Meet Erin, founder of Black Girls Dance in Chicago

At Black Girls Dance®, we champion dancers of color by providing them with comprehensive training, performance opportunities, and financial support. But beyond dance, our mission is about transforming lives—helping young women and girls step into their power, build authentic confidence, and embrace their limitless potential. We invest in our students holistically by offering mentorship, leadership development, college and career guidance, and wellness support. 

Dance is our vehicle, but empowerment is our destination. A girl who learns to trust herself in a pirouette will trust herself in a classroom, a boardroom, and in life.

And the ripple effect extends beyond the studio—it transforms families. At our first Father-Daughter Dance, we witnessed the profound power of presence. Fathers showed up for their little stars in a way that was both healing and heartfelt.

I created Black Girls Dance® because I saw a glaring need for mentorship and career guidance for female dancers of color. After an incredible career that took me around the world—dancing with Garth Fagan Dance, Philadanco!, The Lion King, and even performing for Beyoncé—I returned home only to find that opportunities for women who looked like me were still scarce. I kept meeting exceptionally talented female dancers of color who had no clear pathway into the professional dance world. 

I knew firsthand what it was like to navigate the dance world. As a young Black ballerina, I trained relentlessly, yet I still felt overlooked, dismissed, and forced to prove I belonged. I vowed that if I ever had a studio of my own, I would bring downtown-level training to the South Side so that Black and Brown girls could receive top-tier instruction—without the biases and barriers that often make these spaces unwelcoming.

I founded Black Girls Dance® in 2015 and over the years have expanded my vision to empower girls on stage, in leadership, and in life.

The Girls Opportunity Alliance has been a game-changer for Black Girls Dance®, opening doors and amplifying our mission in ways we never imagined. 

Receiving funding support was transformational, allowing us to present our 4th annual spring concert at the Harris Theater—a stage typically reserved for major dance companies. Seeing our dancers perform there was more than a milestone; it was a statement: they belong, they are worthy, and their self-expression deserves to be seen on an iconic stage.

The Alliance’s Network has also been invaluable. Being connected to visionary leaders who inspire innovation is exactly the kind of alignment and community I seek. Through the Network, I was introduced to Yamilée Toussaint, the brilliant Founder and Executive Director of STEM From Dance. Together, we piloted Girls Rise Up, a three-week camp for girls ages 8 to 18, bridging the worlds of arts and STEM. The camp was a huge success, proving that when we combine movement and technology, we illuminate pathways for young girls in ways they never imagined.

The Girls Opportunity Alliance isn’t just supporting programs—it’s fueling movements.

Empowering and investing in girls isn’t just important—it’s essential to a bright, sustainable, and more connected future. This past September, a teenage girl entered our program. Her guardian shared her journey through the foster system and how she had always dreamed of dancing. When she arrived, she was starting from square one, but I’ve learned my job isn’t just to teach her steps—it’s to pour into her, affirm her, and remind her that she is capable. It’s not about perfecting technique; it’s about ensuring she never gives up on herself.

At first, she was shy and quiet, hesitant to take up space. Now, she’s asking questions, eager to learn more about dance theory, and making friends. She will graduate from high school this June, and just last week she told me she wants to become an occupational therapist to use dance to help people. This is why we do what we do. When Black girls dance, they don’t just move; they transform the world around them.