MUSIC & DANCE

Marcus was born on December 21 in Junction City, Kansas, into a family where both sides were blessed with musical talents. His father, maternal grandmother, uncle, and one of his sisters were all blessed to play the piano, keyboard and organ, while his older brother and cousin are percussionists.

Over the years, Marcus honed his talents in various ways, beginning with singing in his father's and grandfather's church choirs and school choirs. At Junction City High School, he was a member of the Concert Choir, Kinda Blue Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Madrigal Troupe, and JC Chorale Show Choir, school musicals and participated in cheerleading. As a freshman, he was chosen to be the cast member to sing the opening lines of the musical "Lil' Abner" (one of his older sisters, Jessica, played the role of Mammy Yokum). In his junior year, he landed the role of Benny Southstreet in "Guys & Dolls".

Marcus went on to Coffeyville Community College, where he was a member of the Red Raven Cheerleading Team, which competed nationally, and became one of the team's best tumblers. He was also a member of Concert Choir and Raven Soundsations Show Choir (alongside one of his younger sisters, Jacque).

After graduating from Coffeyville, he became a part of the cheerleading team at and transferred to Wichita State University in Wichita, KS, a school that won a NCA National Cheerleading Competition. While living in Wichita, he joined with Marcus Hobbs, a high school friend, to form The M & M Dance Duo, performing alongside a variety of singer & entertainers in the Wichita Metropolitan area. 

After a few years, Marcus transferred to Washburn University in Topeka, KS to finish his degree in Criminal Justice. After being a member of the WU Cheerleading Team for one year, he took up the  Assistant Cheer Coach position and began teaching group exercise classes at the campus fitness center. Upon completion of his degree, he relocated to Kansas City, where his love for poetry & spoken word took hold. He became a regular on the poetry scene, mixing singing & spoken word, in a Jill Scott/Floetry type vibe.

While living in Kansas City, he formed his own fitness services company called The H9 Fitness Group, LLC and joined the New Era Gospel Quartet. As the youngest member, he lent his vocals to the release of the group's 1st CD, in May 2009 entitled "Let's Sing for Jesus". This was done while recovering from the loss of his law firm job, due to the economic recession. Marcus handled lead vocals on the track "In Jesus Name" and shared lead vocal on the title track. In August 2009, the song "Change" came in at #12 on Gospel USA Magazine's "Top 30 Gospel Songs on Independent Labels" (http://www.gospelusamagazine.com/issue_58_16_sample_pages.pdf ). He began writing 2 songs for the group's 2nd album, but economic circumstances during the recession led him to re-locate to the Washington DC area in late 2009, to seek full time employment. Marcus was a member emeritus, occasionally returning to Kansas City to perform with the group, until it was disbanded in July 2012. 

In 2010 while living in Washington, DC, Marcus landed an entertainment job in the professional sports arena, where he started the first ever cohesively organized spirit performance team for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, called "The Blue Crew Energy Squad", a cheerleading/gymnastics/hip hop dance team. He served as the coach & choreographed all routines and participated as a performer. During the NBA season, executed live pre-game game/in-game elements for the NBA's Washington Wizards. Marcus also began offering group exercise classes again, re-naming his company Mach 10 Fitness, LLC, with Pom Pom Fitness being his most popular class.

In 2016, Marcus relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. While there, he landed a role as a member of “Flight Crew", the first- ever hip hop dance & tumbling performance team for the WNBA's Dallas Wings (formerly known as the Detroit/Tulsa Shock) for the 2016 WNBA season. For the 2017 WNBA season, management decided to dissolve the performance team, but hired Marcus (through his company Mach 10 Sports & Fitness, LLC) to provide game entertainment coordination services. In this capacity, he edited game day formats/scripts for the production team, coordinated live Pre-Game & In-Game elements for Video Board show, and oversaw the in-game experiences. He also served as an in-house National Anthem singer. Through his company, he also independently developed a variety of group exercise classes for both Klyde Warren Park & iFit Gyms.

After two seasons in Texas, Marcus returned to the Washington, DC area and resumed coordinating and executing live Pre-Game & In-Game elements for the Washington Wizards & Mystics. In mid-2019, he relocated to the Los Angeles area, and in early 2020, his company began offering group exercise classes again, until the Coronavirus Pandemic left him no choice but to temporarily suspend his fitness services company. 

As the pandemic clears, Marcus has revived his fitness services company with his signature class, Pom Pom Fitness and is again offering group exercise classes. He would love to join the entertainment industry, preferably as a background vocalist, a voice-over artist, or legal advisor upon law school graduation.