Photo Credit: Herman Leonard
“The rhythms of my drum, they come from Congo Square, from the African Methodist Episcopal church, from my preacher father, and from my mother who imbued my soul with spirituality. The rhythms come from Evelyn Milton Fields and Kai Knight at the Milton School of Dance, Mariama Curry, Ausettua Amoramenkum, and others who taught me dance in New Orleans. That’s my internal drum. Those are my rhythms."
- Michelle N. Gibson
Michelle N. Gibson’s choreographic works embrace all dance genres of the African Diaspora. This Diasporic dance impulse finds it way into her Contemporary Modern, Afro Funk, Jazz, and her own New Orleans Second Line Aesthetic.
She has shared her dynamic talent around the world through performance, choreography and instruction. From neighborhood community centers to the concert stage, Michelle’s gifts have enriched audiences both young and old. As a contracted artist with the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs CAP Program, Michelle is committed to using her gift of dance to enhance the lives of seniors through movement therapy workshops in facilities throughout the Dallas Metroplex. She originated the curriculum for these workshops while a resident artist at Ashe Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans. Equally committed to training the next generation of dancers, Michelle is a celebrated faculty member of the American Dance Festival, a position she’s held for seven years.
Michelle travels extensively as a guest artist, sharing her expertise at such diverse places as Festival le Funk Prend Les Renne in France, Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce Arts and Soul Festival, Dallas Arts District Block Party and Booker T. Washington School of Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Virginia Commonwealth University in Virginia, El Centro Community College Drama and Humanities and Vogel Alcove Child Care Center for the Homeless in Dallas, the Alabama Dance Festival, the Regional High School Dance Festival in Wisconsin , Black Dance USA in Missouri, Henderson State University in Arkansas, Middlebury College in Vermont and Spelman College in Georgia.
In 2017, Michelle was commissioned to choreograph a work for the Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Cultural Awareness Concert Series, entitled Displaced Yet Rebirthed. Prior to this commission, she choreographed works for Dallas Youth Repertory Project, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Nikiruka Drum and Dance Ensemble, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Henderson State University, and The American Dance Festival.
Michelle is currently available to tour her original dance/theater production “Takin’ It To The Roots”, a work co-commissioned by South Dallas Cultural Center and Ashe Cultural Arts Center through the National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network’s Creation Fund Program.
- Michelle N. Gibson
Michelle N. Gibson’s choreographic works embrace all dance genres of the African Diaspora. This Diasporic dance impulse finds it way into her Contemporary Modern, Afro Funk, Jazz, and her own New Orleans Second Line Aesthetic.
She has shared her dynamic talent around the world through performance, choreography and instruction. From neighborhood community centers to the concert stage, Michelle’s gifts have enriched audiences both young and old. As a contracted artist with the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs CAP Program, Michelle is committed to using her gift of dance to enhance the lives of seniors through movement therapy workshops in facilities throughout the Dallas Metroplex. She originated the curriculum for these workshops while a resident artist at Ashe Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans. Equally committed to training the next generation of dancers, Michelle is a celebrated faculty member of the American Dance Festival, a position she’s held for seven years.
Michelle travels extensively as a guest artist, sharing her expertise at such diverse places as Festival le Funk Prend Les Renne in France, Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce Arts and Soul Festival, Dallas Arts District Block Party and Booker T. Washington School of Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Virginia Commonwealth University in Virginia, El Centro Community College Drama and Humanities and Vogel Alcove Child Care Center for the Homeless in Dallas, the Alabama Dance Festival, the Regional High School Dance Festival in Wisconsin , Black Dance USA in Missouri, Henderson State University in Arkansas, Middlebury College in Vermont and Spelman College in Georgia.
In 2017, Michelle was commissioned to choreograph a work for the Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Cultural Awareness Concert Series, entitled Displaced Yet Rebirthed. Prior to this commission, she choreographed works for Dallas Youth Repertory Project, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Nikiruka Drum and Dance Ensemble, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Henderson State University, and The American Dance Festival.
Michelle is currently available to tour her original dance/theater production “Takin’ It To The Roots”, a work co-commissioned by South Dallas Cultural Center and Ashe Cultural Arts Center through the National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network’s Creation Fund Program.