ARTIST STATEMENT

Movement is essential to life and relatable on a deeply cellular level. Regardless of ability or disability, our bodies continuously crave movement and are constantly active: inhaling, exhaling, generating energy, heat and invention. My work is inspired by the power and beauty of physical movement and the diversity of the emotional impulses and experiences that inform the dance.

My dances have always been performed by humans, real people. Bringing humans together in a space for a specific purpose is a wild and powerful thing. Making dances, or anything, requires a great deal of trust and the ability to remain open, maintaining and ever increasing the vital flow. Dance is inherently collaborative, nobody works alone and no artist can remain above the work; you have to get way down in it, being vulnerable, taking risks, asking questions and making discoveries. Mining the material to find truthful and thoughtful messages is where my process begins. Once the media is discovered the fun begins, layering the rich, complex and colorful stories and concepts that manifest in gestures, words and pictures, seeking to inform, to entertain, empower, inspire. Dance is also inherently interactive, requiring a cooperative relationship with an audience to bear witness to its existence. Sometimes the work wants to be performed, connecting to the audience for a moment in time. Sometimes it wants to become visual material like film, photography or objects which can be experienced in a different way.

The works are rooted in physical and emotional spaces, shared experiences, belief in the power of collective consciousness and a deep respect for contemporary and modern dance traditions. Enabling the athleticism and artistry of dance to co-exist creates an accessible pathway for artists and audiences. Regardless of the product, I endeavor with each new work to create an experience that allows audiences and performers intersect, to maintain an awareness and appreciation for each other.

ZOETIC DANCE ENSEMBLE

The primary platform for my work is Zoetic Dance Ensemble, a contemporary dance company I Co-Founded and continue to work with as Creative Director. Zoetic is a beautiful concept: female focused, strong, collaborative, real. I am extremely proud of the work we have created!

MISSION

Zoetic Dance Ensemble celebrates the power of the female spirit through dynamic performance works rooted in a creative exchange that empowers artists to lead and learn.

VISION

Zoetic seeks to foster creative conditions where women can explore our rich history, embrace our diverse culture, and examine the societal shifts that compel us to classify our thoughts, feelings, preferences and identities. Through dance we tell our stories, reclaim our stereotypes, seek our truth, laugh at ourselves, learn from each other, and empower women of all ages to claim a physical presence in this world that reflects our strength, our beauty, our intelligence and our courage.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

I have designed a wide variety of education programs for studios, high schools, colleges and universities. These encounters are envisioned as a pathway for each participant to deepen their understanding of technique as it relates to their creative values and processes. Class is a lab, with the ideas and inspirations for a project serving as the catalyst for movement.

Classes, workshops and residencies have been designed to be collaborative, community-minded and to provide opportunities for collective discovery, because choreographers thrive on energy and inspiration, and dancers need class at every level of their careers.  Each program seeks to create an artistic intersection where choreographers, dancers, students and enthusiasts have a platform to engage, collaborate and learn from each other. Collaborative relationships are essential to serve a broad range of students, professionals and enthusiasts and to enable a wide diversity of thought, process and vision. 

Small Plates is a curated series of dance workshops serving up opportunities for collective discovery among artists, students and enthusiasts presented in collaboration by Zoetic Dance Ensemble and Atlanta Ballet. Small Plates creates an artistic intersection where choreographers, dancers, students and enthusiasts have a platform to engage, collaborate and learn from each other. 

Revealing celebrates Women’s History Month with classes and creative encounters to build work based what women think, feel and believe about their history, their present and possibilities for their future. Revealing has been offered at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, Spelman College in Atlanta GA and at the Fulton County Southwest Arts Center.

Gaining Ground explores how study of classical and contemporary techniques can support their personal creative values. Students discover how subtle shifts in dynamics, improvisation and partnering skills can serve as a platform for the development of their own creative voice and process.