By Megan Fitzgerald Dunn
At almost 64 years old, Clarence Brooks, dancer, choreographer, and educator, finds himself along with 90s inspired fashion, Ozempic, and the Kansas City Chiefs, having a moment.
After resigning from his position as associate professor and director of dance at Florida Atlantic University in 2023 due to environmental allergies, one might expect Brooks to move at a slower pace. Instead, he has only gained momentum. Currently amid a performance streak where Brooks will have performed somewhere in the world every month from July 2023 to May 2025, Brooks is embracing the opportunity to regularly dance professionally.
“This is all word of mouth without me having a website, just having my Instagram,” said Brooks. “And somehow, I’m getting work. I was in Mexico in March performing. That was out of the blue. The invitation came in the middle of the summer inviting me to do two, 10-minute pieces at a festival in Mexico City. So, it’s just been mind blowing.”
In addition to his performances in Mexico, he also performed “The Mourner’s Bench” as part of the Palm Beach Remembrance Project in May. This solo was inspired by Howard Fast’s novel “Freedom Road” and refers to the Ku Klux Klan’s tragic impact on a mixed-race community in the rural South after the Civil War.
He was also cast as a freelance dancer with Dance Tactics Performance Group, as part of a trio with two of the permanent male dancers. Brooks and the artistic director were roommates when they were both dancers in New York City.
“And, now he’s hiring me as a guest dancer in his company with two of his dancers. One of the dancers, Aiden, is half my age. And he is 6 foot 3, you know, like he is a giant man, a beautiful dancer, and then the other dancer, Shawn, is the same age as my hair,” said Brooks.
To keep up with the physical demands of professional dancing, Brooks takes ballet and yoga three to four times a week and converted his living room into a dance studio.
“I’m part of the boomer generation, and this group is renowned for the longevity of life and our longevity of being physically active,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, you know. Yes, I get sore and those kinds of things you would expect when you’re doing a physical activity. I understand that people get physical injuries and I’ve had my share, but I’m feeling like I can still do this for a bit.”
Brooks credits his mentors with his drive to continue to pursue professional success.
“My mentors have danced into their later years. Bill Evans is just now retiring at 83. Every year for his birthday he did a one-man dance concert and then he would guest dance in other places as well—just brilliant choreography,” said Brooks.
With an MFA in dance and bachelor’s degree in performing arts, he also holds certifications in Laban Movement Analysis, yoga, and in the Bill Evans Method of Teaching Dance Technique. His next goal is to earn a certification in Dance for Parkinson in New York, which will bring him back to teaching.
“I’m not seeing a lot of males in the space,” he said. “So, I want to get this certification. This would keep me in teaching. Keep me connected. It would solve that hard part of me that needs to be doing something that’s socially relevant, that’s connected to health and healing that I need as my own identity.”
Brooks doesn’t know how long his moment will last, but for now, he’s enjoying every minute of it.
