I am an educator in every sense of the word. I educate students on the art of dance, performers on their movement capabilities, the audience on how to view dance, and myself on my own integration of movement. Looking past something known to unveil new possibilities inspires and invigorates me. I love the ‘a-ha’, the ‘hmmm’, the ‘ohhhh.’ I live for discovery and revelations. Untapping pathways of how to view movement, history, culture, performance and/or choreograph. Mixing the past with the present, the unknown with the known, the personal with the social, the introspective with the global outlook; each dichotomy continue to shape my approach to teaching, creating, seeing, and doing.

 

I desire to build a community amongst students, performers, teachers, artists, audience; aiming to bridge the gap between viewer and doer. Making works that are accessible to audience members regardless of their dance experience inherently inform my choreographic interests. Supplying viewers with an in-road to watching – developing intimate and personal connections to the movement – while exploring culturally conscious concepts drive my aesthetic. I have a profound love for ethnically charged work. Guttural, grounded, circular, sweeping, space-eating, full-bodied motions excite my creative juices and fuel my movement invention.  Push the rigor and physicality of performers while accessing the sequentuality and instinctive embodiment. Infectious rhythms and driving music is a staple. They enhance the intention of the performers, cohesively marrying music with the movement.   

Integration, personal discovery, and connection are key words to my approach. They dictate how I view the world, movement, history, and culture. Unearthing personal threads to content, physical embodiment and individual opinions fuel my passion as a teacher, creator, and scholar. Building awareness, sparking a dialogue, and helping to cultivate the development of a person’s own choreographic and pedagogical ideas are notions I value. I adamantly encourage the need and implementation of diversity with open conversations about habits, choice, stereotypes, conventions, aesthetics, culture, and assumed connotations. My hope is to build a sense of acceptance for all individuals regardless of their differences, embracing one’s individualities and using them to positively impact society at large.