Dance and the military might seem worlds apart—but their histories are surprisingly intertwined. Some of the world’s oldest ballet schools were tied to state military academies, and Napoleon himself organized the Paris Opera Ballet’s uniforms and promotion system that is still in place today. The physical rigor, the hierarchy, the discipline—the dancer and the soldier have much in common in their daily experience. But the paths diverge—the physical and psychic injuries of war lead us away from our true nature and dance offers us a way back, a way in, a way home.

Black Box Dance Theater a North Carolina-based modern dance company works extensively with veterans and active duty service members, in educational spaces, therapeutic spaces, performance spaces—often they are one and the same.

In this episode, we interview Michelle Pearson, Artistic Director and founder of Black Box Dance Theater, and Alfredo Hurtado, dancer, founding company member, and Purple Heart–decorated Combat Wounded Warrior who served three tours with the 118th Military Police Company, 82nd Airborne Division.

A documentary on Black Box Theater’s work: “We Lift Each Other” is premiering on November 10th in Asheville NC.

Find details for the free Nov 10 screening HERE and the documentary trailer HERE. Below are excerpts (lightly edited) from the interview:

Alfredo: Before dance, I was like 260 pounds, barely moving. I was on all these medications, and dance wasn’t the love story it is now. I had to grow into it and really dig because, with injuries and everything, sometimes I wouldn’t even show up to rehearsal.

I remember someone—Mindy—called me once and said, “Hey, I get that you’re in pain, I get what you’re going through. But just come by. You don’t have to do anything. Just sit there, relax, and be a part of this.” And I was like, oh, she made it sound so easy. I showed up. I just kept showing up. Then this woman right here would push me in a way that made me realize I could do things. I just needed time and effort, like anything else.

Being in the presence of the most amazing dancers on the planet gives me the best seats in the house—but in order to have those seats, I have to move with them. I have to flow with them. One of my greatest joys is being in this little world on stage with these people who move in ways that leave me in awe—and they trust me, and I really trust them too.

Alfredo Hurtado Courtesy of Black Box Dance Theater & Arts Impact Collaborative

Michelle: Now Alfredo’s on zero medications. That’s not right for everybody—I’m just saying. He’s overcome short-term memory loss, depression, balance issues—there’s all kinds of things that come with TBI (traumatic brain injury). And now he’s in the core company, which comes with knowing at least three hours of intricate choreography. At any moment, I might say, “Face that direction instead,” and you have to execute it in a canon. You could actually get kicked in the face if you’re one second off—which has happened.

Alfredo: I’ve learned that’s not gonna happen again.

Michelle: The heart, stamina, and rigor of it—it’s pretty awesome. I wish you could come to rehearsal one day and see.

Michelle Pearson and dancers courtesy of Black Box Theater and Arts Impact Collaborative

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Alfredo: You’re definitely welcome anytime to watch the process.

Michelle: Especially with the military—we love to show dancers that pairing. They really appreciate that discipline, that body discipline.

Alfredo: We share the stubbornness of being a dancer—sometimes ignoring our bodies when we shouldn’t. Like, “Oh, my knee’s a little funny today,” but I’m still gonna do it. But now I know my body so much better than in the past. I don’t always need to have my feet perfectly high. I can adjust. I don’t need to, but I do. And who does it?

Michelle: I try to watch and adjust your movements, your arms, your legs…

Alfredo: Trust me, I’m at home kicking my leg over the counter so I can get it as high as I need to.

When we’re with our military newcomers, one of my favorite lines is, “You all know anything can happen as soon as you sign that dotted line. You could get sent to war. So you’re afraid to do a little plié? Come on.” It puts them in perspective—they’re okay.

Michelle: And when he talks about dance, bootcamp’s got nothing on modern dance.

Still from “We Lift Each Other” Photo: Lou Pepe

Alfredo: Still. I’ve jumped out of planes, played Division I soccer my whole life. It’s intense, physically demanding—but there’s something about dance that lets you dig deep inside yourself. It’s a collective, whole-company thing. Soccer taught me plays, kicking the ball in the army—jumping out, doing things—but learning choreography, trying not to hurt anyone while lifting or spinning, it’s another level. You practice a lift 10, 15 times to get the mechanics right—then you execute it perfectly with your partner. Dance has so many layers beyond scoring goals.

Michelle: Our work with active-duty military really launched us into this. Then our curiosity led us toward veteran groups, which opened a whole different reality, a whole different lived experience. Over the past three to four years, particularly with the Patriot Project, we’ve worked with veterans of all ages—men, women, from different wars, with varying levels of emotional and physical trauma. We’ve learned so much about what it means to create dance in that community.

We still have our little arc, but it looks very different now. It’s about staying open, paying attention to how people are in the room, knowing the right push.

FULL INTERVIEW PODCAST ABOVE.

Find out more about Black Box Theater’s work and how YOU can get involved here.

American Ballet Theater has really interesting season coming up in March, from Othello and Firebird to Mozartiana and Raymonda’s Grand Pas Hongrois. More on this later but tickets start at $35 are available HERE.

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