Tabia McKinzie is one of Dance Project Inc,’s wonderful teachers. She primarily teaches traditional West African and Afro-Contemporary, though she is also skilled in ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, and jazz. When asked about the influence of Covid-19, Tabia mentioned that she’s been greatly impacted financially since teaching dance and performing are her main sources of income. Covid has put a lot of that on hold, but Tabia is learning to adapt and has started teaching dance classes over Zoom which is a new experience for her.
This will be Tabia’s first year participating in National Dance Day and she feels thrilled to be able to showcase the style of dance that she does. Tabia’s eager to bring her style of dance to the community as a way to connect to people in the emotions her performance evokes. “The fact that I’m able to use my body to express how I’m feeling and to convey a message - that’s really special to me. I want to take others on a journey and tell a story, make them feel something.” However, Tabia has admitted that this virtual event has been a vastly different experience for her. Typically, Tabia is a group performer, not a solo artist. She has been totally independent as a dancer for a year now, so it was a nice opportunity to showcase herself for a change. She also absolutely loved the attention of dancing for the cameras as a soloist; the presence of the cameras made it feel very professional and she enjoyed learning how to be more professional as an independent artist.
Dance Project works to build a stronger community through dance. The School, based in the Greensboro Cultural Center, offers high-quality dance instruction for children, teens, and adults. Visit their website for information about current classes and community events: danceproject.org
To see more of Tabia’s work and learn more about Dance Project, check out their Facebook and Instagram.
Your Support Means a lot
Like all of our programs at Greensboro Downtown Parks, National Dance Day GSO is free to attend every year. We're proud to put this event on, showcasing the talented performing artists of our local community. Especially this year, when the corona virus pandemic has taken an incredible toll on non-profits like us, artists, and the entire creative sector, we're grateful to have this event as a shining example of what coming together looks like, even when we have to be apart. Support from individuals and sponsor organizations is critical to bolstering the work of the local arts and culture economy. You can lend your support by donating or becoming a Friend of the Park and help us continue to bring free programs to the public.
We especially want to thank generous sponsors for helping us to put this virtual event on this year:
