Noel Staples-Freeman
Noel Staples-Freeman, born and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts, now resides in Pittsfield, MA. A graduate of Emerson College with a B.S. in Children’s Theatre/Performing Arts and Dance, she has dedicated over five decades to teaching and performing arts, both locally and internationally. Her early dance education began at age 11 at The Billie Pope School of Dance in Roxbury, followed by studies at The Boston Conservatory of Music, The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, The Art of Black Dance and Music, and the Koumpo West African Dance Company.
Noel’s illustrious career includes notable performances such as Nelson Mandela’s visit to Boston in 1990, participation in Dance Africa at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and appearances at Jacob’s Pillow. She received the Commonwealth Award of Massachusetts in 1995 with the Art of Black Dance and Music, directed by DeAma Battle, and performed in Senegal for the President at the Sorano Theatre with the Koumpo West African Dance Company, directed by Ibrahima Camara. Her contributions to Aashka Dance School in Hyde Park, MA, earned her another Commonwealth Award in 2016 and a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Boston in 2023.
As the Founder and Director of Uprising Dance Theatre since 1983, Noel leads an intergenerational group celebrating the African Diaspora’s traditional and contemporary dance, music, and theater. Uprising Dance Theatre offers community classes, lecture demonstrations, and Kwanzaa celebrations throughout New England. Recently, Noel has expanded her community involvement, joining the Common Good Co-operative Urban Farm and participating as a panelist at Harvard Medical School in 2022. In 2023, she graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine’s COHERE program, integrating dance with holistic healthcare practices. She has recently offered African Rooted Dance classes in Berkshire County at Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Berkshire Pulse, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.