about Providence Newson Dance Company
Why Providence Exists
Providence Newson Dance was founded by Crystal Newson during a major transition in her career. In 2022, Crystal established a Black dance ensemble in Chattanooga after recognizing a need for greater space and opportunity for dancers who often struggled to find places where they could be seen, heard, and fully expressed—both artistically and physically.
After four years of building and leading the JUBA Dance Ensemble seasonally, Crystal knew it was time to create something that could go deeper. She envisioned a committed company of dancers that could make a lasting impact through consistent training, recurring performances, and meaningful community engagement.
Providence was born from the belief that dancers deserve more than access to dance. They deserve representation, quality training, professional opportunities, and the ability to build sustainable careers doing what they are called to do.
Providence exists to create those opportunities while expanding the possibilities of what dance can look like in Chattanooga.
Expanding What’s Possible
Chattanooga’s dance community has grown tremendously. New classes, studios, companies, productions, workshops, and opportunities continue to emerge throughout the city. Yet there remains a need for greater representation of dance practices rooted in the African Diaspora and greater opportunity for the artists who carry that knowledge.
Providence seeks to help fill that gap by bringing cultural knowledge, dance history, technical training, and diverse movement practices into the local dance landscape. We believe dancers should have opportunities to experience more than what is traditionally available to them—and that our community is stronger when more movement traditions, perspectives, and artists have a place within it.
Making Room for Artists to Thrive
We believe the dancers and creatives in our community have already helped plant the seeds for Chattanooga’s growing arts landscape. Their creativity has opened doors for dance organizations, community partners, studios, and local businesses.
Providence believes those artists should also have a place to build sustainable careers.
We are committed to creating opportunities where dancers and creatives from diverse backgrounds can be valued and compensated for their artistry, knowledge, and contributions to our community. We want artists to have the opportunity to make a living doing work that is meaningful to them—while helping shape the cultural landscape around them.
Training Should Open Doors, Not Close Them
Many dancers and aspiring artists face limited access to high-quality training, mentorship, and professional connections. Providence believes talent, dedication, and hard work should be at the forefront of a dancer’s development—not financial circumstances.
Our teaching artists, choreographers, and program leaders bring years of professional training and education into the classroom, creating opportunities for dancers to develop both technical ability and artistic understanding.
Many of our own dancers have built their careers through scholarship opportunities and access to training that might otherwise have been out of reach. We believe in extending that same possibility to the next generation.
From Opportunity to Institution
Providence began as a gig-to-gig dance company—an opportunity to bring dancers together for individual performances and projects. In just one year, that vision has begun to evolve.
Today, Providence is developing into a year-round dance organization centered around training, performance, and community. We are building a home for dancers to develop their craft, create meaningful work, engage with the community, and pursue a sustainable life in dance.
What began as an opportunity to perform is becoming an opportunity to belong, develop, create, and thrive.