My name is Eryn Cade and I am a performing artist, educator and choreographer. I am a Black woman, a giver and a free spirit. I am a knowledge seeker but I also overthink everything. I am a passionate feminist but I love to laugh. I am an emotional gemini with a type A personality. I am a tall and curvy Black woman who enjoys fitness as a way to take care of my mental health.

 

As I express myself authentically through my choreography, I want my work to evolve with me. I am not limited to one emotion but through each season of my life I want my work to emphasize it as I am navigating through life and I want the work to serve as a timestamp. In this season, my work advocates displays of vulnerability in the Black community. Through my work, I want to demonstrate that it is okay to be vulnerable and that shedding tears is not a sign of weakness. I hope my work challenges and provides insight into the perception of Black people. As my work is tailored to my research, I hope it challenges people’s beliefs and ideas about how they perceive Black women’s bodies. I want it to express joy even through the trauma, self-confidence and radiate self-love. I hope it will prompt discussion so that Black women can reprocess, rebuild, and reclaim relationships with their bodies following childhood and social trauma.  

 

I can find inspiration anywhere but my main source is from my family, God and Black youth. I love to meet new people and get to know their personalities that are different from my own. I enjoy discussions and all facets of relationships with others, whether they are romantic or platonic. I love all types of music but specifically R&B and Neo-Soul. Financial security inspires me to have multiple sources of income. Fabric and colors inspire how I tackle costuming for my choreographic efforts. 

 

I envision creating art that is innovative and decolonizes beliefs of what Black people can do. In the classroom I think educating Black youth to believe in themselves with positive affirmations is a great foundation to build upon in a society that is not designed for them to be successful and authentic.

 

I have performance and academic ambitions. I want to book commercial gigs, Norwegian Cruise Line and get my wings as a flight attendant. I feel like I have done a lot of concert dance and I want to branch off. In academia, I have ambitions for a tenure track but after graduation I see myself doing 1-3 year contracts across universities and dance companies. Once I am more established, I want to pursue my own dance studio where I am the artistic director. Currently, I am juggling three jobs teaching dance in a variety of styles and ages while earning my MFA in Dance. I still perform because that is what I want to continue immediately upon graduation. A lot of times I let self-doubt get in the way of my goals. And so, I want to take more chances by traveling to take classes in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles so I can perform with artists like Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, etc. 

 

I already have some extensive training in ballet and modern techniques and some stiletto heels, jazz and hip hop skill set that will prepare me for any commercial work. In addition to dancing, I have editing and videography skills. Recently, I started training for aerialist. In my academic records I need to have more depth in my writing by reading and asking questions. I want my confidence as a performer to translate to academia because I always say I have a lot today but also a lot to learn but I dont always say it right.