California Institute of Integral Studies, 2015-2017
San Francisco, CA
I am currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Inquiry, Interdisciplinary Arts at California Institute of Integral Studies. This program is rooted in the belif that art-making can be a pioneering, transformative act that changes-and sometimes revolutionizes-culture. Through intensive and transdisciplinary dialogue, students see their work in a broader artistic, philosophical, and cultural dialogue, and develop innovative, experimental, and meaningful work that challenges personal and cultural narratives and perceptions.
photo by Hélio Oliveira
Silvestre Training Technique, 2014
Salvador, Brazil
In 1982, Rosangela Silvestre began the early stages of developing the Silvestre Technique, which over time has progressed into a series of exercises - "conversations with the body" - working to prepare body, mind, and spirit for dance.
The Silvestre Technique is a continuously evolving contemporary dance technique with the objective of conditioning the dancer through physical and expressive training - regardless of level or previous experience.
The Silvestre Technique brings to dance training a connection with the physical body and its connection to the Universe, which Silvestre calls, "the Body Universe." The Body Universe is symbolized by three triangles formed on the body.
Dos Aguas, 2013
Havana & Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Annually, Danys "La Mora" Perez, Artistic Director and Founder of Oyu Oro, hosts several dancers in her homeland, Cuba. Through dance, music, social activities and religious ceremonies, the program offers a cultural exchange with Cubans who are eager to learn about the foreigners and their cultures, while the participants develop their artistic expressions and their techniques of Afro-Cuban art in the most comprehensive manner.
Urban Bush Women Summer Leadership Institute: 2008 & 2009
Brooklyn, NY & New Orleans, LA
Urban Bush Women has been at the forefront of activiting the intersections of professional and community art-making, civic engagement, leadership and group dynamics for over two decades. This 10-day intensive serves as the foundation for all the company's community engagement activities, and its learning is infused with Urban Bush Women's artistic process. Ultimately the Summer Leadership Institute connects dance professionals and community-based artists in a learning experienceto leverage the arts as a vehicle for social activism and civic engagement and to strengthen the national network of community arts practioners.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, 2013-2014
London, UK
In 2014 I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Community Dance at Trinity Laban.
Trinity Laban’s long-established program has been successfully supporting skilled practitioners into the profession for 30 years.
This unique vocational program offers a rigorous and in-depth dance training for becoming a dance leader or facilitator. On this program students:
- Train as a dance artists, working on technical skills and artistic development.
- Develop the knowledge and skills to teach dance in a variety of settings with different kinds of people.
- Learn about the practicalities of planning and delivering projects in community settings, and the networks and agencies that support community dance provision.
- Study the core principles of community dance, how it happens, and its impact on individuals and communities, and its place in the wider artistic and social setting.
photo by Ronny Hausner
Body Shift, 2012
Austin, TX
For over 10 years, Forklift Danceworks and VSA Texas have engaged in the world of mixed-ability improvisational dance. Everyone moves in unique and different ways, and Body Shift offers dance classes for anyone to explore movement and the body. Body Shift creates a welcoming environment that empowers everyone to fully embrace dancing in their own unique way promoting the idea every Body can find enjoyment in contemporary dancing.
Dance Exchange Summer Institute: Generating and Crafting, 2009
All Abilities, 2009
Takoma Park, MD & Washington, D.C.
Formerly named the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Dance Exchange has been known for bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together to move, create, collaborate, ask questions and engage in dialogue. The 10-day institute is a place of true exchange. The institute culminates in a public performance of a new work created in collaboration with DX artists and participants at American Dance Institute, on a program of work by DX and local dancers.
photo by Stevie Gaymon
