Artist Statement + Bio

As a somatic practitioner, my power lies in my ability to stay genuinely curious and keenly aware, make subtle connections, and manifest attention into motion. I am continuously looking for ways to reinvest and rediscover my interest in movement while simultaneously challenging myself to explore ideas that are not familiar; risk and vulnerability are driving forces in my process. My investigations, collaborative relationships, projects, and creative and pedagogical pursuits reflect my research agenda and represent the multiple ways that I, as a practitioner, probe and continually develop as an artist-scholar.

At the root is my innate, continual curiosity around how art is made. I am intrigued by how others learn, how they choose to present ideas, and how they gauge their growth and mastery. I am often seeking ways to be informed by those outside my field of expertise in order to inform my own art and art making. I strive to use dance as a strategy to construct and invite diverse experiences and I investigate and apply somatic approaches to teaching, learning, and the choreographic process. I am equally passionate about providing platforms for other artists to present, meet, and collaborate.

 I am deeply committed to establishing and supporting a communal ethos in my creative spaces and processes. I view my rehearsals as collective, open, and active environments that promote inclusivity and respect for others’ ideas, backgrounds, and skills. Dancers I am working with are included in the making process; their voices and movements have value and hold power. In this light, I see myself in constant conversation with my collaborators, collectively cultivating a community.

We live in a highly digital world that we engage with daily. As a result, we have designed a contemporary, participatory culture. For me, dance experiences that cross disciplines and blur lines are yet another way for audiences to engage, giving them autonomy to create and participate (mostly mentally/intellectually, but sometimes physically) in the dance culture as they would engage in their everyday lives. My hope is that such performances put audience members in the position to co-author meaning rather than in a position where they feel the need to figure out a prescribed meaning; it is to empower and engage my audience in their experience of dance. In constructing hybrid dance presentations, I begin to consider the audience as another collaborator, thereby making my dance works a shared human experience.

A Manifesto of Sorts…

There is a subtle difference between embodying ideas and studying ideas. I believe in the former. I am a collaborative spirit. Curiosity it at the heart of my being. I work from the belief that dance is a shared human experience and that to be an artist is to be a citizen of the world. I am deeply influenced by the power of transformative environments that open new possibilities for relationship. I employ experiential methods of production to explore themes of connectivity, intimacy, presence, authorship, empathy, and agency. I am drawn to those who are both interesting and interested – those who share a mutual conviction that dance is a transformative process and educative experience that can change the way people think and act. In our present cultural context, I believe that choreographic research that promotes democratic habits and activates both dancers and audience is of paramount importance. I recognize the value of community engagement and the potential for dance to impact the lives of citizens. I seek ways to make dance accessible to the public sphere and connect with audiences both within and beyond traditional dance contexts.

I believe in…

Seeing as much art as possible

Engaging in active dialogue about the art you’re seeing

Showing up and doing the work, regardless of the end result