2004 recognition
My biography records the Rosa Parks “Wall of Tolerance” recognition. Dance Mogul’s 2013 profile also reports a 2004 Rosa Parks award for my work with underserved youth through the arts.
Read the published profileThe CrazyCee Story · Carlena Gourdine
I am CrazyCee.
And I am still
on my grind.
Producer. Choreographer. Educator. Author. Entrepreneur. A woman who has spent more than 30 years turning her gifts into work, and that work into opportunities for others.
There is a life behind the photographs. There are rehearsals behind the performances, decisions behind the businesses, and people behind every production. This is the story that connects them.
Read my story
Founder, producer, creator, and mentor.
Before the company
The calling came before the title.
I am Carlena “CrazyCee” Gourdine, born in Brooklyn and raised in Jamaica, Queens. Dance, music, and the energy of Hip Hop were part of the world that shaped me. Long before I had a company or a professional title, I was the person others wanted to follow, learn from, and perform with.
My classmates gave me the name CrazyCee because of my personality, my outgoing street dance style, and the passion I brought to it. In my older biography, I traced that name back to November 5, 1980. It stayed with me because it was already mine in spirit: energetic, expressive, and unwilling to disappear into the background.
At school, I was asked to perform and help put performances together. I was doing the work before I fully understood the words choreography and instruction. What felt natural to me was something other people wanted to learn.
But having a gift did not mean I could stop being a student. As I gained recognition, I invested in dance education, personal training, terminology, and technique. I learned from pioneers and sought different styles and approaches. I wanted to understand what I was teaching, not simply ask someone to copy what I could do.
That responsibility has stayed with me. When someone trusts me with their talent, their child, their event, or their vision, I take that trust seriously.
Experience earned through the work
From the performance to the production.
My career has taken me through television, music videos, tours, live shows, rehearsal rooms, workshops, and community arts programs. MTV’s The Grind was one of my major early industry platforms as a dancer and choreographer. The archive footage is a living connection to that chapter, including material people have helped me recover over the years.
Being in front of an audience taught me how to deliver. Producing and directing taught me what it takes to make that moment possible. Traveling and working with different communities expanded my understanding of people, culture, preparation, and the business surrounding the performance.
My company concept began in 1992, and CrazyCee Productions began serving clients in 1994. What grew from that foundation was bigger than one service: choreography, training, entertainment, artist development, themed experiences, and platforms where other people could step forward.
My professional history includes the How She Move promotional tour, the New York Hip Hop Convention, the first annual NYC Dance Parade, and my production The Evolution of Hip Hop Past & Present. I have also judged dance competitions, led workshops, and trained dancers for professional opportunities. Those experiences taught me to work with different abilities, backgrounds, and ambitions while keeping a clear standard.
When you book me, you are bringing in someone who understands the creative idea and the preparation it requires. A routine needs direction. A performer needs development. An event needs coordination. A business idea needs a workable plan. I have spent my career connecting those responsibilities.
Selected recognition & career record
There is history behind my name.
These are selected chapters in a much larger body of work. The published features provide context, and the archives let you see the performances and training for yourself.
Television, stage & music
Dance Mogul’s career profile lists MTV’s The Grind, BET, Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam, the Sony Music Studios showcase, and work associated with artists including Salt-N-Pepa, Shabba Ranks, The Notorious B.I.G., and Mary J. Blige.
Credits span different performance and production roles; the archive gives individual projects their context.
Explore the career footageA voice beyond the stage
My Influential Women article, Stop Explaining Yourself: Why Respect Matters More Than Recognition, carries my perspective on leadership, boundaries, and the responsibility behind a public name.
Read my articleThe foundation since 1997
Why I stand on the 3 D’s.
Discipline, Dedication, and Determination belong in the rehearsal room, but they also belong in everyday life. I chose these principles because talent needs something to stand on. A person can have ability and still need help with preparation, consistency, respect, and following through.
Discipline
Prepare. Listen. Practice. Take responsibility for how you show up. Respect yourself, the people beside you, and the work. Discipline helps turn an intention into something someone else can depend on.
Dedication
Stay connected to what you are learning and why it matters. Give the process your attention. Be willing to develop the parts that do not come easily. Dedication is the commitment that remains after the excitement of beginning.
Determination
Keep working toward your goal when the path changes. Learn, adjust, and solve the next problem. I know what it means to face loss and rebuild. Determination is something I have had to practice myself, not simply something I ask of others.
To Teach to Each.
People do not arrive with the same confidence, experience, way of learning, or circumstances. My responsibility is to recognize the individual and find a way to help that person understand. That is why my mission is To Teach to Each.
Individual attention and professional standards can exist together. I can meet you where you are and still challenge you to grow. Whether I am teaching a beginner, developing an artist, mentoring an entrepreneur, or guiding a group, I want you to understand the work well enough to carry it forward.
The people are part of the legacy
What happens after the applause matters.
CrazyCee Productions and Carlena Gourdine’s Learning Institute 4 The Urban Arts grew from my belief that creative training can give people a place to develop their voice, their confidence, and their sense of responsibility. Through my work with Soul Sistaz En Company, I also created arts opportunities focused on girls and young people who needed support and direction.
I have brought experienced artists into the learning environment because students deserve a connection to the people and history behind the culture. That includes resident choreographers Nu Stylz and a visit from Fluky Luke of the original Lockers to train my dancers and perform in their first sold-out production, The Evolution of Hip Hop Past & Present.
I remember the preparation behind those moments: the rehearsals, the corrections, and the first time a dancer discovers what they can do. Those are the stories a photograph cannot tell by itself. Giving someone the tools to take their next step is one of the reasons I continue.
“Just for the record...I have been truly inspired by your class.”
“Your team not only did a great performance, but also act with Professional attitude”
The woman is still here
I have more to create.
Some of my original footage, keepsakes, and records are no longer in my possession. Finding a forgotten clip or hearing from someone who remembers a performance can bring an entire chapter back. Rebuilding that archive has reminded me how much work I put into a life I was often too busy living to stop and document.
There have been painful changes and times when I had to find my footing again. I am proud of what I have accomplished, and I am still learning how to give myself credit for it. My experience did not disappear because a recording or a photograph was lost. I am still here with the knowledge, the ideas, and the desire to build.
That is part of what I want people to feel when they come into my world. You can acknowledge what has been difficult and still make a decision about what comes next. You can develop your gifts, learn the business, protect your standards, and give yourself room to grow.
The different parts of my Empire come from that same woman. Party 2 Go and my entertainment services bring people into memorable experiences. My consulting and mentorship draw on the work of creating and running those experiences. Choco’late Tide Unisex Boutique and CrazyWear give fashion and self-expression a place. My books carry conversations beyond the studio and the stage.
If you want to work with me, bring your purpose, your willingness to learn, and respect for the work. If you want to book me, tell me what you are trying to create and who it is for. If you are following my journey, stay for the next chapter as well as the throwbacks. The history is real, and the work is continuing.
Million Dollar Baby. Billion Dollar Brain.
Still creating. Still teaching. Still on my grind.
Continue the conversation
Read more.
Explore with me.
My guides invite you to examine your choices, your boundaries, and what you do with what you know. Explore titles including Enough With Excuses, Stop Explaining Yourself, Knowledge Without Action Is Self-Deception, and The Awakening Through Self-Reflection, alongside my creative and youth collections.
There is more to my story, and there is room for you to think about your own.
