We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michaela McKenzie & Mercedes Hicks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michaela and Mercedes below.
Michaela and Mercedes, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Hello once again, Voyage!
I thank you all so much for reaching out to me for an interview. I am very blessed once again for this opportunity.
I am Michaela “Mikki” McKenzie—a proud Montgomery, AL native, a multi-hyphenate artist, educator, and a 2024 graduate of Alabama State University, where I had the honor of serving as Miss Theatre and Dance. I am a dance filmmaker, choreographer, and founder of TUTUs and Testimonies and MIKArts Youth Arts Program, both of which reflect my passion for using the arts as a tool to uplift and empower communities—especially Black youth.
My filmworks have been selected for several prestigious platforms including American College Dance Association Nationals, Alabama Dance Festival, and the HBCU Student Film Invitational. I’ve had the blessing of training with renowned mentors and institutions like Wideman Davis Dance Company, and performing at major events such as the 2022 World Games alongside legends like Yolanda Adams and Sheila E.
In addition to my work in dance and film, I am the author of three books and currently serve as the Social Media Manager for Bates Dance Festival. I was named one of Her Campus’s E.L.F.ing Amazing 22 Under 22 in 2024, and my life’s mission is simple: to inspire the brown babies to dream big, live creatively, and know that they are magic.
Now to the question at hand….you asked me about risks:
Risks are layered numerously in the lives of artists. It is a risk to believe in oneself. It is a risk to move as your body was created to move. It is a risk to create as you were created to create. RISK is the name of the game……Risks caused the birth of this beautiful gift that now lays in the hands of Mercedes Hicks and I. We are full-fledged risk takers in the fullness of the term- and it all started with a YES!
Most early career professionals in our field, as in most, are often looking for the next job or form of validation that comes with gigging, getting “that” one contract, or the hustle and bustle that is fighting to be the next star.
As a go – getter instilled with God given boldness…..something hit me one day….
“Why do we have to wait…..? Let’s just do the darn thing ourselves.”
I sent a voice memo to my homegirl (Mercedes) and the rest was HISTORY!
THE (M)IRROR • ME COLLECTIVE WAS BORN!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
We are (M)irror • Me. A Black, female-led dance collective born in Ohio, rooted in the unique fusion of Southern soul and Northern grit. Birthed from the brilliant minds of Mercedes Hicks and Michaela “Mikki” McKenzie, this collective reflects the world as it is and imagines the world as it could be—through the language of movement, memory, and meaning.
Grounded in the values of authenticity, technique, grace, and love, (M)irror • Me crafts work that doesn’t just perform—it moves. Our repertoire spans live performance, dance theatre, and screendance, all designed to evoke emotion, stir thought, and hold space for healing. Every piece invites the audience to witness life’s intricacies mirrored onstage and onscreen.
Mercedes Hicks brings to the collective her foundation in rigorous academic research and classical-modern training, holding a B.F.A. in Dance from The Ohio State University. Her experiences range from performing José Limón’s Missa Brevis with the Limón Company’s artistic director to presenting choreographic work internationally. Her philosophy? To be a dancer is to be an enthusiastic researcher of life, body, and culture.
Michaela “Mikki” McKenzie, a Montgomery-born multi-hyphenate artist and community leader, fuses storytelling, technical prowess, and cultural pride to craft work that centers Black joy, grief, and brilliance. A graduate of Alabama State University and founder of several youth arts initiatives, Mikki’s award-winning screendance films and literary works amplify the voices of the unseen and celebrate the beauty in everyday resilience.
Together, Mercedes and Mikki invite you to see yourself, your stories, and your truth in what we create. At (M)irror • Me, we don’t just dance—we reflect.
The collective recently performed in Impermanent Gallery’s presentation of Wild Geese, held in Columbus, OH. The Charleston, SC-based company showcased choreographic works inspired by the poetry of American writer Mary Oliver.
Our piece, titled Solitude and Solace, was inspired by Oliver’s poignant poem Uses of Sorrow. It followed the stories of two women navigating the grief of lost love—one betrayed by infidelity, the other haunted by a lover who vanished without explanation amidst the heightened racial tensions of the 1950s post-WWII era.
This dance theatre work blended movement and spoken text to create a visceral, emotionally layered experience. It opened with a somber, reflective tone—anchored by contemporary movement, intimate storytelling, and a sense of internal unraveling. The emotional landscape was underscored by Billie Holiday’s “Solitude,” evoking sorrow and stillness.
As the piece progressed, it began to subtly break traditional form, incorporating unconventional elements and building toward a cathartic shift. The tone lifted, making space for hope and healing through the layered, vibey sounds of “Deep In It” by Berlioz and Ted Jasper.
Overall, Solitude and Solace traced a journey from grief to grace, rooted in emotional authenticity, historical context, and transformation.
This summer, the collective will travel to Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine, the global destination for dance. There, Mercedes and Mikki will have the opportunity to perform, network, and create new dance works. We are truly excited for this summer blessing!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Mercedes: Firstly, thank you for taking the time to get to know us through this interview! I believe our goal(s) will shift and take many forms over time but at its core this collective is meant to reflect (upon) the human condition, which is open to interpretation. For me personally the human condition is heavily based on universal feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Some may think about it more so in terms of experiences, situations, and circumstances. Ultimately it all references this one idea.
Mikki: I was often inspired by Disney Princesses growing up so simply- this is for the dreamers. This is for anyone who has ever felt less than, neglected, or like an underdog. I just want us to be a representation that dreams are possible to touch and glace at even when no one is fighting to give you that extra “push” into the limelight. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE ! You can be “part of that world”.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Mikki: Well first, as an early-career professional who graduated college not too long ago, I can fully admit that I’m learning everything looks immensely different for everybody. Each person’s journey is their own. I feel like, oftentimes, the bounds of academia make it seem like if a graduating senior doesn’t land their dream job right after college, they’re a failure. Social media doesn’t help that either.
I’ve had conversations with quite a few people in my age range who are battling this firsthand—artists or not. And honestly, it just adds to my purpose of wanting to inspire the underdogs. Success is, and can be, possible for all of us.
I’ve also had to unlearn the traumas associated with art. A lot of those experiences, for me, were teacher- and bully-rooted. It’s been a beautiful journey of healing, but it’s also been incredibly empowering to finally step into the belief like, “Oh… I can do this?” and “Wait—so-and-so was actually wrong about me?”
The best example of me growing from my arts-related trauma is a simple story from my childhood.
When I was in 5th grade, I was cast as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Of course, the show was a musical, and since I was Belle, I’d be singing quite a bit. I’ll never forget the moment the seed of embarrassment and fear got planted in my heart when it came to singing. My drama teacher sat me and all my classmates—elementary-aged, mind you—in a circle, looked right at me, and said, “Michaela, you can’t sing.” The entire class laughed at me, and ever since then, I was scared to open my mouth in a musical fashion.
But through God’s grace, I’ve done the work to overcome that fear. I’ve even been blessed with the opportunity to perform and sing as Princess Tiana with a local Ohio princess company, Paulette’s Princess Parties. I can sing. I can create. No child should be left with that kind of mark on their spirit.
Mercedes and I are arts educators too, and the mental health and well-being of our students is something we talk about often because of what we went through. The kids of this generation deserve love and guidance—not fear and trauma.
Mercedes: I think I’m still unlearning the idea that you have to wait for the right opportunity to come your way. That’s a big part of how this collective was founded. We had, individually, decided to step away from a company – which was especially scary as this left us in a city where otherwise there is no professional dance. In this very awkward and lonely transitional phase Mikki reached out to me with a crazy, daring idea and thus the collective was born. Creating opportunities for ourselves and chasing our dreams has been re-inspiring. It has reminded me of why I chose dance and why I always will. I think this experience also reaffirmed the choices made leading up to this and really made me see my worth as an artist.
Thank you for your time!
-(M)irror • Me | A Black, Female-Led Dance Collective
Movement that Reflects. Stories that Move. Love that Heals.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: michaelamikkimckenzie & merciman_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelamikkimckenzie
