Translating Sisterbot: KC’s cello-playing sci-fi heroine has arrived (at the speed of sound)

Sisterbot takes the cello out of the orchestra pit and puts it on the stage to rock out. Created by Kansas City musician and composer Adee Dancy, the project offers an ever-changing blend of classical strings, rock, theater and experimental sound.

The only constants: Sisterbot is built upon cello and voice, reflecting Dancy’s conservatory training and her interest in crossing genres.

“I don’t feel tied to any genre, but I also feel like there’s a cohesion to it,” she said. “And that’s how I feel about art.”

Sisterbot shifts between a solo act and a rotating group of collaborators, pulling in musicians from different backgrounds. The goal, said Dancy, is less about genre and more about connection.

“We just need little bridges to get to each other, from classical to rock and roll or from rock and roll to jazz,” said Dancy. “My thesis with Sisterbot was that we can all make something together, we just need somebody to be the translator.”

Adee Dancy, Sisterbot; courtesy photo

Conservatory training, collaborative instinct

Sisterbot

The name Sisterbot came together quickly, just weeks before Adee Dancy’s first album was set to be released under a different artist name.

“We were all sitting around a table at a coffee shop and making a joke, I was supposed to release an album in three weeks, and I immediately changed the name,” she said.

The last-minute decision became central to the project’s identity. For Dancy, “sister” carries emotional meaning, while “bot” adds a futuristic edge.

“If you have a sister, they feel like such an integral part of who you are,” said Dancy, the oldest of her two sisters. “And the ‘bot’ part brings in the sci-fi element; it’s a vision of bringing the past and the future together.”

Dancy graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in cello performance, completing an intensive conservatory-style program.

While the training strengthened her technique, it also made her curious about music outside the classical world.

“I really wanted to do something more modern,” she said.

After college, Dancy began playing with rock bands, folk and indie projects, country artists and musical theater productions. Along the way, she noticed how siloed different music scenes could feel.

“We all have very similar levels of ability, but maybe we just don’t speak the same language musically,” said Dancy.

That idea became the foundation of Sisterbot, which started taking shape around 2019 as a collaborative project rather than a fixed band.

That approach defined Truth House, Sisterbot’s debut album, recorded beginning in 2019 and released in 2021. The album blended theatrical rock with layered strings and featured a rotating group of collaborators.

“We had such a good time with it,” she said. “I felt so uplifted and supported by the people that were a part of it.”

While many collaborators have since moved on to other projects, said Dancy, she remains grateful for their work.

“I just feel very lucky to have had their contribution,” she said.

A slower way of writing

Dancy describes her creative process as patient and intuitive.

“I receive ideas in pieces,” she said. “Sometimes I sit on those pieces for a long time, and then something happens in my life and all of a sudden that piece makes sense.”

Her writing includes journaling, poetry, improvisation and long voice memos.

“I have so many voice memos of recording for 15 minutes straight or 36 minutes straight, I use recording to help me just spit it out and then organize it later,” said Dancy.

She also speaks about instruments with a sense of appreciation for their passed-down energy.

“I feel really strongly that instruments and their materials had a life before us,” she said. “Making them resonate with sound is like a way to make them alive again.”

Adee Dancy, Sisterbot; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Turning the page to Water and Oil

Since the release of Truth House in 2021, Dancy feels her life has changed significantly. Those changes are shaping Sisterbot’s forthcoming album, Water and Oil, which she began recording earlier this month. The album focuses on relationships and emotional tension.

“There are things that make sense on paper, but they just aren’t going to work,” said Dancy. “That doesn’t mean either one is bad. Maybe they just need their own lives and their own purposes.”

The album title reflects that same tension.

“They’re both liquids, and they both behave in similar ways, but you put them together and it doesn’t mix,” she said.

Sonically, the album leans more acoustic, featuring ukulele and acoustic guitar alongside strings.

“My instinct is always rock and cello, but I’m trying to bring those into a different sonic landscape,” said Dancy.

Adee Dancy, Sisterbot; courtesy photo

Kansas City as collaborator

Dancy credits Kansas City with helping her grow as an artist.

Adee Dancy, right, performs on the cello with Queertet; courtesy photo

“We are a town that is teeming with talent,” she said. “When we allow ourselves to collaborate, even when the genre doesn’t feel evident, that’s when we create the most beauty here.”

She points to venues like The Rino in North Kansas City and the Arts Asylum as especially supportive.

“They are not afraid to try something new,” said Dancy.

She also emphasized the importance of local arts funding. 

“One of the biggest challenges of being an independent artist is the expense of it,” she said. “Just like any startup business, there is an investment that you make into your art.”

In May 2025, Dancy left her full-time job to focus entirely on music.

“Music is a non-negotiable in my life,” she said. “Opportunity meeting preparation is when you get your best moments.”

Bringing new sounds to Startups to Watch

Dancy is set to perform Tuesday during Startland News awards reception for the 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026 to Watch, sharing new songs alongside reworked earlier material. The set will feature cello, voice and ukulele, with the possible addition of more strings.

“You’ll hear strings, and you’ll hear vocals,” she said. “That’s what I can promise.”

As she continues recording new music, performing with Monarch String Trio and writing two musicals, Dancy sees Sisterbot as a project that keeps evolving.

“When we go outside the box and allow each artist to express themselves fully,” she said, “that’s when we create something new.”

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