Photo by Jade Beall
I am a multi-disciplinary artist. I write, dance, choreograph, perform, direct, organize, and teach.
My articles, essays, poetry, and fiction address themes of nature, relationship, change, loss, and adaptation. For me, language serves as an elixir for what ails us, and sometimes even as an alternative to caffeine.
As a dancer and choreographer, I’m drawn to pedestrian gestures, story, and improvisation. I believe modern dance can help us see, feel, and understand everyday circumstances more clearly. I am committed to making it more visible, accessible, and useful. My movement work often incorporates text, addresses current social, environmental or political issues, and involves an element of public participation.
I have a master’s degree in geography and a high regard for place and space. I seek out collaborations with other artists and non-artists, across cultural contexts, genres, and generations. As a teacher and director, often my goal is to de-mystify the art-making process and invite others to share in the thrill of participating. When words, movement, stories, and images appear in unexpected places, they can wake us up to beauty, truths, and our many common (or not so common) experiences. You could call this “alarm-clock art,” and it’s what I strive to make.
I live in Tucson, Arizona.
Here is a link to my blog, Little Things Add Up.
You can download my bio here: KimiEiselebio
AWARDS/HONORS
Nominee, Tucson Pima Arts Council “Lumie” (Local Luminary) Award (individual/emerging artist category), Tucson, AZ. May 2009.
Nominee, Buffalo Exchange Arts Award (performing artist category), Tucson, AZ. Jan. 2009
Dynamic Duo Award for “Making a Difference” (with photographer Josh Schachter), Compass Health Care, Tucson, AZ. Sept. 05
Roster Artist, Creative Writing, Arizona Commission on the Arts. Sept. 05-present.
Professional Development Grant Award. Arizona Commission on the Arts. June 06.
Travel Grant Award, Tucson Pima Arts Council. Summer 2005.
Professional Development Grant Award. Arizona Commission on the Arts. June 05.
Artist Grant Award. Tucson Pima Arts Council. Summer 2003.
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
Blue Mountain Center. Artists’ residency, Blue Mountain, NY. Summer 2010, Summer 2004, Summer 2001.
The Mesa Refuge. Writer’s residency, Pt. Reyes Station, CA. Fall 2008, Fall 1999.