ABOUT US

Dance Culture LLC was founded out of a deep love and respect for education and a commitment to honoring and centering the dances of the African Diaspora. We believe that dance is more than movement—it is a living archive of culture, history, and identity. Our work is rooted in the understanding that dance education should reflect this depth, ensuring that the people, cultures, and values behind the movement are honored rather than erased.

At Dance Culture, learning happens in community. We provide dance education programming for students of all ages and professional development for dance educators, with a particular focus on supporting and uplifting Black dance educators. Through our work, we invite educators to think critically about their teaching practices, aligning their pedagogies with the core values and principles of the various cultures throughout the African Diaspora. By decolonizing dance education and challenging traditional methods that often overlook or distort these cultural foundations, we create spaces where educators and students alike can engage in deeper, more meaningful learning experiences.

The journey of Dance Culture is deeply connected to the path of our founder, Michelle Cole. Growing up in Mount Vernon, New York, Michelle’s love for movement and teaching became inseparable. With over 15 years of experience in dance education—including roles as a teaching artist, studio instructor, full-time dance teacher, and adjunct faculty—she witnessed firsthand the misalignment between cultural values and mainstream teaching practices. This realization fueled her commitment to reshaping dance education. Michelle earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida International University’s Honors College, followed by a Master’s degree in Dance Education from NYU Steinhardt. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Critical Dance Studies at UC Riverside, furthering her mission to transform how dance is taught, understood, and experienced.

Dance Culture is more than an organization—it is a movement toward a more culturally informed and respectful approach to dance education. We invite dance educators to join us in this work, creating spaces where history, identity, and movement come together with authenticity and purpose.