In 2005, I joined NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre, a modern dance company in Tucson formed in 1999. As the company’s Special Projects Director for four years, I was able to bring my skills as a teacher and facilitator as well as my experiences gathering personal and community stories to the company and soon produced a series of innovative performances involving collaborations with both arts and non-arts institutions (see Invisible City, We Are What We Eat, and Re:Configurations). Already established as a vivacious, competent, and risk-taking company, in just a few short years, NEW ART added “commitment to community engagement” to its list of distinguishing attributes. In the fall 0f 2010 I stepped up to co-direct the company with Katie Rutterer. I am committed to making modern dance more visible, accessible, and useful, exploring with dancers how movement can communicate important ideas, send beauty where beauty is needed, and engage audiences in meaningful and moving ways.
FLOW: Dancing for Water Awareness in the Desert
NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre awarded a grant from the Kresge Foundation (in conjunction with TPAC) for “Flow,” a project using modern dance to illuminate water issues and celebrate our connection to the Santa Cruz River. The project incorporates a series of community engagement workshops, in collaboration with project partners: Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation, the Sonoran Institute, the Ironwood Tree Experience, Arizona Land and Water Trust, and others.
Read more about the Kresge Awards here, in the Arizona Daily Star.