Let's be real for a second. You clicked on this article because you live in or near Wanblee, South Dakota, and you're curious about lyrical dance. Or maybe you're planning a visit and wondering what's around.
Here's the honest truth: Wanblee is a small community. Population roughly 600. It sits on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, surrounded by the big sky and open grasslands that make South Dakota so hauntingly beautiful. What it doesn't have? A strip mall lined with dance studios offering lyrical, tap, hip-hop, and contemporary classes.
So What's a Dancer Supposed to Do?
If you're serious about lyrical dance and you're in Wanblee, you've got options. They just look different than what someone in Denver or Sioux Falls might have.
Drive to Rapid City. It's about two hours northeast, and yeah, that's a haul for a dance class. But Rapid has actual studios with sprung floors, mirrors, and instructors who've trained professionally. You could make it a Saturday routine—take two or three classes, grab lunch, head home. Some families carpool to split the driving.
Look into community programs. The Pine Ridge area has cultural programs that sometimes include dance. It won't be "lyrical" in the competition-team sense, but movement is movement. You'll build strength, coordination, and stage presence. Those skills transfer.
Online training exists. I know, I know—Zoom classes aren't the same as having an instructor adjust your alignment in real time. But platforms like CLI Studios, Steezy, and even YouTube channels run by former professional dancers offer solid lyrical technique. Pair that with a mirror in your living room, and you can make real progress.
Why Lyrical? Why Not Just Do Powwow or Hip-Hop?
Honestly? Do both. Or all three.
Lyrical dance pulls from ballet and contemporary, but its heart is storytelling. The emotional arc of a three-minute song played out through movement. If you've ever watched a really good powwow dancer, you've seen that same kind of storytelling—just with different vocabulary.
The fluidity and extension you develop in lyrical will make you a better dancer across every style you try. And the emotional interpretation skills? Those show up everywhere.
Making It Work in a Small Town
I've talked to dancers from rural communities across the Midwest, and here's what they all say: you have to be creative. You might not have a studio down the street, but you've got space, you've got internet, and you've got your own body.
Find one or two other people who want to dance. Meet in a church basement or community center. Push the chairs back. Use your phones to film each other and critique. It's messy and imperfect, but some of the best dancers I know started exactly this way.
The Bottom Line
Wanblee isn't going to have five lyrical studios with names like "Graceful Motion" and "Infinite Motion." That's not a failing—it's just geography. What matters more than a fancy studio with a marley floor is showing up consistently and training intentionally.
If lyrical dance calls to you, answer. Drive the two hours. Take the online classes. Find community wherever you can. The dance will meet you there.
