a collaboration with Komansé Dance Theater, The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, & The High Museum of Art. Raianna’s other accomplishments in the world of dance include choreographing commissioned pieces for the NAACP, the Atlanta Mayor’s Office, Grammy-nominated artists, international dance companies, dancing alongside Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in Super Bowl Sunday LIV, and most recently dancing behind Beyoncé in the 2022 Oscars. Outside of dance, Raianna has taken her industrial engineering knowledge into the field of software development, serving as the lead software developer for Lean consulting firm CMB Global Partners.

Raianna was selected as one of Dance Magazine’s 2021 25 to Watch and has been featured in Teen Vogue, Elle, The cut, and has been interviewed on NPR about her work combining social activism, engineering, and the arts. In the summer of 2022, Raianna took Komansé Dance Theater international to the United Kingdom to participate in a 5-day workshop with Choreographic Coding Labs and she seeks to continue to create work, in both arts and engineering spaces, that uplifts and empowers her community.  

Photo credits: Ta Nycia Wooden, Yun Sin