Dance Uprising History

It was the summer of 2019, I was 3 years out of graduate school with a 2-year-old child and a second one on the way. I had been teaching pole dance at an aerial studio for 2 years and fitness classes at a gym for a year — and the urge to dance and create was growing strong. I yearned to return to dance in a dynamic, collaborative way that would include teaching, choreographing, and performing. I auditioned for a local company while 7 months pregnant, then decided that what I really wanted was to start a company of my own.

I spent the next few weeks designing a website, curating a social media account, and planning an audition. In the end, I held 2 rounds of auditions and hired 5 dancers! I was ecstatic to get to work. I welcomed Marisa, Chelseas, Elijah, Ashley, and Jae into the creative process. We started rehearsals on the first of October, just 6 weeks after I gave birth to my baby. We performed at Oakland Dance Festival (November 2019), Washtenaw Community College (December 2019), and Ypsi Dance Swap (January 2020). We were off to a great start! We were making work, performing in local events, preparing for a spring showcase and a summer tour with collaborators in Indiana and Kentucky. Then the pandemic happened.

We were on a confusing, stressful break for the next 5 months.

All of our spring, summer, and early fall performances were cancelled. We danced when we could, and took long breaks when needed — especially when we took into consideration all of our vulnerable family members.

We made a comeback with Oakland Dance Festival in November 2021, followed by a filming session of our 2021 choreography. All pandemic themed, of course. We finished ‘Water Bounty,’ which we had first started in 2019. We also made new work called ‘Pandemic Suite.’ At this time, I welcomed Nicole and Lisa into the cast of Dance Uprising. Chelsea, Marisa, and Jae had to move on for pandemic and personal reasons.

By the end of 2021, I was comfortable (ish) in the standard way of double masking, running air filters, and taking isolation breaks any time a dancer or I traveled to see family (we self-isolated before seeing elderly family members to make sure we were as safe as possible around them). I held a virtual audition to add more dancers to the cast. I welcomed Bridget, GingerAnn, Lacia, Elliott, and Sam. We made some really cool work about gender expression over the next few months, which we filmed in the spring of 2022. It was starting to feel like we had a rhythm of what a dance season might look like for us.

The 2022-2023 season was the first that felt “normal.” We held regular classes and rehearsals, built up a repertoire of material, and performed in an end-of-season spring concert at Marygrove College in Detroit. The show was called “THRIVE,” and it featured all of our work from the season as well as a couple of pieces that we had created or revived for guest performance spots. (These were ‘Practically Presidential’ and ‘Show My Strength’).

Following a similar trajectory as 22-23, the 2023-2024 season ran from September through May, ending with a big performance, “Body Works,” at the Jam Handy in Detroit. This was an incredible collaboration of community partners, visual artists, and the dancers of Dance Uprising whose artistry and professionalism brought this show to life.

That brings us to the present. We are preparing for an action packed 24-25 season, featuring 6 new dance pieces, a brand new junior company, and open company classes. Stay tuned for more. :)