Dee started Swing Dancing at the age of three with her Dad in the basement, wearing her Mom’s heels and her favorite plaid skirt. A true Heritage Dancer and Tradition Bearer, learning from and dancing Lindy Hop with her family, in the context of black culture, music, and expression. With a hiatus into hip-hop during her school years, she was called back to Lindy Hop, and co-founded her college swing dance club. She has became an influential member of the Minneapolis scene. For over two decades she’s shared her love of Lindy Hop with dancers young and old, teaching, performing, and dancing at swing dance events.
Dee loves feeling free on the dance floor and advocates for self-expression and individual creativity as the true spirit of Lindy Hop and Vernacular Jazz. She bring an inclusive, shared knowledge, and individual ownership perspective from black culture classes. She dances for the joy and self-worth in expression that music and dance play in black culture in either partnered or solo dancing, and searches for presence in each moment. She loves responding to the music and partner, priding herself on making each dance unique to the musical experience and partner, creating an authentic dance conversation. Her goal is to help dancers experience the inclusion, joy, and self worth in expression that music and dance play in black culture by using teaching strategies that give access to the dance for different peoples and learners and creating a welcome and supportive environment.
She has recently enjoyed dancing a residency in Sw!ngout! at the Joyce Theater in NYC and on tour, and has taught, performed, and choreographed nationally and internationally, but mostly she wants to have a good dance. You should ask her, she follows and leads and wants to dance with you.