About YAU & Our Team

Davis, who established YAU’s dance program in 2014, lives, thinks and breathes community dance. A Lecturer II in dance at UM-Flint since 2012 who earned an MA in Liberal Studies from the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, and is currently working toward her PhD in Dance at Texas Woman’s University, Davis has over 10 years’ experience in community dance practice. At UM-Flint, in addition to teaching all dance styles and choreographing works for student productions, she created a new course in Community Dance. In the Flint community, she has created dance programs for children with autism and developmental disorders, has worked with senior citizens, and teaches and performs with El Ballet Folkórico. As a performer, she appears with DDC Dances in Detroit and hip-hop performer Tunde Olaniran. In 2018, Davis received a fellowship from the Jubilation Foundation for her work with YAU.

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Teaching Statement: I am passionate about dance’s transformational power in non-traditional environments and the meaning it provides in people’s lives. I believe dance is an important tool for personal growth, expression, and physical and mental health. One of the most important positive impacts I have witnessed in our classes during the pandemic is the emotional outlet we provide for the girls. Together, we all create an environment where we feel emotionally supported, a lift in our moods and a little bit of joy for an hour.

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Kelly, YAU’s newest teaching artist, has a long association with the program. As the former director of Buckham Gallery, she administered the project when it was affiliated with Buckham. After leaving Buckham, Kelly, who holds a BA in Visual Art and a MA in Arts Administration, went on to earn a second master’s degree and certification as a secondary school art teacher. Currently employed by the Beecher School District, Kelly brings her passion for teaching and her skills as an artist to the youth in YAU’s Arts in Detention and Arts on Probation programs.

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Teaching Statement: Not teaching art in person is a challenge. However, the students have been able to try things (creatively) that they might not have ever tried to do before – and their work is amazing!

Gerics, who co-founded YAU’s boys’ theatre program in 2014, makes Shakespeare come alive for inner city kids in Flint. Having earned an MA in Theatre from Eastern Michigan University and a BA in Music with a minor in Theatre from UM-Flint, Gerics was the founder of Flint City Theatre, teaches drama at Mott Community College, performs and co-directs productions for the Goblin King Players, and is a working musician. With a passion for Shakespeare, Gerics created “Shakesprov” – a series of workshops in which the youth improvise scenes drawing on themes and story lines from Shakespeare.

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Teaching Statement: Drama requires performers to set aside their shyness and often be silly. This can be difficult to do in an environment where machismo and toughness may be the rules of the community. But over time, we have broken through that and the boys are learning to express themselves in ways they hadn’t considered before. During the pandemic, Zoom was a saving grace and a curse. It was a way to meet during the pandemic and keep things moving. The success of the Zoom classes was due to the boys’ gratitude for our taking the time and spending the effort to be with them in such a challenging time.

McAndrew was bit by the theatre bug at the age of nine, when she played Helen Keller in Flint Youth Theatre’s production of The Miracle Worker. Equally passionate about criminal justice reform, she received a BA in Criminal Justice in 2016. At the same time she continuously trained as an actor, appearing in Shakespeare, Contemporary, Musical, and improvisational theatre. McAndrew combined her passions by joining YAU as an intern in 2013 and as a teaching artist in 2014. She has received 2 MCACA New Leaders grants and currently is employed by The Whiting and The Capitol Theatre as the Director of Operations and Community Outreach.

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Teaching Statement: Pivoting to Zoom from in-person classes was very exciting. The kids almost always had big smiles and laughs throughout class. I think there was immense relief every time we were there. Now, I am so thrilled to be back in the classroom. We’ve built a really lovely bond with the kids we are currently working with. We’ve had nearly all of them through the last 8 months, or more, and we went through this together and that is something to be cherished.