Author: Andie Freeman
Header image: At the Community First premiere of We Lift Each Other in Asheville, Black Box Dance Theatre founding member and U.S. Army veteran Alfredo Hurtado led performers in signing “Show Up” during the curtain call. Photos by Solaris Foto / Dave & Niki McMahan, and courtesy of Black Box Dance Theatre
On November 10, in honor of Veteran’s Day, the documentary We Lift Each Other premiered at the Diana Wortham Theatre, in Asheville, as part of the Community First screening series. Created by Arts Impact Collaborative and produced by Tony Award-winner Mara Isaacs, the film features Black Box Dance Theatre and its work with veterans.
Led by founder and Artistic Director Michelle Pearson, Black Box Dance Theatre is a Raleigh-based modern dance company developing a national model for how the arts can support resilience, connection, and community across military and civilian life. The company is known for high-quality dance performances and for their educational and therapeutic work with veterans. Working with active-duty military, veterans, and military families has been a defining part of its mission for more than a decade. Through partnerships with organizations such as the USO, Brothers and Sisters Like These, and Buncombe County Veteran Treatment Court, Black Box gives veterans opportunities to share their stories through reflection, storytelling, and movement.
The company offers workshops and weekly classes for veterans, active-duty service members, and military families—welcoming participants regardless of dance experience. Through movement, sharing, and storytelling, participants find a supportive community, experience stress relief, and gain a sense of belonging.
As stated on its website, “Through collaborative creative processes, Black Box Dance Theatre is dedicated to illuminating the strength, vulnerability, and humanity within each veteran’s story.” For some, performance becomes part of the healing process. “The PATRIOT Project is an ongoing and evolving evening-length work of multimedia dance, theater, and storytelling. More than a performance, PATRIOT is an invitation—for veterans and civilians alike—to witness, share, and feel the power of dance as a vessel for truth, empathy, and healing.”
We Lift Each Other documents the company’s work with Asheville veterans during the summer of 2023, culminating in a public performance at the Wortham Center. The film is part of the anthology I Feel Myself to be Part of Something, which explores stories from across the country about the arts’ impact on communities. Arts Impact Collaborative, the group behind the anthology, is an initiative of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts. The anthology includes five films, each highlighting how artists or artist groups are transforming their communities through creative work.
A key part of the collaborative’s mission is to make these stories accessible to audiences free of charge. Screenings will take place in libraries, community centers, and other public venues to remove barriers and broaden access. Black Box is supporting this mission by seeking community sponsors to help bring We Lift Each Other to audiences statewide. Michelle told us, “The response from early viewers has been overwhelmingly powerful—sparking conversations, reducing isolation, and opening doors to new collaborations. Statewide screenings will allow us to connect more veterans to ongoing programming, broaden public understanding, and amplify the impact of this work.”
Black Box Dance Theatre has several ongoing and future initiatives to deepen and expand its work with veterans, artists, and communities. “We offer weekly creative movement classes in Asheville and, soon, in the Raleigh area that offer a consistent space for veterans, military families, and local artists to create, connect, and reflect together,” Michelle said. “In the coming year, we plan to grow a network of workshops and creative labs in partnership with veteran centers, community organizations, and arts institutions. These programs will help veterans cultivate creative voice, physical expression, and shared storytelling while mentoring local professional artists in this powerful, community-centered approach to dance-making.”
Watch a two-minute trailer of We Lift Each Other at blackboxdancetheatre.org and learn how to get involved. Email admin@blackboxdancetheatre.org for more information.