“Nobody could classify me,” Milwaukee dance artist Cedric Gardner offers as the reason he was chosen as a finalist on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” “They didn’t know if it was ballet, if it was jazz; it was just me being raw on TV to the point of sometimes tears, sometimes joy, because that’s what I had used my art form for during my entire life.” He didn’t win, but the great Debbie Allen of “Fame” immediately took him under her wing and had him teaching in her schools and choreographing for television. But he chose to return to Milwaukee and now, at 35, he’s made a major dance theatre work with his nationally awarded student dance company from the Davis Boys & Girls Club, a kind of manifesto titled Unboxed.
How did you learn to dance?
The part that was personal to me was the freestyling late at night, using light from the bathroom to see my shadow; no mirrors, just me having space to create, to move, voluntarily and involuntarily. It was my way to get through traumatic experiences, to express joy, to emote, to dive into my imagination, to create different characters, to have a place to escape to. In middle school and high school, I was introduced to actual techniques of dance. That’s how my style that people know today started to form. I would take different things from ballet, from African, from modern—especially the thought process of modern, it’s wonderful, it has no limitations. I would put them together and look at my shadow, and whatever felt good, I’d stick with. Then I started my formal training at Peck School of the Arts. I was a maverick. I learned what I thought was beneficial to me, taking only the bits and pieces that I liked. From there, I auditioned for “So You Think You Can Dance.” That was the first time I was held accountable to meet the standards of “societal dance.” The consistency of me guiding myself was challenged by the societal expectations of dance. It kind of shook me.
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How so?
Every artist goes through tribulations. If not, then you’re not humble, and you’re not serving the greater cause of the community. When you die, your body that you’re the steward of becomes nothing. The only way you can be impactful is through how you live your life. So I started asking, did I do it right? Should I have stayed at UW-Milwaukee? With societal dance, it’s encouraging when you get an A+, meaning you got the step 100% right. It’s discouraging when you’re an innovator, because then you’re against the grain until somebody realizes you’re important.
So you came back to Milwaukee.
And I see the same expressions of doubt in children’s faces. So, how do you serve the community with something that’s only been for you? You take your knowledge and use it to encourage other people. My friend Johnny Harkey and I started hosting $9 master classes on Saturdays for adults and kids, free if they couldn’t afford it. And we started to see the greater need: Milwaukee was lacking the financial fortitude to support the arts. We needed money. But then, the Boys & Girls Club had an opening as a youth mentor. A match made in heaven. This is my fourth year. Some kids I’ve been with for seven. I took them to L.A. to Monsters of Hip Hop. We took second place nationally, and last year we took first. They choreographed a dance and went up against me. They beat the brakes off me. Hopefully, whatever they do, they’ll inspire people to live a good life. That’s the biggest thing. That’s what’s needed.
And Unboxed?
Our main character is Isaac, a student that most people would coin as ADHD, a “problem child” with an abundant imagination, looking to live in that space that’s not tangible. He’s bullied not only by classmates but by educators who don’t know they’re bullying him, because they’re just following policy. Another character is Yumi, a representation of creativity—Isaac’s imaginary friend, which is a balloon. Yumi is destroyed by our teacher, Mr. Nero. The whole point is that as we become adults, we become boxed in. Our imaginations become constructs to be used by organizations. I’ve learned that societal dance can only exist in one aspect; movement can exist in all aspects. That’s how all of this ties together in my story of Isaac becoming unboxed.
The performance is 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, at South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Ave. For tickets, call 414-766-5049 or visit southmilwaukeepac.org.
