I move from the same spirit of my ancestors, who though stripped of everything, could never let go of the beat. As long as their hearts swung, they became the drums, they embodied rhythms, they embraced each other, and in spite of circumstance they carried their history, in song and dance. When I dance, I acknowledge it is my turn to bear these traditions, and in doing so I desire above all else to honor these fundamental cornerstones of Black art: authenticity, community, hope and dignity.
As a dancer, I explore, present, choreograph, teach, compete in, and embody Black cultural and social dance traditions, with a specific focus on how they have evolved from and influenced each other. These traditions include authentic/vernacular jazz, charleston, tap, lindy hop, stepping, house, dancehall, breaking, popping, litefeet, hip hop and modern forms of Black social and vernacular dance that have yet to be codified. My work consistently draws back to authentic jazz, as the foundation and axis on which all modern forms of Black social dance have been built. I want to undermine the assumption that eurocentric forms of dance such as ballet and contemporary are the essential foundations of dance.
