When Traequan Middleton was growing up in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, it wasn’t unusual for him to gather his friends and create elaborate dances on them. “I was always the guy who led the band,” Middleton recalls. Today, his leadership skills have not diminished. In fact, he created and directed one of the most popular youth dance groups in the city. Secret Society Dance Company.
Like Middleton as a child, the Secret Society dancers live in Astoria public housing, so when he looks at his students, he doesn’t just see their faces—he sees himself. This sense of connection has made his work as a teacher and mentor deeply personal. “What young people can actually get now, I didn’t really have that when I was brought up,” he says. “So now that I’m in a position to show the youth how to be the next generation of change, why not do it?”
In addition to supporting their biggest dreams, Middleton also ensures that if his students want to have a career in dance, they can. And when it comes to training, Middleton runs a tight ship. “This is their second [home],” he says with a laugh, noting the reams of time the dancers spend in the studio. For at least four days each week, the dancers, aged 11 to 21, rehearse and attend classes every week in a variety of forms including hip-hop, contemporary and tap dance – and they seem to be loving every minute of it. “My favorite part of dancing with the Secret Society is growing,” says Ramia Anderson, 11. As a dancer who doesn’t have much experience in performing, Anderson says she appreciates that Middleton and her colleagues want to help her become a stronger dancer. And as it stands, that hard work is paying off.
The 25-member group, which Middleton founded in 2014 and is part of HANAC Astoria Cornerstone Youth Programming, has won numerous dance competitions in the tri-state area, coming out on top in two categories at the 2022 Battle for the Belt event in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. Part of what makes these victories so sweet, according to one of its newest members, is the group’s caring spirit. “I’ve been in a lot of dance companies,” says 17-year-old Amiya McArthur, who joined the company in September. “Some dance companies are very competitive within the dance group, but the Secret Society is very welcoming.” From her first day in the troupe, she noticed that she could express herself freely without feeling judged. She credits this inclusive environment to Middleton, who, she says, emphasizes that “we’re really all in this together to build each other up and give back to the community.”
This community focus has made the Secret Society a major artistic force in New York City, allowing dancers to use their popularity to help raise awareness of issues affecting their families and peers. Middleton, along with the dancers, puts on bi-monthly shows for the community, each with a different theme. Their latest performance focused on community violence. “We have members on the team who have lost loved ones and parents to senseless acts of violence,” says Middleton. “So I’m just trying to give kids an opportunity to learn what someone might be going through.” The group has also tackled issues like voting rights and LGBTQ+ equality, partnering with other dance teams across the city to expand your message. Sometimes these messages transcend city limits, reaching people around the world through social media. in: one of his popular YouTube videosthe band danced to a medley of songs to advocate for black lives. Sporting Black Panther Party-style berets and variations of white and black tops and bottoms, the dancers move with intensity and emotional range, incorporating sharp, dense movements and smaller but charged gestures.
Performances like this helped the dancers appreciate how liberating dance and community can be. “It’s always a plus when your peers [support] you’re expressing yourself because some people need a little push,” says Anderson. “I think it’s really nice that we’re not only expressing ourselves, but we’re expressing the topics that are happening in the community.”
In addition to developing rewarding movement practices and deep community connections, dancers say they learn life lessons from the Secret Society that they can apply to their everyday lives. “I learned how to be more patient,” MacArthur says. “I learned that things take time and everything has a process.”
But they also witnessed what a combination of hard work, grit and vision could produce, a recipe that helped get Middleton to where he is today. Through it, the students say, they see that their goals are achievable. “I see many of us having professional dance careers because of the training we receive,” says McArthur. “The secret society gives you a sense of discipline for the real world.” Artistically, she says, Middleton and company push her to think outside the box, push beyond the limits she puts on herself and “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.”
For Anderson, her time in the Secret Society taught her the importance of a strong work ethic. “When you dance, you have to work hard to get what you want,” she says. “You have to take a few steps in life to get to where you want to be.”
Middleton guides the dancers through the ups and downs that define these lessons, yet the ending for him is clear. community building. “It only takes one person who believes in them to keep pushing for those who come after them,” he says. “It’s really about creating a second family, a home, a unity.