From Blog Director Jill Randall:

 

 

 

Anna Sperber is a performer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been presented at The Kitchen, Dance Theater Workshop, Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Chocolate Factory Theater, Movement Research at Judson Church, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Dixon Place, Joyce SoHo, and The Ronald Feldman Gallery, among many other venues.

Anna has an been an Artist in Residence at Brooklyn Arts Exchange (2013-14), Gibney Dance Center Dance In Process Residency (2013), Movement Research (2006-08), and in 2008-09, she was the Resident Choreographer of Sugar Salon, a program of WAX in partnership with the Barnard College Department of Dance. Sperber's work has been supported by grants from NYSCA Dance Program Public Commissioning Funds (2007), 2010 DCA Re-grant through the Brooklyn Arts Council (2010, 2014), Live Music For Dance/ New Music UA Grant (2013), and a grant from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation (2014). 

Anna has collaborated with composers Nate Wooley, Emily Manzo, and Mario Diaz de Leon, lighting designers Joe Levasseur and Thomas Dunn, Elliott Jenetopulos, and artist and composer Peter Kerlin. As a performer she has worked with many New York-based choreographers including luciana achugar and Juliette Mapp.

Anna holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase. She is a co-founder of classclassclass, and has taught at Movement Research, Dance New Amsterdam, American Dance Festival, Hunter College, classclassclass, and as a guest artist as George Washington University. She was a Co-Curator of the Movement Research 2008 Spring Festival, Somewhere Out There, and founded and ran BRAZIL, an intimate studio and performance space in Bushwick from 2004-2014. 

From the Kate Weare Company website, for dancer Douglas Gillespie:

Douglas Gillespie received his BFA in Dance from Florida State University and worked with choreographers Ben Munisteri, Heather McArdle and Tennille Lambert before joining Kate Weare Company in 2007. Born in California but hailing from The Sunshine State, Gillespie currently serves as rehearsal director for the company as well as Weare's directorial assistant for outside commissions. Gillespie regularly teaches on behalf of Kate Weare Company, most recently at NYU Tisch Summer Program, The Juilliard School and Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as under his own auspices at dance centers and colleges around the country. Gillespie’s own student commissions include a group work for Sante Fe College in Gainesville, FL, which was showcased at ACDFA in 2013, and a quartet for Cleveland State University in 2014.

From the Tanner Dance site, for teaching artist Rachel Kimball:

RACHEL KIMBALL has been part of Tanner Dance for most of her life as both a student and faculty member. Rachel directs the Tanner Dance Arts in Education Program and enjoys working with teachers in the classroom as well as through ongoing Professional Development Workshops. As a teaching artist, she has taught in numerous communities throughout the western United States. Rachel holds a BFA in modern dance from the University of Utah. Rachel also sits on the board of daCi (dance and the Child international) USA chapter as a member at large. She continues teaching and choreographing as faculty for the Children’s Dance Theatre and the Tanner Dance Studio Programs. Rachel is committed to the philosophy and vision of students finding their own voice through dance. When Rachel is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family making pizza.

From the Shawl-Anderson Dance Center website, for teaching artist Tanya Chianese:

Tanya obtained a B.F.A. in Modern Dance and B.A. in Art History from the University of Oklahoma, before her performing career took her dancing across the USA and parts of China. She has taught dance to all ages and levels, and has instructed programs for at-risk children and visually impaired kids and adults. She is founder of ka.nei.see dance collective.

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When writing your bio, think about the target audience. What is important for them to know? What is top priority to mention? What is your lineage? What can you leave out?

A bio might include any or all of the following:

• Your hometown
• Key teachers in your training (dance and somatics)
• Major influences on your movement (ex. you are a black belt in kung fu; you were a competitive rock climber)
• Your college and graduate degrees
• Any special scholarships or awards from college and graduate school
• Choreographers and companies you have worked with 
• Where you have showcased and presented your own choreography
• Where you teach or have taught
• If you direct a festival or workshop
• Articles you have published and names of your books
• Your website address
• A thank you to key people in your life (parents, significant other, mentors)

Most bios are written in third person. Find out before writing if there is a word count limit or sentence limit.

For this month's writing exercise, try out the following:

1. Write a bio (unlimited in length) as if you were creating one for your new website.

2. Writer a bio, as a performer, for a program. You are limited to only 3-4 sentences in total.

3. Write a bio for a dance studio – hypothetically teaching a child modern class. You are limited to three-four sentences.

4. Write a bio in only one sentence – like you just wrote an article for a dance publication and only get one line at the end of the piece.

Last, over the coming months pay close attention to bios around you. Hold onto examples that catch your eye. Keep a folder of these examples.

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