Tunde Olaniran dancer Aurora Lewis revels in ‘surreal,’ captivating and fun stage spectacle

The Grand Rapids dancer and former Big Dudee Roo member has relocated to Flint, but returns home for Friday’s Tunde Olaniran show at The Pyramid Scheme.

 

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE HOW YOU CAN WIN TICKETS TO FRIDAY’S SHOW

When Aurora Lewis was told her chances of becoming a professional dancer were slim, she wasn’t at all deterred.

“If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being told I can’t do something,” Lewis said.

Many instructors advised that it was too late for the dancer from Grand Rapids, who had only danced recreationally, to take the professional route. But Lewis, then 16, swiftly defied those doubts, dedicating 15 to 18 hours a week in the dance studio to catch up to other dancers.

The same determination later inspired Lewis to ditch Oakland University’s dance program after just one year to search for a full-time gig, eventually securing a job with the Vertical Ambition Dance Company in Flint, where she also teaches.

“It’s amazing to be making a living through dance, especially when so many dance professionals told me this would never be possible,” Lewis said. “I teach three times a week, and the rest of my schedule consists of rehearsing during the week and performing on weekends.”

Another job opportunity awaited Lewis in Flint, too:  Tunde Olaniran, an experimental R&B/pop/hip-hop artist, was searching for backup dancers on Craigslist to accompany his performances. Lewis got the job, and has performed with Olaniran since, watching the Flint musician excite ever-growing crowds with his eclectic, high-energy live presence.

UNIQUE STAGE SHOW, CHOREOGRAPHY, SOUND AND WARDROBE

“It’s difficult to even begin to explain how amazing it is to perform as one of his dancers,” Lewis said. “Everything about his stage show is unique: the choreography, the sound, the wardrobe. He has a way of completely captivating an audience, and to be a part of that is a dream come true.”

Lewis will be performing with Olaniran at 8 p.m. Friday at The Pyramid Scheme, with Convotronics and Britney Stone also on the bill for the show presented by Hot Capicola Records. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 day of show; get tickets and details online at pyramidschemebar.com.

The first person to email john@localspins.com with “Tunde Olaniran” in the message field will win a pair of tickets to Friday night’s show.

No stranger to Grand Rapids stages, Aurora is the sister of Grand Rapids musician and songwriter Max Lockwood, and a founding member and singer with the band Big Dudee Roo. She occasionally still sits in and performs with her brother.

Lewis’ first performance with Olaniran came about four years ago at Founders Brewing to a crowd of a few hundred people. Now, she finds herself in front of sold-out audiences and, in this summer, at Mo-Pop Festival in Detroit, which drew thousands.

“It’s surreal, really,” she added. “On top of that, it’s just fun, which is super important to me. Tunde is a genuinely great person and super funny, so dancing for him doesn’t feel like work at all. It’s something I’ll never take for granted, and I’m always so humbled and honored to be a part of his show because he’s so talented and successful.”

Originally from Grand Rapids, Aurora moved to Flint in August to juggle her time dancing with Olaniran, the VADC, and teaching dance classes, but keeps her eyes open for future opportunities.

“I see myself traveling a bit, first to Chicago, New York, maybe somewhere south as well for a while, getting different dance gigs and such. After that, I’d love to settle down, maybe in Grand Rapids again. My entire family is there, there’s a growing dance community, and the arts in general in Grand Rapids are thriving. People seem to adore the arts in GR.”

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC