An Inspired Chat with Ali Woerner of Metro Detroit

Ali Woerner shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Ali, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
This August, my mother turned 80. It would be an understatement to say she is a force. She has been married to my father for over 55 years, she is a mother of two, a grandmother of four, a loving sister and a loyal friend to countless and inclusive to all. My mother taught in the public schools for over twenty-five years, she has volunteered for numerous organizations including one she is most proud of: Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan. She takes care of herself, mentally and physically. She does not look nor act 80, whatever that stigma may be. She looks and acts joyful. She approaches all things with the sense of how she can be helpful. She continues to teach all of us. We planned a surprise party for her 80th; family flew in and some of her closest friends celebrated. Scanning the room, hearing the laughter as friends shared stories, I felt incredibly proud. Proud to celebrate her life, which she continues to live fully and with constant gratitude. Proud for my children to build their bond and beautiful memories with her. Proud to be her daughter, to continue to have the opportunity to learn about love, life with all the big and small details along the way and to be a product of all that she brings to this world.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the Founder and Artistic Director of the non-profit professional dance company, Take Root. I am also Associate Professor of Dance at Oakland University. Take Root is incredibly unique due to our three threads of work we offer to the community; professional performances, Arts Education Impact and Dance for Parkinson’s Programming. The company travels Nationally and Internationally where we perform, teach and collaborate. No matter if we are home in Michigan or on the road, we make it a priority to educate through our Dance for Parkinson’s and Arts Education Impact work.
Our mission is to Impact Lives Through Dance every day and in every way. We offer classes for those living with Parkinson’s Disease and their spouse/care partners in four different locations throughout Metro Detroit. We recently joined forces with our home-grown Tigers Baseball Hero, Kirk Gibson at the new Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness where we will be teaching daily classes. The classes offer a place of joy and community filled with music and movement. The participants gain confidence, socialization and also strength through specialized movement phrases specifically for balance, gate, retention and brain body connections. Take Root’s Arts Education Impact program works with children ages K-5 in underserved areas, offering non-codified movement games and creations, encouraging the children to discover their own voices and the power of their own bodies in movement. Take Root partners with a fantastic organization, Center for Success at their locations in Pontiac and Detroit. We also work with the Detroit Public Schools as a whole, working with their teachers on how to make “Dance for Everyone.” It has been inspiring to watch the children gain confidence, but also to see the ripple impact on them and their families and community. Take Root survives off of grants and private donors. Our annual Growing Roots Golf Outing and Fundraiser approaches October 1, 2025. The event raises money to support both outreach programs, allowing Take Root to continue to plant roots within the community.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
That’s a strange question. Maybe because I have never thought the world told me I had to be anything. I tell myself, my kids, my dancers, my students all the same mantra: It’s all about choices. When it comes down to it, it is my choice. It sounds simple. Sometimes it is, sometimes not. As a child, I chose to continue to support my imagination through reading thought provoking stories, traveling to art museums, writing and of course dancing/moving. I was fortunate to have parents who supported those choices. I never allowed myself to view them as stupid or worthless. They were worthy to me, my choice. Although I am older now, I still find balance through choices. What do I want to get out of the choice? How do I serve the choice and it serve me? And, at the end of it all, I have to own that choice with honesty and integrity.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t almost given up at some point in their life. That is what struggle looks like. I believe it makes us stronger, emotionally and physically. In 2020, Take Root was just starting to really grow, we had just hired two new dancers and were approaching a new season. I viscerally remember one minute feeling so charged to get started and the next completely underwater. Covid hit, shutting everyone down. We had no funding, no way to dance and move together, I was in charge of a company of people without anywhere to perform, connect or provide service. It was an intense time. I learned a lot during that period.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
If you were to ask my closest friends, my family or company members I am pretty sure they would all say the same thing. Community is extremely important to me. Inclusive supportiveness and driving others to be the best version of themselves.
I want to make sure people feel their self-worth, believe they are worthy people. Justice. Integrity. Empathy and Authenticity. Those are my staples. Authenticity in all forms. In friendship, in conversation, in discussions with my spouse, in dialogue with my children. I seek authenticity because, frankly, I’m too busy for the alternative.
I surround myself with people who I love fiercely who I feel “seen” with and vice versa.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
It’s all in the details. We go through this life, hopefully leaving it better than we found it. I dare to say, a good amount of the time, we have no idea the effect we have on others. I know for myself, there are small acts of kindness from others throughout my life so far, that changed my outlook, made me a better human. I am certain those individuals have no memory of those small acts. To them, it was natural, within their unassuming character. For me, I try to be sure to do those small details throughout my days. It could be checking on a friend, offering a student a compliment, high fiving a child in our Arts Ed Impact program. It’s all in the details. I hope I am making those details for others and they make an impact. That, while I was here, I made others feel seen, valued and loved.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://takerootdance.com
• Instagram: Take Root Dance
• Facebook: Take Root Dance

Image Credits
Minty Photography