Today we’d like to introduce you to Arica Brown.
Arica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was the first person in my family to go to college. I started at The University of Missouri – St. Louis in 2003 as an English major. I was interested in writing, so I thought that might be my path. My first semester at UMSL, I signed up for a Fundamentals of Dance class to fulfill an arts credit. At the end of that semester, I had made a lot of friends in the dance department so I decided to take a Modern dance class the following semester. Otherwise focused on my general education credits, I was not too impressed with my English teachers but I was kind of enjoying Modern dance. I came to UMSL with no prior dance experience except high school poms. Even then, I was the last pick for the team and my understanding of dance up to that point was more exercise-based. It wasn’t until the second semester that I realized that dance was an art form. My second year at UMSL, I took Dance Composition and that’s also when I changed my major. Once I discovered choreography, I knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I just didn’t know that I would have the ability to make it my full-time job.
In 2009, I was the first student to graduate from University of Missouri with a dance degree. I took a full-time job in IT right out of college but also bartered teaching dance classes for rehearsal space so that I could start Consuming Kinetics Dance Company. CKDC, as we call it now, was an opportunity for me to continue to practice dance composition after college and give qualified adults an opportunity to continue dancing.
Today we are a 501c3 nonprofit professional dance company and community education center. We see over 250 clients and youth students in our classes weekly and perform two full-length dance concerts every year and over a dozen other community, cultural events. We have robust programming that appeals to many different audiences, not just dancers or dance enthusiasts. We are entering our 13th season soon and in a major phase of growth and development.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having a home has always been a struggle. Our nonprofit has battled homelessness on multiple occasions. Finding landlords willing to subsidize rent has always been a problem, but many of our partners in other states find that the market is much more supportive. We continue to fight for longevity and to stay in the neighborhood we love to serve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
CKDC’s mission is to make dance accessible to all and expose the healing art of movement to our communities. CKDC’s vision is to use our unlimited passion for movement to build a diverse and welcoming community rooted in wellness and equity.
CKDC believes that dance is a universal language that connects us all. Movement is fundamental to the development of personal well-being and serves as an authentic outlet for creativity and expression. We commit ourselves to providing accessible outlets for our community to engage in movement arts and to maintain a diverse environment that honors equality, equity and compassion.
CKDC is an arts community that reflects the diverse identities of the residents of St. Louis and its surrounding region. We demonstrate and practice a commitment to racial and cultural equity through the dance styles we offer, by fusing different dance styles into our works, and by centering diversity in hiring teaching artists and company members. We are committed to using dance to incubate a compassionate shared experience with creative practices that center and celebrate diverse cultures and to make classes and performances accessible to those who are marginalized by systemic economic oppression and neglect.
We make dance accessible in a variety of ways including; scheduled free, public performances both in theaters and at community events in partnership with other cultural institutions, scholarship opportunities for youth arts education programs, flexible education opportunities geared specifically toward working class adults and through the inclusion of professional performing artists into the company who have other full-time commitments, families and obligations outside the organization.
CKDC produces two full-length dance concerts every year and performs in over a dozen other community cultural events. Some of our annual partners include The St. Louis Art Museum, Earth Day 365, St. Louis Public Library, Kemper Art Museum, National Dance Week, The Contemporary Art Museum, The St. Louis Balloon Race and Glow, St. Louis Art Fair and Shakespeare Festival STL. This past year, during the pandemic, we also performed outdoors for nursing homes and children who are hospitalized long-term at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Our concerts are ticketed but every concert also has a free, public performance to reach those where money is a barrier. Through both our concerts and through our organizational mission and vision, CKDC hopes to model how every single person has the power to create change, even when it doesn’t seem possible. More importantly, we seek to continue using dance and performance arts as vehicles for community organizing, culture-shifting, and public activism. We believe that not only is dance a catalyst for life in motion, but that dance can cultivate change on a larger scale, impact business practices, and encourage community members of all backgrounds and experiences towards social action.
CKDC provides unique dance instruction for youth in a non-competitive environment. Individual expression and creativity is encouraged and no strict dress code is required for our students to participate. In addition to releasing the burden of expensive shoes and costumes, CKDC’s pricing is also specifically designed to make our education programming accessible for all. We also offer scholarship opportunities to families who need additional assistance. CKDC attracts a diverse student body bringing students together from all different religious, races, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds and from all over the Greater St. Louis area. Afterschool and weekend programming is offered year-round, in addition to an all day dance and art camp every summer. Our all day summer camp is popular for working families because it takes place the last four weeks of summer to bridge the gap between most summer programming ending and the academic year starting. We provide additional flexibility for working families by offering early drop-off and late pick-up options.
In addition to offering inclusive youth education for all ages and levels, CKDC also caters to career-minded artists through the Professional Development, Internship and Junior Company programs. Youth age 15 – 19 are welcome to participate in one or all of these programs annually. Our Professional Development and Internship programs dive deeper into the creative and administrative world of dance and arts management. These programs expose students to real-life learning in the area of social entrepreneurship in a safe and supportive environment. Students learn life skills that are not covered in academic classrooms. This program is also a good fit for students interested in running a studio or a dance company or who are considering a pre-professional or professional career in dance. Students are educated and in some cases, involved in the daily business operations of a dance company. This program covers topics such as resume building, audition prep, training, body conditioning, composition, improvisation, dance history, marketing, teaching techniques, lesson planning, networking, college applications, grant writing, fundraising, leading a staff, directing, soliciting in-kind donations, cold-calling donors, volunteerism, organization, software training, photography, videography, work/life balance and self-care. Many students in one or more of these programs are also in our Junior Company. Our Junior Company has the opportunity to perform and train with our professional company, work with resident and guest artists and start building their performance resumes early.
CKDC has a full schedule of adult drop-in dance classes that is unique to the greater St. Louis area. Classes specialize in adult instruction and cater to the schedules of busy professionals and families. There are no leveled classes at CKDC. Our talented teaching artists offer modifications for people who have no dance experience while simultaneously offering variations for experienced dancers. Our classes are drop-in by design which means that even if you attend a class where the teacher has already taught the choreography, the entire piece will be taught again, from the beginning. By offering a flexible curriculum, we strengthen the practice of dance and further our mission of exposing movement as a healing art. Adult students praise CKDC’s dance program for its therapeutic benefits. CKDC also offers work-trade opportunities for adult clients in need. This specialized education model provides busy professionals and adult family members access to the mental and physical benefits of dance ensures a more connected sense community.
CKDC opens its doors to worthy artists of many disciplines including but not limited to movement art, graphic art and choreography. CKDC welcomes artists to find a way to pursue their passions part-time while still holding on to other full-time careers and family commitments. We contract over 30 artists annually and have two full-time artist administrators. We are proud to have a diverse board and volunteer base as well as a strong body of donors and community supporters.
In 2020, CKDC found unique ways to continue offering programming and serving our community during a global pandemic. We met food insecurities in our neighborhood, performed for child patients and residents of nursing homes outside, offered PPE, followed CDC’s guidelines, got Missouri ArtSafe Certified and launched on-demand in-home learning platforms for adults and children. We produced our first Dance Film with the support of the Missouri Arts Council and offered live virtual dance classes and community events. We hosted our first online fundraiser and a virtual street dance competition. We connected all artists to relief grants and support during this time of hardship and published two full years of past performances for public enjoyment.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are always looking for volunteers, they are the lifeblood of our organization. We also have several internship opportunities available. In terms of dancers and teaching artists, our company auditions will be held this December! We work with soundboard operators, lighting designers, master electricians, audio engineers, video artists, photographers and we’ve collaborated with musicians, live music performers, textile artists and more! The options are endless! Anyone can support CKDC’s mission by becoming a sustaining member or attending a dance concert, dance class or any of our programs/events! We even have an all day dance and art camp for students age 6 – 12 in late July and early August. Our camp bridges the gap between summer programming ending and the academic year starting and it’s truly all day; 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. We also have something for adults! The Annual St. Louis Barre Crawl (spelled like ballet barre) is a community dance event that imitates a pub crawl. Participants experience a full weekend of dance and fitness classes in the heart of St. Louis. Proceeds from The St. Louis Barre Crawl goes towards scholarships to help underserved children attend the Dance and Art Camp at CKDC this summer.
Pricing:
- Drop-In Class $15
- Donate (any amount)
- Beat Kill Jam admission – $5 to watch $10 to compete
- Summer Dance and Arts Camp $15 – $300
Contact Info:
- Email: info@ckdc.org
- Website: www.ckdc.org
- Instagram: consumingkineticsdancecompany
- Facebook: Consuming Kinetics Dance Company
- Twitter: ckdanceco
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/CKDC
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/consuming-kinetics-dance-company-saint-louis?osq=ckdc
Image Credits
All photography credits to Dave Moore Photography.
