Lindsay Gary is an interdisciplinary and professional dancer with over twenty years of dance experience, five years of dance teaching experience, and three years of choreography experience. Inspired by Katherine Dunham's theory of memory of difference, Lindsay uses dance performance, dance-making, and dance education to explore the interconnectedness of dance throughout the African Diaspora. In 2015 she graduated with both her Master of Arts in History and Executive Master of Public Administration in Public Policy with an emphasis in education. In 2012 she graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in History and minors in Dance and Business Administration. Outside of the Ballet and Modern dance program at UH, she trained in Horton with Houston’s Urban Souls’ Second Company in the 2012-2013 Season. She continued her training in the Diaspora movement of the Caribbean, Brazil, and beyond with Batala Houston and Fanatic Vibez Afro-Caribbean and Afrobeats Dance Company. She continued her training in traditional South African (Zulu and Xhosa), traditional West African (Guinea), and Afro-Caribbean folk dancing with Impande Ye Africa during the 2015-2016 season. While with Impande Ye Africa, she was introduced to Young Audiences of Houston through the school performances she participated in. In 2016 she toured with Cirque Zuma Zuma, Africa’s Cirque du Soleil, performing West African, South African, and contemporary African dance around the United States. She performed and choreographed while on tour and taught students from kindergarten up to college.

In addition to her work on the stage, Lindsay is a passionate dance educator, wherein she highlights the African Diaspora through the cultural, artistic, and historical study of dance. She is a certified Texas Teacher in Core 4-8 wherein she taught history and dance. In 2016, she became assistant dance director at KIPP Sunnyside High School where she taught Dance 1-3 to students, choreographed and directed the dance company, and organized its first-ever Black History Month Diaspora Dance Intensive. Lindsay is a performing member of Pretty Cultured—a group of three professional dancers using art to speak on social and cultural topics. Her work with Pretty Cultured includes co-facilitating an Afro-Fusion class at Sam Houston State University and the Lunch, Legacy, & Learn Discussion at the African American Dance Festival (a children’s workshop on African American Dance History), in addition to performing at the Houston Fringe Festival 2016, Alternate Roots Weekend Dallas 2016, and Dance Houston’s 14th Annual Celebration of Dance at Houston’s Wortham Theatre Downtown. She is the co-creator of Movement Passport, a bi-annual celebration of African Diaspora dance. This workshop features master teachers from the African Diaspora that teach Caribbean, Brazilian, Cuban, and African dance to children and adults; children’s lessons on Diaspora dance and Black Dance History; and a culminating performance.In addition to her ongoing training in Diaspora and African dance, and her famous Afrobeats classes at local dance studios, Lindsay performs alongside international Soca artist T-Rock, and devotes herself to her very own dance company, Dance Afrikana, which seeks to connect the worlds of traditional and contemporary African and Diaspora dance. Founded in December 2016, Dance Afrikana was selected to be a part of the RAW Artists global community and has performed dances of the Diaspora throughout the city of Houston, New York City, New Orleans, and Dallas. In addition to this, Dance Afrikana has presented several educational dance school shows throughout the city of Houston for both KIPP Houston Public Schools and Houston Independent School District. The shows have taught students about global black history and culture through dance. Lindsay is a 2017-2018 Dance Source Houston Artist in Residence and is a part of FreshArts’ Artist INC Program for artist entrepreneurs. Joining Young Audiences of Houston provides her with a platform to continue her work by impacting youth on a larger scale and expose them to new ways of using art to teach history and culture as well as introducing them to various styles of African Diaspora dance, both traditional and contemporary. Lindsay truly values the mission and work of Young Audiences and is honored to be a part of something so impactful.