Monday, May 8, 2017

Hi, I'm Alexis.


A little bit about me...

I am a rising senior at UArts pursuing a BFA in Dance and a minor in photography. Originally from Ellington CT (lots of fields and cows), I've been dancing since I was almost 2 years old and have developed a deep passion for the arts. I enjoy experimenting with technology and dance to create, document, and perform works that push the boundaries of performance and, after completing my studies, hope to join a company where I can continue to perform and choreograph alongside my interest in photography.

This summer I will be working with the Eryc Taylor Dance Company (ETD),  located in New York, NY. ETD was founded in 2006 by UArts alum Eryc Taylor, and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), modern dance company who’s mission is to “advance appreciation of dance and educate the public about dance by creating and presenting original performances, conducting master classes and workshops, and making grants to aspiring choreographers”. In addition to performing and teaching workshops, ETD strives to break barriers with a number of different outreach programs that they implement within the community as well as internationally.

From what I understand, this experience will further my knowledge of  both the front-end process of choreography, client meetings, scouting, etc, and the back-end business logistics that fuel a nonprofit company. Eryc also mentioned the possibility of me helping edit videos and experiment in the documentation process of rehearsals through my interest in photography and media. I will even get the opportunity to observe rehearsals, learn repertoire, and take class with the company, as well as get feedback from them as I create my own small study.

Through this experience I hope to gain a firm understanding of budgeting, grant writing, fundraising, marketing, scheduling, and the general administrative work needed for a dance company to run smoothly. I also hope that this will give me the opportunity to feel what it’s like to be a part of a dance company and get advice and insight from the professional dancers I will be surrounded by. I will be starting in about two weeks and am going to be commuting from Philadelphia to New York, as housing in NY is awfully expensive and too last minute. I look forward to the challenge of getting to know NYC a little better and am excited to grow as a person and and artist in the upcoming weeks.

More to come~

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