In 1999, international choreographer, instructor, and dancer, Beth Gulledge-Brown, recognized the need to supplement her students’ training and performance skills. She therefore formed a pre-professional dance company to provide a performing outlet for her advanced students. The company received its nonprofit status in 2004, and the skills and exposure of Gulledge-Brown’s students continued to grow with her vision. In 2008, feeling the time was right for growth, and with leadership and full support from the Board of Directors, Gulledge-Brown launched the professional Uptown Dance Company, a group made-up of talented dancers from allover US and around the world. Her students continue to perform in the pre-professional company, Uptown Dance Company II. The ever-increasing caliber of her dancers attracted critically acclaimed guest choreographers, including Chet Walker, Dominic Walsh, and Paola Georgudis, Tina Kay Bohnstedt, among others. Uptown Dance Company has since been invited to perform in various dance festivals such as Dance Houston and Dance Month. It has also been in collaborative projects with other Houston-based dance companies, and can be seen regularly in its own annual Dance Infusion and Spring Fusion productions.
