Young Harlem dancer heads to Paris with community support

Culture, excellence, and dreams continue to prevail as special popups occur in Harlem.

- By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews

Sadie Billy, nine-year-old dancer and model with parents, Sade Williams and Akheem Billy, as they prepare for Sadie's Paris Send-Off & Fundraiser Pop-Up.

Another one will happen this weekend at Harlem Haberdashery in support of Sadie Billy's Paris Send-Off & Fundraiser. This upcoming popup highlights nine-year-old youth dancer Sadie Billy and her parents, Sade Williams and Akheem Billy, as they prepare for Sadie's trip to Paris.Community staple Harlem Haberdashery is holding the special retail fundraising popup in support of Sadie and her family's trip to Paris through the Crea8ivity Dance exchange program. At the sendoff, to be held on Saturday, April 25, the community will have the chance to engage in a meet and greet with Sadie, buy exclusive retail items made by her and other young artists, and, of course, support her journey to Paris as a young, professional dancer.

Cre8ivity in Motion, the dance studio where Sadie trains, offers acting classes as well as ballet, hip hop, and tap. The studio plans on launching their first international dance exchange called “Cre8ivity in Paris” in the spring of 2027.

Alan Robert, a dancer, choreographer, and faculty member at the Tenafly, NJ dance studio described “Cre8ivity in Paris” as a one-week “immersive program where our dancers will travel to Paris to train, create, and perform alongside French dancers.” Robert continued: “This experience is about more than travel, it’s about learning what it truly means to be an artist in a global community.” Cre8ivity in Motion’s Paris program intends to host professional workshops in hip hop, breaking, street jazz, tap, and contemporary dancing with both American and French educators.