Movement & Meaning: Teaching at Alabama School of Fine Arts

Stepping into the Alabama School of Fine Arts felt like stepping into a room full of possibility. The students, classically trained dancers, grounded in their craft welcomed me with open minds and open hearts. I brought my hoops. I brought my story. And I brought the hope that sharing my journey might spark something in theirs.

Hoop dance is more than movement; It's resilience, it's storytelling, it's a living, breathing expression of who I am as a modern Native American artist. My roots are Lumbee, but my work carries me across all kinds of stages and spaces. And this week, it brought me here. Not to teach a specific style, but to share what it means to create something deeply authentic.

Throughout the week, I worked with the students not just on movement, but on mindset. What does it mean to be a performer? A storyteller? An artist who isn’t afraid to evolve, to make mistakes, to try again? We talked a lot about the intersections of tradition and innovation, how your history can guide your future, and how art can be both a reflection and a rebellion.

For me, hoop dance is a way to connect, to express, to honor my ancestors while building something new. I don’t see Native culture as frozen in time. I see it as dynamic, alive in the present moment, living through our stories, our work, and the spaces we choose to show up in. Working with these students gave me the chance to show that. To remind them, and myself, that your art is most powerful when it’s grounded in who you are.

I left ASFA inspired. Not just by the talent I saw, but by the willingness to learn, to ask questions, to lean into discomfort and discovery. These young dancers reminded me that artistry isn’t about perfection—it’s about exploration. I hope they walked away from our time together with a deeper understanding of that. And I hope they know that their voices, just like their movements, have the power to carry meaning far beyond the stage.