Adam W. McKinney is an associate professor of Dance Classical & Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University. This year, he served as my career preparation I and Modern Dance I professor. In my interview, I asked him about his background and how he incorporates dance into his personal work Adam responded that the significance of lineage and heritage; these concepts are central to his work as an artist. He also stated that he did not take his first dance class until he was a junior in high school, when he began at adult dance classes and discovered he was very good at. His educational background includes a BFA in dance performance with distinction from Butler University and an MA in dance studies with a focus on race and trauma theories from New York University's Gallatin School for Individualized Studies. In his concluding remarks for this interview, Adam said that he can tell who is a dancer by their first move because of the artistry and that no matter your dance background or training, you're still dancing.