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Waldemar Moraes, Media Studies, 09
Wal Moraes was born in Washington, D.C., to Brazilian parents. After spending his formative years in Brazil, he came back to the United States to pursue his professional dance career. He performed with a number of different companies, including Charleston Ballet Theatre, Alabama Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Oakland Ballet, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Wal then worked in the fashion industry in the field of visual merchandising. He was a director of creative services for Calvin Klein and worked as a consultant for such clients as Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, American Essentials, and Armani Exchange.
Following his work in fashion, he turned to the film industry, earning a certificate in 16mm filmmaking at The New School, then completing his BA with a concentration on film studies, also at The New School. During this time he took an assistant director's course with Walter Lima Jr. at the Casa de Cultura in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and working in Karim Ainouz's award winning film, The Sky of Suely: Love for Sale.
Wal is currently finishing his master's degree in Media Studies at The New School and working on his thesis film Negative/Positive, which explores what one would do if their fiancée tested positive for HIV. He has been accepted for a PhD in Anthropology by Syracuse University.