Dance
It Out

Ife Michelle is a Choreographer and Artist-Educator, engaging dance praxis as a means of exploring individual, communal, and cultural identity and expression. Through embodied expressions rooted in Black/Black Queer movement styles and traditional West African (Guinea) dance, her artistic work strives to explore and demonstrate the depth multiplicity of Black and Black Fem presentation as a means of reclamation, radical self-autonomy and presentation.

Oneaka Mack Saba is former Artistic Director of the Oneaka Dance Company (2008-2020). During that time, she trained and presented to 1000’s of event participants for corporations (13), government agencies (5), universities (7) and Regional and International Festivals (70+). She teaches master classes in West African, choreography, drumming and yoga, among others, performs and offers workshops and residencies-- Winthrop University, The 3 Queens Conference in Columbia and Charleston, SC, Virginia Tech University; Lowe's, Belk, Wells Fargo and Bank of America and Compass Group. She was awarded an Arts and Sciences Council Resident Artist Grant for travel to train and perform at L'EDEC in Abidjan, Ivory Coast West Africa in March 2014. For 21 days in December 2013, Oneaka trained and performed in Guinea, West Africa with world renowned Master Djembefola, Bolokada Conde. Recipient of numerous grants including the prestigious Knight Foundation award to create a third dance dance work called “Distant Relatives: United”. Oneaka Dance Company created choreography for this dance work throughout the 2019-2020 season. The dance work was presented in whole and part in different venues (including Mint Museum events) and in Burkina Faso, West Africa at FESTICO 2020. She was a 2011-2012 Charlotte Ballet Teaching Artist and has hosted numerous workshops and lecture demonstrations for the Harvey B. Gantt Center 2012-2015. Her dance company was the Mint Museum’s resident artist for five years providing African Dancing and Drumming to standing room-only crowds in our 220-seat theater. Oneaka Mack holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics.

SJ Swilley is a performing artist, educator and movement storyteller. Drawing from Black diaspora vocabularies, and blending them with a solo practice, their career continues to evolve. Swilley has shared their instruction in both the community and higher education levels.

SocaFit USA was founded in 2009 by Keisha Bridgeman, whose roots reside in Grenada, West Indies. It is a caribbean carnival style fitness class creating a safe space for cultural & freedom of movement. SocaFit USA has also humbly graced many stages & events showcasing the energy, love, and passion for the Caribbean culture through performances.

Karen Phelps, Esq. began her dance journey in 2003 studying Afro-Brazilian dance as a college exchange student in Santiago, Chile, and later deepened her practice in Charlotte, NC through professional Salsa training before discovering Traditional West African Dance. Her love for African dance was immediate, leading to a performance invitation with Shae Movement African Arts Dance Company in 2015. In 2017, she expanded her artistry by learning traditional drumming, which opened doors to performances alongside Cheick Sissoko and Dr. Tinka Barnes at various Charlotte events.

Hello, my name is Subirah Presswood! I am running the children's hip hop and contemporary dance classes for Dance It Out! I have been dancing for 12 years, competitively for 6, teaching and coaching for 2. I am so excited to bring my experience and the opportunity to dance to the children of our community.

Samantha Boyd, affectionately known as Yeye Dandara, has been performing African dance for 30 years and teaching it at the Greensboro Cultural Center for more than 20, along with her husband, Allen, as lead musician. Dandara is the mother of daughter Kankake and works as a labor and delivery nurse. As The DancinRN, she shares her passion for helping women bring life into the world AND for sharing dance and African culture with the community at large.