“East Side was a major part of my time in High School.  The training I recieved from all of the different dance choreographers and teachers helped me to become not only better at dance, but to better understand what trainging programs were being offered once I left high school.”

Giving back to her community is important to Prudence and now, she has come back to her local high school to teach traditional African dance to the younger students, giving them the inspiration they need to believe in themselves and their talent.

My dance journey began when I told my teacher I wanted to quit. I’d been dancing since I was ten—starting with K-pop choreographies and LA-style rehearsals—but always felt disconnected. The community I craved didn’t exist for someone like me. I found myself in spaces removed from what it meant to be a Black girl in the dance community. I felt that no one in the dance world looked like me. The women I admired were thin, light-skinned, and wealthy. I am tall, dark-skinned, bigger than most, and living in a city where I rarely see dancers who reflect me. I believed the industry wasn’t built for girls like me—that being a choreographer wasn’t possible. Everything changed on a field trip to a tap show led by a Black woman who was a powerful force. I wasn’t a tap dancer, but seeing her on that stage—unapologetically Black, confident, and successful—shifted something in me. I haven’t missed a rehearsal since.