MEET THE FOUNDERS

How long has Maddei been dancing? According to her mother: since the womb.

Born into a lineage of Soulaan funk shaped by her family’s Appalachian and Creole roots, she inherited a tradition of connecting people through movement and joy. Her story begins in New Orleans, where her parents met on a dance floor while stationed in the Navy. Their shared love of groove led to her birth, and in her early years she experienced the parades and parties that bring the city to life, along with the proud and electric presence her father carried as a low-key street dancer.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina changed everything. With only a week’s worth of clothes, Maddei was displaced and separated from family, followed soon after by the loss of her father. She relocated to Knoxville, where she was raised in East Knox by her Nana, Willistine West, a former lindy hopper, or “jitterbug” as she called it, and tap dancer who once performed at the Bijou Theatre. Alongside her mother and aunt, Nana passed down the rhythmic lessons and cultural legacy of the “Ben Hur Girls,” shaping the foundation of Maddei’s movement and spirit.

Maddei has studied and taught at Dancer’s Studio, go-go danced at the International and the Concourse, instructed at RYDE and ADU, and performed with collectives such as Southern Sole, OnTheOne, and UTK’s Volatomix crew. These experiences led her to co-found Knox Community Street Dance post-COVID, where she continues to build with Wes to sustain street dance in Knoxville and build upon a movement language rooted in social aid, joy, and community care.

Wes is a lifelong dancer who considers herself an East Tennessean by way of Oakland, CA. To Wes, dance is a source of deep healing and great hope. She sees dance as the ultimate vessel for expressing her creativity, grounding her thoughts and feelings in her body and motions. Her favorite experience is dancing in community and sharing in the unique exchanges of energy that happen on the dance floor.

Wes defines her practice as seeking to embody the sensations the music inspires, often emphasizing shape and connection over perfect mimicry in her teaching. Having danced all around the US, she takes care to celebrate the cultural foundations and geographic histories that led to the development of different styles and techniques and encourages curiosity from her students.

Her goals in class are always to encourage thoughtful play through rhythmic movement, learning new skills, and finding your own finesse.