We’re revisiting some of our favorite stories from the year. This one was originally published August 4.
I picked this because I love the idea of a dance studio in Madison for Black and brown kids, and getting to talk with a couple of the girls as well as Clyde, The House is obviously doing something right with how much love and passion there is shared between staff and students, even through the struggles!When thinking about the arts in Madison, it is not hard to identify the multitude of spaces, people, and organizations that are there to support and enable artistry. However, when thinking about spaces for Black and brown art and artists, specifically, spaces and opportunities are much more finite and often harder to find.
That stark contrast is what led local community dancer and activist Clyde Mayberry to create The House Inc., now located on Madison’s West Side at 6527 Normandy Lane, Suite 200.
Mayberry, CEO and founder of The House Inc., has been in Madison for most of his life and spent his developing years noticing a gap in what the city had to offer. How The House Inc. makes up that gap is in providing a space and programming for Black and brown youth surrounding theater, dance, leadership, and community service.
“I remember almost 20 or 21 years ago, my friends and I were in middle school with nothing to do on the east side of Madison,” Mayberry recalled to Madison365, describing the small basement they would fit around a dozen people into for dance practice before moving to the Lussier Teen Center.
“We just started to notice our generation was kind of going left a little bit. We’re stepping away from our normal traditions and disciplines, and we’re doing other things. What it was for us, how we can stay focused, was dance.”
Mayberry drew connections between his experiences growing up in Madison, seeing the effects of a lack of resources and organizational outlets in his community, and the trend of car thefts that have gotten public attention over the last few years. In 2018, The House Inc. was established as a means to provide a creative and competitive alternative even with little precedent and less support.
“We were the first African American performing arts-driven organization to actually have a place for kids and people of color to come practice their art and a place to call home,” said Mayberry. “I say that to say, we didn’t have anyone in front of us to show us the way, we actually had to figure this all out on our own.”
Maintaining and sustaining operations became a key part of The House Inc.’s mission as the connection to dance, community, and building relationships between youth had visible results. Czar Lyles, a dance instructor with The House Inc. and KLJ Movement, spoke on how surprised he was to find the space over a year ago, and how important it is for the kids participating.
“Never have I ever seen this many Black children doing something positive, something extremely athletic and challenging, all while doing a damn good job,” Lyles told Madison365. “I was just like, ‘This is in Madison.’ I couldn’t get over that there were that many kids in this facility going crazy getting ready for this national competition.”
The energy in the studio was high as many of the programs host youth from the range of 7 to 18 years old. In line with what Lyles saw upon first joining, expectations are rigorous, and Mayberry drives engagement and excitement out of the kids who may not have had access or have been comfortable in other professional arts training spaces.
One of the younger dancers, eight-year-old Dezie Miller, expressed that excitement not only in her dancing, but also in how the experience serves as a fulfilling creative outlet saying, “I have to be more serious at school because I’m learning things. Here, you can just dance and it’s fun, but you still have to be serious.”
The crew at The House is no stranger to competition with their Dynamic Badgerettes traveling nationwide to perform and compete. From dancing on the campaign trail for former President Barack Obama to performing plenty of times in Madison at locations such as the Overture Center and the Kohl Center, The House Inc. has constantly evolved and adapted to continue its mission with youth in front.
“It teaches you a lot of discipline and humility, how to learn from others, and how to roll with the punches,” said Lyles. “Everything is not always like, ‘This is fun and this is happening.’ Sometimes, we gotta make it happen with just who we got and what we got. I think that’s part of the fun of it, too, is just learning how to adapt, learning the professionalism, and getting to hit those different stages.”
Both Dezie and another young dancer, Mahalia Pearson, expressed how meaningful it is to practice something they love while doing so in a welcoming space for Black and brown dancers. Mahalia, who is 12 years old, was most excited to help the newer dancers learn the moves and become part of The House family.
“I’m excited to dance further with these new students this summer, and help them have a good experience,” said Pearson. “To make sure that they have their dancing for the future, I feel like they should learn certain stuff, so they know what to do when they get here if they want to join the team. That’s what I’m excited about.”
One of the struggles with being one of the few organizations to offer programming around Black dance and theater arts while also incorporating educational success and physical and mental health is funding and support.
With a long history and plenty of trophies to show for it, The House Inc. is still mostly supported through sponsors, donors, and the money from providing services and event space. Mayberry stressed how important it is that the community across all areas from individual, organizational, and city levels invest in Black arts spaces and programs as the youth who take advantage of the opportunities benefit tremendously.
“It’s so important to be pioneers, and to create those spaces and make a lot of noise, because you have to do that in a city where there are tons of performing arts centers,” Mayberry said in closing. “There are tons of them, a good 20 to 30 of them. We are one of the few African-American-led organizations that provide that. The most important part about us coming out and being present and showing our face is showing this community that we do exist, that our culture is professional, and that we can do professional dance.”
To donate to The House Inc. for sustaining their programming and services, visit their website here, and learn more about what they have to offer.
