Artist Initiative
Artist Initiative
Hip Hop choreographers explore identity, power, and community in three public panel discussions. These conversations about different Hip Hop dance forms will inform Jason Noer's choreography in a 2018 theater production.
Ardell Brede: Mayor of Rochester, elected 2002; Peggy Burnet: Businesswoman, art collector, and community volunteer. Member of the Smithsonian National Board. Former chair of the board, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Uri Camarena: Business consultant, Metropolitan Economic Development Association. Board chair, Minneapolis College of Art and Design.; Michael Charron: Dean of the School of the Arts, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Officer at -Large, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Rebecca Davis-Lee: Touring pianist, piano and music theory teacher. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Sean Dowse, Mayor of Red Wing, elected 2016. Former executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. Secretary/Treasurer, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Thomas Moss: Consultant to nonprofits and government agencies.; Dobson West: Senior advisor, Spell Capital Partners Fund; Christina Widdess: Arts organization consultant; former managing director, Penumbra Theatre. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.
Ramona Jacobs: Owner and director of Fergus Falls School of Dance; Heather Klopchin: Associate professor and chair of St Olaf College dance department; Sachiko Nishiuchi: Flamenco dancer and instructor; Arts Board grantee; Akiko Ostlund: Dancer, performing artist, poet, puppeteer, and activist; Naimah Petigny: Dancer; PhD candidate in feminist studies at the U of M; Michele Rusinko: Professor and chair of department of theater and dance, Gustavus Adolphus College; April Sellers: Dancer, choreographer; artistic director of The April Sellers Dance Collective; Linda Shapiro: Founder and former artistic codirector of New Dance Ensemble, director of New Dance Laboratory, and faculty member, department of theatre and dance, University of Minnesota; freelance writer; Chitra Vairavan: Dancer and choreographer; founding member of Ananya Dance Theatre
ACHF Arts Access
To explore issues of identity, power, and community in the Twin Cities Hip Hop dance scene with collaborating choreographers. I will create a documents with my views on each issue before the panels. After the series, I will compare the new information to evaluate how my views have changed based on the outcome of the project. 2: The information I have gathered from the panels will inform my choreographic work in a 2018 theater production. The evaluation of the discussions are measured through the impact on how my choreography is constructed for the 2018 theater performance and will be compared to my past work.
Successfully explored issues of identity, power, and community with audience and Mixtape choreographers. Instead of a document, I created movement phrases to demonstrate how to think through each of these issues using dance. 2: Successfully used information from panels to inform my work, 'Eat, Prey, Shove,' performed in Mixtape Side B (May 2018). Through discussion with my dancers who were present at the panels, I choreographed a framework that allowed for each voice to be heard through movement.