Fox Cities News

Michelle N. Gibson, a dancer, choreographer, and cultural ambassador known for her work with New Orleans “second line” dance traditions, will be a guest teacher at Lawrence University, culminating in a community event on April 14 at Memorial Chapel. The event, scheduled for 3 p.m., is free and open to the public, with Lawrence music students joining Gibson for a performance.

According to Margaret Paek, visiting assistant professor of dance at Lawrence, the event is more than just a performance: “It is not a sit back and passively-be-entertained kind of performance, but a community event. Michelle uses the second line aesthetic originating from traditional New Orleans jazz parades to educate and uplift as she gets everyone moving with her.”

Gibson will also be involved in teaching multiple dance courses at Lawrence, including Musicians in Movement, Articulating the Solo Body, and Dance Collective Ensemble. Paek, who knows Gibson from graduate school, described her as having "infectious, embodied energy that brings people together and builds healing, wholeness, and belonging."

The event, titled "A Congo Square Gathering: A Reverence for Culture and Healing for Humanity, Down by The Riverside," will provide an opportunity for Lawrence students to collaborate with Gibson. Paek expressed excitement for the students, stating, “It is a fabulous collaborative opportunity for the five Lawrence student jazz musicians who will be playing with her.”

Gibson's background in New Orleans culture, including gospel, jazz, traditional funeral processions, Congo Square gatherings, and Second Line parades, informs her instruction of African American vernacular dance forms. She received her BFA in Dance from Tulane University and her MFA from Hollins University/American Dance Festival at Duke University. Gibson is known for her storytelling through dance, bridging the gap between arts and academia.

Describing her workshops, The New York Times featured Gibson in 2022, stating, “In Gibson’s workshops, she starts by helping students find the second line beat in their bodies, the bounce in their feet, hips, shoulders, heads. A strut shifts into a skip, because the dance has to cover ground. Gibson, who calls herself ‘sassy and saucy’ and refers to herself at ‘Mz. G,’ is an encouraging, permission-giving coach.”