We recently connected with Leah Tubbs and have shared our conversation below.

Leah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was three years old when my parents took me to see The Nutcracker performed by The Alabama Ballet. Out of the 15+ dancers, there was only one Black female identifying dancer in the regional ballet company. She performed the role of the Snow Queen, a section that closes the first act of The Nutcracker. She had almond hued skin and black natural hair just like me. I followed her as she took up space on a big stage with a sky blue and white classical tutu and a bedazzled crown in front of her bun, so much so that I was sitting on the edge of my seat. After the ballet, I asked my parents if I could be like her, and they enrolled me into dance classes the following month. I have been dancing ever since. I was fortunate to have attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA), a public performing arts school for grades 7-12 located in Birmingham, AL. Students take a test and audition to be accepted into ASFA, and I was admitted my seventh grade year & was there through twelfth grade. ASFA was in partnership with The Alabama Ballet until the late 1990s. Students in higher levels of dance had the opportunity to perform and tour with The Alabama Ballet. I had the great fortune of performing and touring The Nutcracker with The Alabama Ballet during my tenure at ASFA. It felt like a full circle moment to be performing in the ballet that drew me to dance and be a source of inspiration for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) as a budding artist. I knew after those experiences that dance was my life’s work.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the founding artistic director of MODArts Dance Collective (MADC), a Harlem based professional modern dance company. My husband, Shaun, and I established MADC in 2011 to hold space for and with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists and communities through its choreographic work, festivals, residencies, and workshops. The vision of MADC is to reflect the historical and cultural legacy of black and brown communities through all of its offerings to people and audiences nationwide. The mission of MADC is to utilize movement as the catalyst to increase IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, & access) as a form of resistance & liberation for Black & Brown people nationwide. The core values of MADC are to create, share, and inspire:

We create work, curriculum, and syllabi to honor and celebrate the ancestors and elders whose shoulders that we stand on.
We share movement that speaks to the history and subject matters relevant to all BIPOC communities.
We inspire people through our choreographic work, classes, workshops, and residencies that hold safe, open spaces for Black & Brown people to heal, grow, and thrive as individuals and as a collective.

MADC prides itself on its distinction as a collective as we maintain that the ‘we’ is greater than the ‘me’ and that our primary goal is to establish a sustainable and nurturing community. We hold space for BIPOC communities to show up as their most authentic selves as a form of resistance. We nurture art as a form of liberation – creating a world where we can be seen and heard as our whole selves, not in constant fear for our lives. MADC is not only a traditional dance company whose season consists of two concerts and a gala. We know firsthand the deficiency of IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, Access) in the dance field and provide open, safe spaces for Black and Brown artists and communities to heal, grow, and thrive through our free residencies, free workshops, festivals, and concerts with cost effective ticket prices so everyone has access to dance that reflects BIPOC culture and histories that resonate with a broader audience.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Funding is a significant part of an artist’s ability to sustain her/him/their self. With MADC being a nonprofit organization, our focus has and will always be community driven and community centered. As of now, we receive funding from regranting organizations, other nonprofits, and individual donations. Anything that you can contribute aids in the growth and sustainability of artists and arts organizations. Collaborations & partnerships can amplify artists/arts organizations and businesses/organizations with similar missions/core values while working together to assist each other in possibly decreasing some of the operating expenses. This can include space sharing, community outreach/engagement programming, and auto email marketing. If you work with a business or an organization that you feel could be a collaborator or partner with an artist or arts organization, please introduce them via email or at a live event. Volunteering is just as important to assist artists, creatives, and arts organizations in cultivating a successful performance/project/season. People sharing their zone of genius, i.e. accounting, marketing, public relations, grant writing, community engagement, and programming just to name a few, allows artists, creatives, and arts organizations the chance to increase their gauge and overall impact. In kind donations are so critical especially for artists, creatives, and arts organizations with smaller budgets. In kind donations include rehearsal space, performance space, gallery space, services, and items that can be used for fundraisers and performances plus they are tax deductible. Words of encouragement are greatly appreciated through phone calls, texts, and DMs just to name a few because it can feel lonely at times working multiple roles to build real, tangible art from an idea that only one person can see. Your words can keep an individual going when they may be questioning their path or feeling the need to quit. Your words are energy seen as light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Holding space for and with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists and communities in a real and authentic way. Being in community with audiences from all walks of life who are inspired and motivated by MADC’s choreographic work. Creating more platforms for choreographers and dance filmmakers of color to highlight their work. Making dance accessible to everyone with cost effective ticket prices with livestream and on demand options.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.modartsdance.com
• Instagram: @modarts_dance
• Facebook: MODArts Dance Collective

Image Credits
Image #1 of me jumping – Photo Credit: BrakeThrough Media Images #2-8 – Photo Credit: Alexander Sargent