Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, in Bloomfield, Connecticut) is a Tony-Award winning American singer and actress. After studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, CA, Rose moved to New York without a job. She had been in New York three months when she nabbed the role of Rusty in Broadway's Footloose. Rose's big Broadway break was getting cast as Tonya Pinkins' daughter in Caroline, or Change. In 2004, Rose was awarded the Theatre World Award