I reimagine and dive deeper into understanding the unpredictable and ever-changing relationship between community and self through improvisation, studio practice, and performance. Using the conservative archetype of the “good dancer” that was placed on me and praised by my younger self, in response to a fairly homogeneous collection of dancers, I vilify and counter these false narratives by dedicating myself to moving from a place that represents my own ancestral and personal history. Inspiring a community that consists of an extremely diverse array of bodies who prioritize feelings of safety and trust between dancers is something I encourage through representation. By showing a curvy body, a queer body, a black body with flowing locs and and beautiful melanated skin in performance, I seek to become the dancer and the person that young black girls can look up to… the person younger me needed to see thrive.