How would you describe the past 5 years?

I would describe the last 5 years as FULL. I cherish the moments of slowing down, of finding quiet, being with family, of temporarily letting go of to-do lists, and being in the wilderness inside and outside myself. Professionally, I have been full steam with international productions, local bay area productions and teaching. It has been a whirlwind of physicality, listening, joy, grit, meetings and emails. I made a show about climate change,  performed Joe Goode's iconic solo 29 Effeminate Gestures and made 2 films in Yosemite with Bandaloop on cliffs 3000 feet above the ground. I also bought a house, had a kid, and assumed more leadership in work.  I feel like I turned a page of my life, and I have this "adult" context now… mortage, child care, parenting tactics, and a sometimes wavering hold on my planning calendar. I am happy to say that dance continues to bring me home — to be my own personal wilderness, respite and superconductor to remind me of myself and what is important. 

 

What would you say is the most major change in your dance career, or the role of dance in your life, since you wrote the profile?

In 2015 I became the Assistant Artistic Director of Bandaloop. This meant more artistic leadership, a salaried position in a mid-sized arts organization, and less "piece-it-togetherness" of my previous years as an independent artist. I am fascinated with the art of leadership, of holding a group of people together, creating a situation for dancers to flourish in their brilliance, and communicating with many parties to complete a mission. I feel blessed to be in the leadership of an organization that has given me so much over the last 15 years. 

I also became a leadership fellow with APAP (the Association of Performing Arts Professionals). In a cohort of 30 arts professionals – artists, agents, administrators and presenters – I have been learning about the complicated and quickly changing world of the performing arts establishment. It has given me some lenses to contextualize my work and the work of my colleagues around the world. It is helping me see the vital role arts professionals have as cultural workers. I am inspired by mission driven arts organizations and institutions that are addressing current issues and bringing communities together in big and small ways. There is also a ton of learning for me here as I scratch the surface of arts markets and economies, organizational dynamics, and the business of what we do. 

What is on your calendar for the fall?

As Bandaloop's artistic director Amelia Rudolph is on sabbatical for the rest of the year, I am acting artistic director of the company. I am writing this from Sydney, Australia where we are having our Australian premier here in a few days on a 22 story skyscraper in the center of downtown. I will get home next week and finish a rehearsal process for my company Fog Beast, and we will premier our new work "He's One of Us" at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. After that, we travel to Seattle for the premier of Bandaloop's new work "Strings" at the Meany Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Washington campus. Then I get to be home for a few weeks (phew!). After that it's off to Europe for Bandaloop shows in Budapest, then returning home for shows in Southern California. During that, I am overseeing local educational programs for Bandaloop at our West Oakland studio, and teaching my Thursday morning technique class at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. 

 

——

———————-