ARTs + Change Conference

2025

Activate. Reimagine. Transform.

January 22-26, 2025

Select presentations available to view on YouTube.

This gathering hosted by the University of Rochester Institute for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the University of Rochester Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center, the Eastman Institute for Music Leadership, 540WMain, Inc., Create A Space Now and the Rochester Fringe Festival, providesopportunities for artists of all disciplines, educators, community members and community organizations to come together to create, to share work and ideas, to present research and to propose collaborations. We invite participants to learn from one another while considering how the arts play a pivotal role in promoting justice, equity and citizenship. Through the sharing of work, participatory workshops, panel discussions, research presentations, curriculum design, guided discussions and more, participants come together to listen, to consider, to share and to act.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

SESSION ABSTRACTS AND PRESENTER BIOS

The CR8TV HOUSE: Transforming Place by Building Radical Community

The CR8TV House, INC. is an intentionally curated community third space inspired by the practice of founder and artist Symphony Swan. In this session participants will be taken on a journey of how Symphony is transforming her childhood home, in a neighborhood in need of love, into a place of belonging for Black and Brown artists. Participants will learn how the CR8TV HOUSE has become a resource to artists, researchers, and other visitors via its community archive, gallery and artist studio space. The objective of this session is to leave participants inspired and ready to rethink how communities can engage with and include artists as active participants in civic engagement and community building.

Symphony Swan

The CR8TV HOUSE is a vibrant community hub and creative haven founded by artist Symphony Swan. Located in the heart of the Old North Milwaukee neighborhood, it serves as a catalyst for artistic expression, community engagement, and social change. Rooted in radical imagination and collaboration, The CR8TV HOUSE is dedicated to empowering Black and Brown artists by providing a supportive space where their voices are amplified and their talents nurtured. Through a dynamic combination of gallery exhibitions, community archive, and artist residencies, The CR8TV HOUSE fosters a culture of inclusivity, creativity, and resilience. With a commitment to equity and justice, The CR8TV HOUSE seeks to inspire and uplift the next generation of creatives, while catalyzing positive transformation in the community and beyond.

Applying Choreographic Principles to Theatrical Storytelling: One Dancer’s Leap into Musical Theatre Directing

This paper looks critically at how the acquisition of choreographic competency through dance training might provide theatre directors with an advantageous perspective on production by foregrounding the intersection of movement, text, and other production elements. The author uses the stories of successful “masters” of the craft who have made transitions from choreographer to director including Bob Fosse, Susan Stroman, Tommy Tune, and Jerome Robbins as a way to ground his analysis. Additionally, he provides his own reflective appraisal of personal directing experiences (Carrie the Musical, Nijinsky’s Last Dance) to argue that choreographic training and experience can do much to enhance traditional storytelling in theatre, even in shows that move rely less on traditional dance and more on “staging” of movement within a musical narrative.

Kevin S. Warner

Kevin S. Warner is Professor of Dance Studies and former Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where he teaches courses in dance pedagogy and world dance, among others. Previously, he was chair of the Department of Dance and director of the Interdisciplinary Arts for Children Program at SUNY Brockport. Kevin earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Temple University. He serves as Vice President of Professional Development for the North Carolina Dance Education Organization and as a visiting evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Dance. Kevin has performed in over 100 productions nationally. He has directed shows including The King and I, Carrie the Musical, and Nijinsky's Last Dance, choreographed productions including The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Music Man, and has appeared on cruise ships, on television, and in film. Kevin also choreographs for concert dance.

Creative Thinking of Students in Higher Education: A Literature Review

Creative thinking plays an important role in student learning and development in higher education. Creative thinking exacts many benefits and impacts on students' mindsets and capabilities in higher education, no matter what domains or majors. It's necessary to learn what Creative thinking is for students in higher education, and how many influential factors for Creative thinking or what kinds of influences Creative thinking make for learners in higher education, as well as what strategies can be used to develop Creative thinking for cultivating students’ mindsets, abilities, and potentials which contribute to their lifelong learning and development. The research gap of Creative thinking is shared within this literature review study, and the limitation of the study is also discussed for references of researchers, scholars, students, and administrators.

Meina Liu

Meina Liu is a 7th-year doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Warner School of the University of Rochester. An international student from China, Meina's doctoral research study particularly focuses on creativity and entrepreneurship, but her personal research interests also relates to art, education, identity, and spirituality. She was raised in a family atmosphere full of education, art, and freedom of creativity which cultivated and contributed to her personal creative, art, and educational potential development and career pursuit.

ART + Recovery = Freedom

R2ISE innovatively crafts strategies and interventions that propel recovery from addiction, trauma, and mental health issues, emphasizing Community, Creativity, Connection, Imagination, and Support. R2ISE has pioneered a new approach for individuals grappling with mental health and addiction issues, breaking through stigma and showcasing the transformative power of recovery via artistic expression. This leads to meaningful community conversations that address these challenges with viable solutions, particularly within the African American community. The initiative has carved out a healing space, offering resources for families, community members, treatment programs, veterans, elders, and youth. R2ISE champions the equation ART+ Recovery = Freedom, holding the conviction that recovery is attainable for all through various self-care avenues. The Beracha Method, conceived by Alexia Jones, is a trailblazing, self-guided technique that enables individuals to concentrate on their needs, foster recovery-centric discussions, forge cooperative relationships, and nurture connections to establish a robust support network. This method includes two groundbreaking interventions: The R2ISE Interactive Museum invites participants to confront trauma, nurture their recovery journey, forge positive relationships, and enhance social and coping abilities. Through this immersive experience, individuals have shared how engaging in the creative process has allowed them to surmount past traumas in ways that other mental health and addiction interventions could not. This is achieved by sharing spoken word, choreographed pieces, original compositions, songs, and theatrical performances that narrate our stories and exemplify the strength found in recovery. The core of this endeavor is recovery messaging, which by spreading hope, not only inspires and empowers peers but also sparks peer support and fosters meaningful connections.

Alexia Jones

Alexia Jones celebrates 28 years in long term recovery as the founder and Executive Director of R2ISE Inc. a nonprofit RCO (Recovery Community Organization) in Atlanta Georgia, holds a BFA in Dance from Florida State University, and an MBA from Phoenix University. She is a certified addiction empowerment specialist (CARES) and certified peer specialist (CPS) trainer of trainers for trauma informed care and a certified drum circle facilitator. She is passionate about her work with those in recovery from mental health challenges and/or drug addiction, by utilizing the arts and providing a safe place through R2ISE so that wellness can be maintained. She has performed nationally and internationally and choreographed at the university and professional level. Alexia is a movement engineer committed to helping others walk in recovery, restoration, inspiration, support, and empowerment. Alexia is committed to sharing the message that Art+Recovery=Freedom and bringing healing and hope to many through her artistic approach called the Beracha Method; a self-directed process that empowers people to focus on their needs, stimulates recovery focused dialogue, builds collaborative relationships, and encourages connection with others to build a supportive recovery network. Alexia has worked with individuals, families, and children in recovery for 27 years. During her recovery journey she has written several plays that illustrate the process of recovery, utilizing the unique stories and artistic gifts of the individuals she passionately serves. Her artistic work includes "Chronicles of Hope” featuring recovering artists in a collaborative effort to share stories of hope throughout the state of Georgia. Alexia helps others connect, the mind, body, soul and spirit as well as advocate, educate and raise awareness around the power of recovery. R2ISE Inc instills hope, transforms lives and highlights the strengths of participants so that wellness can be maintained. ART+RECOVERY =FREEDOM!

Interdisciplinary Artistic Modalities: A Case Study Artist Talk

This conference session, titled “Interdisciplinary Artistic Modalities: A Case Study Artist Talk,” delves into the innovative confluence of diverse artistic disciplines through a comprehensive case study, with a focus on themes of equity, justice, and citizenship. This presentation aims to illuminate how integrating various art forms—such as visual arts, music, dance, and digital media—can foster inclusive creative processes and yield socially impactful outcomes. The session will feature a prominent artist known for their interdisciplinary approach and commitment to social justice, who will provide an in-depth exploration of a specific project that exemplifies the fusion of multiple artistic modalities to address issues of equity and justice. Through a detailed case study, the artist will discuss the conceptual development, methodological strategies, and collaborative dynamics involved in the creation of this work, emphasizing the inclusion of marginalized voices and perspectives. Participants will gain insights into the practical aspects of interdisciplinary collaboration, including the negotiation of creative roles, the synthesis of diverse artistic languages, and the innovative use of tools and materials. The artist will also address how their work engages with communities, fostering a sense of active citizenship and encouraging public participation. The session will consider how interdisciplinary practices can create more immersive and socially relevant experiences, promoting awareness and dialogue around key societal issues. This session is particularly relevant for artists, curators, educators, and researchers interested in the evolving landscape of contemporary art and its potential to advance equity, justice, and active citizenship. It offers a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge artistic practices and to explore the transformative potential of interdisciplinary approaches in fostering social change and community engagement.

Liz Miller

Liz Miller, a second-generation fine artist, creates hair sculptures, sculptural paintings, wearable art, performance art, and film. Her films capture community members and herself adorned with hair sculptures for transformative movement rituals. Her work explores social justice themes centered around the Black experience in America, blending history and Afro-futurism. Miller views her art as part of a broader Black liberation strategy, employing Black joy and serious play. Her work has been exhibited at institutions like the Delaware Contemporary Museum and the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, as well as internationally in Canada, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, England, Liberia, and India. She holds a B.A. in Art and Design from Towson University and an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. With twenty years of experience as a teaching artist, she currently teaches at a Title 1 school in Baltimore and lectures at colleges including MICA, Johns Hopkins, and Loyola University Maryland.

Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards and the Politics of Representation

Mara Ahmed’s Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards and the Politics of Representation (2023) is a short, experimental film that pushes the documentary medium in unexpected ways. It opens with three contemporary South Asian American women who recreate British colonial postcards from the early 20th century. Dressed in lavish traditional attire and jewelry and shot exquisitely in a darkened studio, the women emulate the awkward poses of the postcard women, only to subvert the colonial male gaze and acquire autonomy by choosing an action of their own. This symbolic ‘returning’ of the Orientalist gaze is layered with discussions about Eurocentric beauty standards, representations of South Asian women in media and culture, stereotypes, othering, identity and belonging. The film hopes to create community by facilitating conversations about erasure and the politics of representation. A short PowerPoint presentation will be made by Mara prior to the screening to name and explore some of the themes discussed in the documentary and allow for a richer viewing. The presentation will end with a group discussion in which people will try to figure out what a decolonial feminist lens can mean. 

Mara Ahmed

Mara Ahmed was educated in Belgium, Pakistan and the United States and holds an MBA and a Master’s in Economics. She studied art at Nazareth College and film at the Visual Studies Workshop and the Rochester Institute of Technology. She produces documentaries, soundscapes, and artwork that challenge borders and colonial logics. Her films have been broadcast on PBS and screened at international film festivals. Her 2015 film, A Thin Wall, won a special jury prize at the 2018 Amsterdam Film Festival. Return to Sender received a 2023 New York State Council on the Arts Film Grant and was showcased along with its companion art exhibition (including photography and collage work in conversation with the film) at the Huntington Historical Society’s History and Decorative Arts Museum. The artist lives and works on Long Island, New York. More info at maraahmedstudio.com.

The Mending Project

In Fall of 2023, multi-disciplinary artist Mike Durkin approached the Program of Dance and Movement to inquire about our participation in The Mending Project. The project is a community-based endeavor that utilizes quilt-making as a means of building community, sharing stories, physically mending, and generating artful expression. The interdisciplinarity of the project and its emphasis on community building captured our attention, so for the academic year of 2024-25 we adopted this unexpected partnership to see how we could take the theme of mending and apply it to our courses, to issues at the university, our relationships in the community, and to the dance field. Mike Durkin conducted a six-week residency on campus from Sept. to October, and the Dance Program continued the investigation of mending for the remainder of the academic year via choreographic projects, community-based events, and guest lecturers. The project began with individually mending clothing together, but then branched out into communal quilt making, and then further, to looking at mending communities, mending the body, mending our planet. The project included participation from programs and departments of dance, art, music, medicine, history, and sustainability, as well as with community involvement from organizations such as SewGreen, Colorbrightgreen, the Rochester Public Libraries, and SWAN @ Montgomery.

Anne Harris Wilcox 

Anne Harris Wilcox (MFA) is a choreographer, dancer, educator, and an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Rochester. She presents nationally and internationally on topics such as kinesthetic education, creativity and assessment, intergenerational dance, and linguistics and dance. She is a former President of New York State Dance Education Association and founder the educational company Active Learning Games. She also founded and directed the Rochester-based contemporary dance company, Present Tense Dance for twenty-five years. "Get Up and Learn: Anatomy," her collection of kinesthetic lessons designed to engage the mind and body was just published in May of 2024. Anne believes embodiment of any topic deepens a person’s understanding and that the arts can create positive change. Anne strives to help make life on this planet more engaging, more equitable, and more kind.

Mike Durkin

Mike Durkin (he/him/y’all) is a large-bodied multidisciplinary social practice performance artist splitting time between South Philadelphia and Brooklyn. The intersection between art and the everyday guides Mike. He has created site-responsive social practice productions exploring urban foodways, community mending, sports, houselessness, food access, place, and the Americana. Mike works in communities and college campuses across the country. His work combines a variety of styles and mediums to embrace time, place, and the Americana. He aims to bring dissimilar bodies together to challenge and dismantle hate and stigmas, putting effort into the ideas that bring us together rather than push us away.

Soldering with Air: Toward a Multi-Disciplinary Understanding of Translation

Languages, broadly construed, mediate our interactions with the world and with each other. Languages neither correspond exactly to reality nor to each other, and the passage between them is often seen as a fundamental obstacle to translation. Gaps- slippage- misalignment- inequivalence: all carry a negative connotation and reflect prevailing attitudes about the `loss' associated with translation. We would like to propose a more positive view, and explore the creative opportunity that the spaces between languages and phenomena present to translators. However, the creative potential of these spaces also allows for distortion and misdirection, even unintentional. As educators, we hope to nurture thoughtful and mindful translators who are conscious of the interpretive choices they make while translating. We will discuss the translation of a 詞 (cí) poem written by the 11th century Chinese poet 朱淑真 (Zhū Shúzhēn). The 詞 genre consists of poems set to music, and we're interested in the interdisciplinary creative potential of a multimedia translation: though the traditional score is available, can the melody itself be part of, or subject to, translation? what about expanding a musical work by dance, itself a language? There is no original dance at all — the ultimate gap!

Ophelia Adams 

Ophelia Adams is a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Rochester, and currently working toward an MA in literary translation, focusing on the work of 朱淑真 (Zhū Shúzhēn), a Song dynasty poet and one of the few woman whose work survives from that era.

Stella Wang

Stella Wang is an associate professor in the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program at the University of Rochester. She is a medievalist and translator by training, and also teaches writing and translation courses.

Theatre of the Oppressed: Creating Imagery and Opening Dialogue to Build Community

How do we create a clear understanding of the meaning and subtext of our words, goals, and ideals, when the word “mother” can mean someone nurturing or someone cruel (and everything in between), depending on our lived experience? Through Brazilian theorist and theatre practitioner Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), an embodied and participatory practice that transforms the audience from spectator to “spect-actor,” we find activities that can be used in classrooms, theatres, and community settings to aid us in finding our common ground. (This workshop will primarily share activities and lessons from Boal’s Image Theatre and Forum Theatre branches of TO.) Drawing on Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, Paolo Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the work of Theatre of the Oppressed NYC, and my own experience using TO games and exercises in classrooms with high school, college, and theatre communities, we will play and explore activities that allow communities to form trust and connection, while examining society and planning for a future free from oppression.

Rachel Solomon

Rachel Solomon (she/her) is a theatre artist and educator based in Rochester, NY. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Theatre from Nazareth University, and went on to receive her Master of Arts in Theatre Education from Emerson College. She has directed, taught, and performed in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, including teaching at SUNY Geneseo, Nazareth University, Actors’ Shakespeare Project (Boston), and Boston Latin School. Recent directing credits include "Into the Woods" and "A Grand Night for Singing" at SUNY Geneseo, "John Proctor is the Villain" at Nazareth University, and "Ghost Story" and "The Christians" for Out of Pocket, Inc. Rachel’s interests have led her to train in Theatre of the Oppressed work with TONYC, and in Intimacy Direction with Theatrical Intimacy Education. She is also passionate about musical theatre and theatre for social change. Rachel is a member of the Ring of Keys: LGBTQ Musical Theatre Network.

Health Humanities Grand Rounds

Exploring the expressive properties of theater as therapeutic intervention for PTS, documentarian, Amy L. Erickson (Visceral: Transforming Trauma Through Theater), and founder/Program Director for the theater based non-profit Feast of Crispian, Nancy Smith-Watson, share their experiences of art, healing, and emerging neuroscience. Informed by the work of leading experts in the field of trauma, Erickson and Smith-Watson will discuss how voice, movement, breath, and the neurological properties of the poetry of Shakespeare gently awakens parts of the brain shut down by PTS. This discussion dovetails the screening of Visceral and a demonstration of Feast of Crispin’s process following the screening on Saturday, January 25th. Visceral tells the story of four people who are living with the impact of PTS. Performing in musicals, dramas, and Shakespeare productions, they begin to transform their physical and mental health and get the support they need because they’re more fully engaged in life and connected to others. They’re able regulate the PTS and take action to rebuild their lives.

Amy L. Erickson

Amy is performing artist, filmmaker and social-impact communicator. She was inspired to create the documentary Visceral: Transforming Trauma Through Theater after experiencing a release from the residue of trauma that lived in her body by performing onstage.  She holds a Master of Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University and a Bachelor of Arts in Consumer Economics from Wayne State University. Amy is a member of the National Organization for Arts on Health and is an advocate for the arts on prescription movement; she focuses on encouraging others to integrate expressive arts into their lives for greater wellbeing.

Nancy Smith-Watson

Nancy Smith-Watson, BA, MA candidate, LMT: Nancy is a professional actor, a somatic bodywork therapist, and is trained in Drama Therapy. In 2012, she co-founded Feast of Crispian: Shakespeare with Veterans. For the last twelve years, Nancy has facilitated hundreds of veterans and other trauma survivors through Feast’s curriculum of Shakespeare based acting, creating community and better quality of life with expressive embodiment. She has presented her work at, among other events, the NEH conference, the International Trauma Conference, and the Shakespeare Theater Association National Conference. Nancy has taught trainings across the country, including in Garrison, NY with Dr. Bessel van Der Kolk. 

Hats We Wear - Dance with Women in Transitional Housing

Through a course in University of Rochester’s Program of Dance and Movement, students develop classes that provide opportunities for agency, self-expression and community building for women in transitional housing. But the students, the women, and the instructor are all participants in a community of practice and learning, growing to support, appreciate and champion one another. This trauma-informed workshop will give participants the opportunity to see how it works, in a class called the Hats We Wear.

Missy Pfohl Smith

Missy Pfohl Smith is a choreographer, performer, and collaborative artist who directs the Program of Dance and Movement and the Institute for the Performing Arts at University of Rochester and is artistic director for the collaborative company, BIODANCE, based in Rochester, NY. She enjoys creating site-specific work such as three acclaimed full-evening length shows Anomaly, Labyrinth, and The Fragile Corridor crafted for a 4-story planetarium in collaboration with media artist W. Michelle Harris, dancers, composers, and musicians. Her choreography, performance, and teaching have spanned across the US and internationally, most recently in Greece, Finland, Scotland, and Germany. Before returning to Rochester in 2004, Missy was based in NYC for 12 years and performed and taught internationally with Randy James Dance Works and Paul Mosley, as well as apprenticing for the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. As an educator, Smith specializes in contemporary modern dance, community-engaged work, yoga, composition, and performance studies and has earned her certification in Bill Evans Somatically-based Pedagogy. Missy recently received the Lillian Fairchild Award for her artistic contributions to the Rochester community.

Frayda Lieber

Frayda Lieber is a Senior at the University of Rochester, graduating with a BA in Psychology with minors in Dance and History. She is a Choreographer for the Program of Dance and Movement shows in both the fall and spring and hopes to continue dancing after her graduation. Frayda has previously taught movement classes to the women at the Jennifer House as a part of the Dance and Interdependent Community Class in the Program of Dance and Movement at the University of Rochester. 

Travail: The Disparities of Maternal Death Rates in the United States

Travail, meaning work of a painful or laborious nature, is also a term for childbirth and labor. The excruciating exertion of giving birth should result in a joyous outcome, yet for many in our nation, it does not. In the United States, Black women and childbearing people have a maternal mortality rate three to four times higher than White women and birthing people. This is one of the widest disparities in women’s health. This set of three paintings features Dr. Shalon Irving and Keonna Cannon, RN. A third abstract piece holds a startling hidden meaning that ties them together. This body of work explores the disparities of maternal mortality rate for Black women and birthing people in the United States while also honoring and celebrating the courage and strength of those who face the disparities and bring life into the world. This presentation will use the set of three paintings and these two women’s stories to humanize and make more tangible this staggeringly widespread issue.

Hannah Bell

My current artistic practice focuses on portraits and figurative work; which gives me the opportunity to explore the beauty, variety, and value of people in my community and beyond. I explore the power of face and form to connect the viewer with personal stories and larger social issues. At the heart of so much of my work is people. Humanity. From inequality and injustice that harms people and communities and that needs to be addressed, to the people that need to be spotlighted and celebrated. When that humanity is denied and brutalized we need to feel the outrage. When there is a perfect moment of joy from a sweet child or a precious pet, we need that to keep us human and keep us motivated. Our human experience is one of the most interesting and powerful things in the world. And we all experience a vastly different world. But each life and each experience is important.

Journeying Into, Through, and With Chicana/Latina Feminist Curriculum Praxes in Dance Education

Our proposal specifically addresses the questions, 1) How are you crafting open, welcoming and diverse curriculums? and 2) How are you challenging systems of oppression through your work, your teaching, your practices? Our storytelling and teaching practices we share in our session activates critical perspectives of curriculum design and philosophy, reimagines ways of relating, teaching, and making through Chicana/Latina feminist philosophy, and transforms or re-cultures curriculum design and teaching praxes for arts educators.

Alexia Buono

Alexia Buono is a cis(ish), queer, non-disabled, white-bodied Latina of Mixed ancestry. She is a Lecturer at the University of Vermont on the unceded land of the Abenaki. Alexia studies and implements abolitionist, somatic, and relationship-building pedagogies with students, colleagues, and artists. Her website is https://www.alexiabuono.com/.

Yebel Gallegos

Yebel Gallegos is a dance artist from the borderlands. He sees and embraces the potency of the nepantla state, his Mexican-Americanness allows him to continuously (re)imagine his work and place in dance. Yebel has an MFA from the University of Washington and is currently an Assistant Professor at Bard College.

Kiri Avelar

Kiri Avelar is a fronteriza artist-scholar and educator from the U.S./Mexico borderlands of El Paso, Texas/Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua. A former Jerome Robbins Dance Division Research Fellow and NYU CLACS Teaching Fellow, her work is anchored in Chicana/Latina feminist epistemologies, border(lands) studies, and interdisciplinary frameworks.

Using Creativity and Fathers, To Stomp Out Maternal Health Issues

Maternal health issues persist as a global concern despite significant advancements in healthcare. This in-depth journey to Dad Doula, a family and father (non-birthing person) centric approach centered on leveraging the creativity and influence of fathers (nbp) to combat maternal health challenges. By engaging fathers (nbp) as proactive partners in maternal healthcare, innovative strategies can be developed to promote maternal well-being. Through creative interventions such as storytelling and participatory workshops, fathers (nbp) can be empowered to champion maternal health within their families and communities. Our work centers on the impact of integrating creativity into fatherhood initiatives, ultimately aiming to mitigate maternal health disparities and foster a supportive environment for maternal care.

Joshua Liston-Zawadi

Joshua Liston-Zawadi, a proud Milwaukee native, embodies a commitment to community, fatherhood, and mental health. Through his platform, he exemplifies intentional parenting, emphasizing the importance of family and community building. As the creator of Melanated Daddy and the Dad Doula program, he provides resources and guidance for non-birthing parents, advocating for intentional presence during pregnancy, labor, and beyond. Additionally, as co-founder of Life reDefined, a family and community engagement nonprofit, he fosters connections through collaborative experiences. A military veteran, husband, and father of four, Josh's faith and belief in community empowerment drive his passion for fatherhood. He identifies as a womanist and uses he/him pronouns.

Access is a Verb: Choreographic Approaches to Expanding Accessible Classrooms

In this workshop, participants will explore basic tenets of disability justice as frameworks for expanding accessibility in their classrooms. Facilitators e g condon (MFA Candidate, University of Illinois) and Elliot Reza Emadian (incoming Assistant Professor of Dance at RIT) will guide the group to harness improvisatory skills and imagine a choreographic approach to pedagogy.

Elliot Reza Emadian

Elliot Reza Emadian is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. Their work occurs in the intersection of dance and choreography, video art and editing, sound and music, light and photography, and popular culture. Through a lifetime of dancing, they have accrued influences from tap and jazz styles, contemporary releasing forms, modern dance, ballet, popular music video dance, and experimental performance art. Elliot has performed and toured with Sara Hook Dances and David Parker, and presented solo choreography across the US. Most recently, Jack and Diane was presented at In the heartland (Links Hall, Chicago, IL). Choreography functions as a framework for re-chronicling the story of American culture through written, artistic, and educational interventions. Elliot interrogates systems of ableism in dance classrooms and presented “Accessibility in College Dance: a collaborative approach” at the 2024 Illinois DEO conference and National Dance Educators Organization Dance and Disability Summit. Elliot holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from WandL University and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois. Elliot is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Rochester Institute of Technology. 

E G Condon

E G Condon (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher currently based in Illinois. They are currently a second-year MFA candidate in Dance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They hold a BFA in Fine Arts and a BA in Dance from The New School. In their artistic process, e g attempts to reckon with grief, death, illness, AIDS, and archives, working predominantly in soft sculpture and dance. In their free time, they are an avid knitter and ceramicist. Their artwork and choreography have been presented throughout NYC and in print, and their BFA thesis was selected by Dean Anne Gaines to represent the Fine Arts department’s 2018 graduates. They have had the pleasure of working in support of, among others, Ralph Lemon, Neil Greenberg, Yoshiko Chuma, Jennifer Monson/iLAND, Beth Gill, Elizabeth Kendall, and Visual AIDS.

The 'You' in the 'Now' Experience

“A Moment to Move for Change with Create A Space NOW” is an interactive session combining narrative, movement, and thoughtful discussion, fostering an atmosphere of inclusivity and understanding. Participants will embark on a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and advocacy, delving into their strengths and boundaries.

Hettie Barnhill

Hettie Barnhill is an accomplished Educator, Filmmaker, Director, Choreographer, and the founder of Create A Space NOW, an interactive platform dedicated to using art to challenge bias, racism, and systemic oppression. She also produces the Activated Artist Fest in the Capital Region. Hettie has been nominated for the New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Choreography, and her contributions to communities through the intersection of art and social justice have earned her numerous accolades. These include the NAACP’s "Top 21 Leaders 40 and Under Award" in Arts and Culture, the Shirley Chisholm "Women of Excellence" Award, recognition as a “Rising Star” by the Young and Powerful for Obama Group, and most recently, an honor from the California Senate for “Using Film as a Vehicle for Community Engagement and Education.” Her film, A Love Letter to Brian, Lesley, and Michelle, has won awards at multiple national and international festivals. As a performer, Hettie has over 20 years of professional experience in television, film, and theater, including Broadway performances in acclaimed productions such as Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark, FELA! (original cast), and Leap Of Faith (original cast). She has performed with multiple theater and dance companies, such as Face Off Unlimited, Second City Chicago, and Urban Bush Women to name a few.

Her recent directing and choreography work includes productions such as Handle With Care, Conversations Embodied: Nina Simone and James Baldwin, Woke-Ness In The Body and Freedom Dance Floors, Skin|Disordered, LGB (Create A Space NOW), No God In These Streets, Skeleton Crew (Black Theater Troupe, Upstate New York), She Kills Monsters (Cap Rep, Albany, NY), and This Is Me (Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival). In addition, Hettie has directed music videos like Danielle Ponder’s Roll The Credits and has worked internationally with La Mama Umbria International in Spoleto, Italy.

As a sought-after interdisciplinary presenter and speaker, Hettie has shared her work on art and activism with organizations such as the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, MLK Saratoga, One Billion Rising, the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), SUNY Potsdam's Center for Diversity, and In Our Own Voices, Inc. She has also contributed to panels for the New York State Council on the Arts and worked with A Long Walk Home Inc., using art therapy to raise awareness and provide healing for survivors of rape and violence. Off stage, Hettie has taught at multiple universities, emphasizing the importance of creating learning environments where technique, history, culture, and perspective are integrated. She currently teaches theater and dance at Union College. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, she holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in Performance Creation and Art Activism from Goddard College. Hettie’s next project is directing Once On This Island, set for 2025. For more information, visit HettieBarnhill.com.

The Psychological Safety Scaffold

This workshop is an introduction to the scaffold of psychological safety, for use in classes and rehearsal process specifically for those in teaching, coaching, directorial, or choreographic roles. This workshop use the research and writings of Timothy R. Clark, Alfie Kohn, and Paolo Friere with the intimacy direction and dance education experiences of Nicole Perry to develop a framework for building consent-forward, trauma-informed, safer spaces. Participants will develop creative practices that value belonging, facilitate collaboration and communication, center student psychological safety, and support confident performance.

Nicole Perry

Nicole Perry, MFA, CLMA, CID/C is an award-winning intimacy director, as well as intimacy coordinator and dance choreographer. Career highlights include 3 Broward County Artist Investment Grants for KINesphere (site-inspired dance), intimacy coordination for God Forbid (Hulu), and a Carbonell nomination for the intimacy direction of To Fall in Love (Theatre Lab). 

She is currently the Miami Unit Intimacy Coordinator for three new 24-25 TV series. She is on the SAG-AFTRA Intimacy Coordinator pre-registry. Nicole has taught Movement and Dance for several South Florida institutions including the Palm Beach County School District and the University of Miami. She teaches Intimacy and Movement for Intimacy Professionals Education Collective. She is a founding member of Intimacy Direction in Dance and Florida Intimacy Professionals and the founder of Momentum Stage, a professional development company for dance and theatre educators. With Momentum Stage, she is a recipient of the Doris Duke Foundation Performing Arts and Technologies Grant. Her book on consent in movement pedagogy will be published by Routledge in 2026.

Imperfect Diasporic Yearning B.S.

My final project is a film essay called “Imperfect.” It lasts a little over 18 minutes and combines direct to camera and more observed performance, as well as photography. In the course Serious Play in the Oral History M.A. program at Columbia University, I was inspired by “Public Obscenities,” “The Moth,” and Svetlana Alexievich. Outside of that course, I was inspired by concepts introduced or affirmed in my classes Writing from Personal Archives (Lydia DeFusto), Roots and Branches (Nyssa Chow), and Oral History Workshop (Amy Starecheski). On the surface, this piece is about diasporic yearning. I tried to convey my relationship with this term, which is complicated. On one hand, I genuinely feel a desire for connection with the Motherland. On the other hand, I feel anxiety, awkwardness, and annoyance with the term, especially when I sense pressure to express it a certain way, using academic language. Then it bothers me for being performative. I mean that in an anthropological sense, not a theatrical sense. I do not want to perform an emotion to be seen as socially “competent” and validated in that way. My on-screen persona sings/hums Jefferson Starship's “Miracles” because of how I explain I believe my parents' relationship is something of a miracle. I wanted to choose a song that was popular during the time they met: 1981. Because I reference my parents' relationship, I wanted to show my relationship on-screen with my boyfriend Aaron at the end. I consider our relationship something of a miracle because of the timing with my divorce and how our connection was strong from the start. He is always willing to collaborate on any-thing I make but also asks about exactly how I want him to participate. This is a form of respecting boundaries.

Christine Stoddard

Christine Stoddard is a writer, performer, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist named one of Brooklyn Magazine’s Top 50 Most Fascinating People in 2023. She founded Quail Bell Press and Productions, a creative studio. Her nationally award-winning play “Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares” had its workshop premiere at the Gene Frankel Theatre and its world premiere at The Tank as part of the core production program. You can watch the filmed version of the full play (now 7K views strong) on her YouTube channel Stoddard Says. Stoddard is known for her character act Art Bitch, which has been presented at Theater for the New City's Lower East Side Festival for the Arts, The Players Theatre, the NYC Talent Show, and beyond. She holds an MFA from The City College of New York and is an MS Documentary Film candidate at Columbia University. WorldOfChristineStoddard.com

Exploring the Fusion of Cultures in Contemporary Classical Cello Music

Classical music is undergoing a transformative shift, moving beyond its longstanding predominant focus on white, European composers towards greater diversity and inclusivity. Many living multiracial composers are at the forefront of this change by infusing their works with a blend of musical styles. I will perform three brief pieces written for solo cello, each exemplifying a fusion of Western and non-Western musical elements: Memory (2011) by Chen Yi, Hum (2020) by Derrick Skye, and Sandhiprakash (2022) by Reena Esmail. In doing so, I aim to spotlight the voices of these diverse composers and contribute to the ongoing evolution of musical inclusivity.

Chen Yi’s Memory shifts seamlessly between Chinese traditional and Western tonalities in a beautiful tribute to a violin teacher of hers who passed away. In Hum, the cello mimics a human voice to depict what Derrick Skye calls a “personal meditation, meant to sound as if one is improvising a song in an intimate moment.” Reena Esmail brings together Hindustani music and Western classical music in Sandhiprakash (“joining of light”) to depict sunrise and sunset.

My program notes will include information about the composers, the inspirations for their compositions, and examples of specific musical features that fuse musical traditions. I hope that by bringing attention to these pieces, others may develop an interest in exploring and performing these pieces and other works that continue to diversify the musical landscape.

Jennifer Carpenter

Dr. Jennifer Carpenter is a cellist in Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Coordinator of Chamber Ensembles at University of Rochester, and a member of the faculty at Eastman Community Music School and The Hochstein School. She is committed to amplifying the works of underappreciated composers, both historical and living. Her doctoral lecture recital, "Synthesis of Western-Contemporary and Chinese-Traditional Musical Features in Solo Cello Works," reflected her deep interest in blending musical traditions. In her dedication to fostering an inclusive musical landscape, she and a team of colleagues are working on an innovative project, "Resonance: A Multicultural Cello Method," which pioneers a graded teaching approach celebrating the diverse cultural influences that have shaped American music over the centuries.

Carpenter holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Performer’s Certificate from Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory.

Portraiture: A Manipulation of Space, Dance and the Body

Portraiture: A Manipulation of Space, Dance and the Body is a research-based performance of how the black dancing body is shaped and reshaped through ownership of space. The black female dancing body has assisted in maintaining African American culture as a means of resistance, community building and sustainability. The solo will invite audience members to look at dance from the performer’s point of view. A brief overview of the research will provide more background with the intent of a discussion with viewers to follow.

Tina Mullone

Tina Mullone, BA/MFA is an artist, educator, and scholar. Her performances have taken her to Germany, Mexico, New York City, Philadelphia, Louisiana, Virginia and Texas. Tina has taught in many different dance environments. As a tenured Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, she commuted from Louisiana to Texas to work with BDC and CD/FW (as Associate Artistic Director for the latter) and co-directed M2 (m squared), a performance art duet. She sits on the Nominations/Elections committees under NDEO and is the Regional Director on the ACDA New England Board. She is a certified Pilates mat instructor, the Professional level of Umfundalai contemporary African dance technique, and a National Water Dance ambassador. Her current research deconstructs space and dance in African American culture through the Black female body. She is Assistant Professor of Dance at Bridgewater State University.

Keynote: Who Am I Now?

“And now, here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye”   

--Antoine de Saint-Exupery from "The Little Prince" 

“Who Am I Now?” is a presentation but more critically a discussion. Heidi Latsky will share her recent journey through the discovery, surgery, and recovery from a benign brain tumor that had been there for 20 years. What makes her story compelling is that 55 years ago her mother had the same meningioma and she, like her daughter now, was a vital part of her mother's support system. A few films will be viewed to expose participants to the fierce vulnerability of HLD's dancers as she explains the trajectory of her career in inclusive dance.  In telling her story, Heidi aims to connect with audiences who have lived with disabilities and without. The goal is to bring everyone into the conversation to discuss and explore identity, labels, the disability dance landscape, the resilience of the dance and disability communities, and non-apparent disabilities that are often so misunderstood and feared. Heidi will also discuss the impact of this life changing experience on her work, very much influenced by her renewed deep connection with her mother who died in 2004 as well as a new group of dancers who share with her similar non-apparent disabilities. But most importantly, Heidi wants the participants to understand that her story is the jumping off point but that this workshop is something the participants will guide with their questions and interests.

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”

--Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Heidi Latsky

Heidi Latsky, the New York-based multi award-winning dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, educator, and Artistic Director, is a leader in the physically integrated dance field.  Her company, Heidi Latsky Dance (HLD), has created ground-breaking work for multiple casts of highly talented disabled and non-disabled dancers.  With a manifesto that is dedicated to disrupting space, dismantling normalcy, and challenging contemporary views on the definition of beauty, HLD’s significant repertoire - including the critically acclaimed ‘GIMP’- has been seen by audiences across the USA and abroad. As a filmmaker Heidi has created films produced by Montclair State University in 2015 and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 2020 for the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She has also produced numerous “movement portraits” in the form of films that have appeared at film festivals over the last few years, as well as volumetric videos (holograms). As a keynote speaker, Heidi has spoken about inclusion at venues like Harvard, Cornell University, Chicago Humanities Festival, annually with Fulbright scholars through One to World and at multiple festivals and conferences. In 2023, she was honored by the IDEAL School of Manhattan for her social justice advocacy, received the Martha Hill Fund Mid-Career Award and was chosen to be a Grand Marshal for NYC’s Dance Parade. As an educator, she was Head of Movement at the School for Film and Television in NYC for seven years and has developed a series of programs, specifically “Dancing Ourselves” which teaches the core values of HLD as a complete experience.

Awards received have included the NEA; NYSCA; Creative Capital; Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund and Disability Forward Fund; the Arnhold Foundation; NYC Department of Transportation Public Activations; MAP Fund; New York Community Trust; Canada Council for the Arts; Harkness Foundation for Dance; MidAtlantic Arts Foundation; Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; Google’s Creative Lab; Craig H. Neilsen Foundation; Inaugural Disability Forward Fund Recipient; NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; Dance/NYC Dance. Disability. Artistry.

The company’s most significantly accessible work, commissioned by NYC’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities in 2015 for the 25th anniversary of the ADA, is the powerful ON DISPLAY, a site-specific sculpture court series. ‘ON DISPLAY’ is also performed annually and globally in over 30 countries both live and on Zoom on December 3rd honoring the UNs’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Heidi is currently working on a new evening length dance, TRACKING PARALLEL, based on the 55-year gap between her mother at 33 undergoing brain tumor surgery and Heidi undergoing the same this year.  The piece, featuring 10 dancers most of whom have non-apparent disabilities, will investigate the experience of living with such disabilities. She is also now interested in telling her story and facilitating discourse through a new speaking series titled “Who am I now?” and a series of films WHAT IS ESSENTIAL featuring dancers with non-apparent disabilities.

Adirondack Climate Project -- Storytelling, the Arts and Embodiment

Adirondack Climate Project, spearheaded by Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp and Stephanie Ashenfelder, is a multifaceted project connecting climate change to storytelling, community building, art, movement and education. This presentation/workshop will explore how the power of community engagement, human-centered story collection, artistic interpretation and digital archiving can begin to tell the story of climate change though a humanistic lens. Presenters will briefly outline the project as it has developed, share art created by community artists, and present the archive in its current form. The presenters will guide participants through an experiential process including embodied thinking, reflection and discussion. Participants will also experience a condensed art-making session similar to the process of the Adirondack Climate Project. Presenters will facilitate a discussion that looks to the future role the arts and community engaged education can play in reimaging our climate futures.

Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp

Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp is a dancer, educator, and activist. Her artistic research centers on interdisciplinary collaboration, somatics, social justice, dance as change agent and the embodiment of activism. She has taught at universities for the past 18 years and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester. Her choreographic work has been featured internationally for the past 16 years. She has been selected for residencies and projects, including the NYS Dance Force Western NY Choreographers’ Initiative. Rose co-founded Artists Coalition for Change Together (ACCT), an organization active from 2016-2020, as a way to engage dancer-citizens in Rochester. She has received multiple grants from the Center for Community Leadership to initiate using dance in community engaged settings. As of late, her creative work has centered on reconnecting to invisible histories through site specific work (www.remnantsart.org) and engaging in climate change initiatives through embodied practice (www.adkclimateproject.com) Rose continues to perform and present with a focus on the relationship between the body and the environment, the role the body plays in environmental justice, and climate change. www.rosepasquarellobeauchamp.org

Stephanie Ashenfelder

Stephanie Ashenfelder is a faculty member with a background in arts education and community engagement. Her artistic scholarship is deeply rooted in social consciousness and interdisciplinary collaboration. Currently holding positions as the Director of Digital Media Studies and Academic Director for Studio Art at the University of Rochester, Stephanie is instrumental in leading project-based courses that emphasize design and innovation. Recognized for her dedication to students, Stephanie's innovative teaching methods received acclaim in 2022 when she and her student team secured a Verizon and NYC Media Labs Museum Initiative Grant. This initiative showcased cutting-edge edtech approaches, seamlessly blending physical and digital experiences through augmented reality in a traditional museum space. Stephanie actively collaborates with community partners to amplify marginalized voices, raise awareness, and foster education. Stephanie has undertaken impactful projects with organizations such as the Adirondack Council, the Mount Hope Holocaust Archive, and SPIRIT, NYS. Her expertise in arts-centered approaches will enrich the project's methodology, particularly in the design and implementation of the archive.

Atameen: The Art of Preservation

Atameen is a folk-art form with various names in the Middle East. However, what doesn’t differ across the region is the purpose and mode of learning. Women come together to decorate pieces of clothing for a woman to wear to weddings, ceremonies, and sometimes just to be worn at home. These clothes, often dresses, are decorated with motifs to depict where that woman is from, what her family does, what she hopes to be, and what her home is surrounded by. All of these motifs, specific to region, are cross-stitched on the fabric causing the clothing to become a piece of history and a form of storytelling. Usually, women from the family come together to cross-stitch causing the time they spend together to be a documentation of history too. These clothes prove that at one point in history women came together, they spoke, laughed, shared stories, many gossiped too. But importantly they existed. They were people too. Systems of oppression constantly challenge the existence of this medium by targeting the same entity that keeps it alive. The priorities of the older women shift causing a disruption in learning but by teaching everyone from all ages we work together to alleviate the damages of the same systems that impacted our communities. Passing this craft to you means keeping it alive so you too may teach someone else; So we too can replicate the pattern of inheritance freeing it from the damages of war. 

Fatimah Al Dulaimee

Born in Babylon Iraq and raised in Rochester NY, I am a multimedia and fiber artist working with photography, sound installations, video work, and cross-stitching. In 2023, I created an untitled tote with the casing made entirely out of polaroids capturing elements from my home and family. This work led me to focus more on conveying elements from my own memories as a motif of preserving my story and upbringings despite my immigration to the states. By translating my memories into physical and auditory work I aim to create my intangible recollection into tangible work. By creating public work out of my own memories I invite the viewer to both connect and question their relationship to my childhood. To analyze the connection between the beholder of the memory and the listener and the impact of this relationship on the authenticity of memories.

Compassion, Empowerment, and Co-creation: Epistemic Justice in Margolis Method and Lessac Kinesensics

Through the framework of Compassionate Pedagogy, this presentation explores the ways in which the voice/movement/acting methods of Lessac Kinesensics (LK) and Margolis Method (MM) offer powerful strategies for co-creating knowledge, meaning, creativity, and equity in the classroom. This presentation requires no prior knowledge of LK or MM. Accessible concepts will be offered to meet participant’s existing knowledge and practices. Exploring notions such as body wisdom, the teacher-within, feedback filters, and co-created rubrics, participants will gain strategies for co-creating inclusive, collaborative, and accessible learning spaces with their students. Like compassion, these practices provide a container that can hold all possibilities, all abilities, all people, all languages, all identities and all experiences. By honoring the body’s sensing and feeling process and the student-artist’s creative authorship LK and MM foster epistemic justice, simultaneously, for both teachers and students.

Elizabeth Parks

Elizabeth Parks is an actor, director, devisor, and voice and movement coach. She is a Lessac Kinesensics Certified Trainer, a Level II Margolis Method Certified Educator, and trains with Theatre Nohgaku in the Kita School tradition of Noh theatre. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Acting/Stage Movement at Appalachian State University where she teaches Acting, Movement, and Voice. Her research focuses on Margolis Method, Noh, and Lessac Kinesensics as embodied theatre-making and embodied actor training. She combines Compassionate, Contemplative, and Critical pedagogies with embodied ways of knowing and being to create empowering learning spaces. www.elizabethparks.org

#FinalNotice: S.T.E.A.M. Curriculum Confronting Climate Change

#FinalNotice is a S.T.E.A.M. curriculum and project that invests in dance/performance, mobile technologies, and archival activism to confront climate change, environmental racism, and historical erasure on the Brooklyn Waterfront. Starting in 2019, Danielle Russo Performance Project began partnerships with El Puente, Red Hook Initiative and its affiliate, The Freedom School of the Children’s Defense Fund, and over 60 local non-profit, grassroot, and individual historians, conservationists, environmentalists, and activists in Brooklyn, New York to envision and implement S.T.E.A.M. collaboratories and their faculties for paid Youth Leaders (ages 12-22). Together, we gathered past and living histories, public documents, and growing scientific data to create an interactive portrait of the Southside and Red Hook neighborhoods. In doing so, we prioritized self-authorship and reclaiming narratives—particularly championing the Youth Leaders, many of whom are Black and Brown adolescents whose lived experiences continue to be directly impacted by the systemic racism investigated in our collective research. The culminating result was a mobile map app freely available in English and Spanish languages, centering and amplifying the voices of local youth and community allies, and seeking to reimagine “archive” as a collaboratively generated, living record where science, history, personal storytelling, and activism meet. Next, field work in the floodplain lent to site-specific art and performance-making exercises, in which both youth and faculty-led projects cued the genfenced data research, diverse archives, community resources, and community interviews on the map app, activating audience members’ phone screens and headphones as per location. #FinalNotice coalesces action research methodologies with S.T.E.A.M. and embodied praxes that are genuinely integrated and dually learner and subject-centered, and fosters both youth and community-led artistry and advocacy.

Danielle Russo

Danielle Russo (she/her; US) is a choreographer and performer, artivist and community organizer, and scholarly educator working in aesthetics, philosophies, and thresholds of experimental dance and performance on the continuum of intermedia and socially engaged artwork. Since founding Danielle Russo Performance Project (DRPP) in 2010, she has been producing large-scale performances and experiential artwork in public spaces, for public audiences, and frequently, through public collaborations. As a choreographer, she has been presented nationally at the American Dance Festival, Detroit Institute of Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center for Performing Arts at Damrosch Park, The Oculus at the World Trade Center, and The Yard; and internationally in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Panama, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Trinidad and Tobago. Residency and fellowship awards have included C.N.N. - Ballet de Lorraine (FR), Danscentrum Jette (BE), Nadine Laboratory for the Contemporary Arts (BE), Independent Artists Initiative WUK (AT), Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation (US), LEIMAY (US), Mana Contemporary (US), Performing Arts Forum (FR), and Springboard Danse Montréal (CA), among others. She is a multi-year grant recipient of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Carnegie, Dance/NYC, Harkness Foundation for Dance, One Brooklyn Fund, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Additional highlights include Armory Arts Week, Julian Schnabel’s Casa del Popolo, Governors Island, HERE Arts Center, The High Line Nine, La MaMA (fabNYC), LMCC River to River with Amy and Jennifer Khoshbin, Moynihan Station, Place des Arts, and Solange Knowles’s Saint Heron, to name a few. Outside of her own devising, Russo danced with The Metropolitan Opera for several seasons. As an educator, she is Assistant Professor of the Practice of Dance and Critical Dance Studies in the Department of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University. Previously, she was faculty at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, CUNY Queens College, University of Iowa, and The Joffrey Ballet School BFA and Professional Divisions.

Art, Activism, and Sexual Violence: Healing Through Dance

I recently contributed a chapter to a book, Arts, Activism, and Sexual Violence published by the University of Washington Press and edited by Sally Kitch and Dawn Gilpin. I would like to present my findings that are published in the chapter in a short presentation for Arts + Change. 

This chapter examines the different ways that dance is used to educate audiences and express experiences of sexual assault. Written for readers who are not necessarily familiar with dance, it focuses on dance performance and choreographic processes that use the topic of sexual assault to inspire works. To demonstrate the work being done in the field of dance, four choreographers who have created or are currently creating pieces that explore the topics of sexual abuse and sexual assault are featured. These artists are: Jinah Parker, choreographer of choreoplay SHE; Beth Braun, Artistic Director of Esperanza Dance Project; Kevin Lee-y Green, Artistic Director of Techmoja dance company and choreographer of Quiet As It’s Kept; and Jamie Minkus, a member of Rejoice! Dance Theater and creator of When I Dare to Be Powerful. In addition to the contributions of these artists, general research and information about sexual assault as a topic in dance performance historically is reviewed. Because the 2017 #MeToo movement contributed greatly to the growth of using dance to express and educate audiences about sexual assault, this chapter also explores the influence of the #MeToo movement on the dance world.

Sydney Burrows

Sydney Burrows is a dancer, writer, and digital strategist based in Rochester, NY. In addition to her position as a Digital Content Strategist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, she is a freelance dance writer for Rochester City Magazine. She is also a company member of PUSH Physical Theatre. She holds her BA in Dance and English from Goucher College and a Master’s in English from the University of Rochester.

Act Three: Discovering Self-Care and Closure Practices for Theatre Makers

The Company Theatre’s artistic director, Carl Del Buono and two intimacy directors Jill Rittinger and Sara Penner will share tools and thoughts about successful Intimacy Director/ Director collaboration and share how they work to bring the director’s vision to life with the diverse and talented artists they work with while creating spaces for actors to do their bravest, truest work. Theatre training has long prepared actors, directors, and performers to prepare to enter a role, and do their work in the rehearsal room. Often closure practices, needed to transition from work to life are not offered or prioritized. This workshop aims to share tools for actors, directors and performing artist to approach all steps of the process with successful communication, transparency, and confidence. Participants will learn tools for individual and group closure and self-care. The workshop will include some small group participation and exploration and will finish with a Q and A.  

Carl Del Buono

Carl Del Buono (he/they) is the Artistic Director and Founder of the Company Theatre, a nonprofit theatre organization in Rochester, NY that specializes in performing important pieces from the literary canon in new and exciting ways and dedicated to its mission of honoring tradition through innovation. Carl is also a Rochester based actor/director who has acted and directed at various theaters across New York State.

Jill Rittinger

Rittinger is a mother, actor, intimacy and consent director, and Level 2 Reiki Healer based in Rochester. She has created consent-forward workshops for high school performing arts groups and theatre companies in the Rochester area highlighting the importance of personal agency for young students and performers. Rittinger’s ID and CF credits include academic, K-12 and community theater including.

Sara Bickweat Penner

Sara Bickweat Penner is an actor, theatrical intimacy and movement director who works in both academic and professional settings. She is the resident intimacy director for the U of R's Theatre Program, and her work has been seen on stages at RIT/ NTID, Nazareth College, Blackfriars Theatre, Geva Theatre, JCC CenterStage and many others.