What I Mean When I Say “Urban Midwest Storytelling”

You’ll get the official bio & artist statement in a second — but first, the human one.

This isn’t branding. It’s bloodline.

I grew up in Akron, Ohio — raised by the rhythms of a multigenerational house, where memory lived in the walls and stories came wrapped in music, silence, and side-eyes from your grandma.

I didn’t set out to be a “storyteller.” But over time, I realized that’s exactly what I was doing. Watching. Listening. Translating what couldn’t be said into movement.

Urban Midwest Storytelling is what I call the work that comes out of that inheritance.
It’s the Blues reimagined for post-industrial cities.
It’s the migration from Mississippi mud to Midwest concrete.
It’s porchlight wisdom and factory-town grief.
It’s rooted in place — but meant to move.

This isn’t just about choreography. It’s a way of seeing and naming the world.
It’s political. It’s spiritual. It’s communal.
It’s the language my body speaks when the words run out.

Urban Midwest Storytelling is how I honor where I come from — and how I dream forward.

Now that I got that off my chest...

Feel free to grab my official bio & artist statement below for your press kit, program notes, or grant panel.