Adrienne D. Jackson was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Her dance life began as a child learning jazz, ballet, tap, and West African dance as a member of Alayanfé (Swahili for “The Chosen Ones”), a youth dance company under the direction of the late Dr. Chuck Davis (Baba Chuck), Artistic Director of the African American Dance Ensemble. She was formally introduced to modern and contemporary dance by Lara Hamblen at Jordan High School, and her study expanded with Becca Lemme at Lou Conte Dance School in Chicago, Nick Owens of Kenyettá Dance Company in Indianapolis, and Nicki Springer of Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre in Chicago.

Adrienne served as Assistant Artistic Director of Iibada Dance Company under the direction of Sabra Logan before performing for 5 seasons with Kenyettá Dance Company in Indianapolis. She has directed local dance ministries including Hosanna! Dance and at Mount Pleasant MBC where she currently serves as Ministry Leader in Movement Arts in Worship. She was guest choreographer and teacher for The Moving Company at IUPUI for 15 years. Adrienne currently teaches contemporary classes at Ballet Theatre of Carmel Academy, and she’s a math teacher and dance team coach at West Lane Middle School. She is among a cohort of five working artists selected by the reputable Artists At Work (AAW) program, leveraging her art and creativity for social impact in her local community.

Adrienne founded Create Freedom Arts Projects (CFAP) in 2012, a contemporary dance company and community of artists. The mission is to inspire creativity, incite conversation, and inform the community. CFAP provides opportunities and a safe space for novice and seasoned dance artists to develop their creative process and share it with the Indianapolis community. Through movement and conversation, CFAP cultivates community among dance artists and diverse audiences, allowing investigation and discussion of difficult social issues including domestic violence, racism, and mental health.