Choreographer: Christine Suarez, Los Angeles CA Website: www.suarezdance.org Artist Statement/Philosophy/Mission Statement: In 1998 I founded SuarezDanceTheater, a New York-based not-for-profit, ensemble of dancers, actors and musicians that were committed to collaboratively creating original dance-theater that is rooted in rigorous dancing and compelling narrative. Since relocating to Los Angeles, I have been invigorated by making dances in unexpected places as an independent choreographer. Each new project evidences my faith in the collaborative process and belief that this generosity spills out to create an intimate and shared space with the viewer. I am committed to finding new ways to see and experience dance in particular bringing dance to public spaces. I want to not only push the boundaries of how we experience dance but also what are we experiencing, in essence loosening the confines of the container that dance inhabits. Short Artist/Company Bio: Christine Suarez is a Los Angeles-based performer, choreographer and educator. Born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in Baton Rouge Louisiana, she lived and worked in New York City for twelve years: training, performing and creating new work for dance and theater in and with downtown venues and artists. Her choreography has been presented at various venues including P.S. 122, Dancespace Project and HERE in New York and Anatomy Riot, REDCAT, and Highways Performance Space in Los Angeles. She was an Artist in Residence at Tribeca Performing Arts Center from 2003-2006. Touring work includes performances and residencies in Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana and Tallinn, Estonia. She has been awarded grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Puffin Foundation, Meet the Composer, JP Morgan Chase Regrant, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. She has been a guest teacher at Emory University, Indiana University, Southeastern University of Louisiana and Louisiana State University. She holds an MFA in choreography from UCLA's World Arts and Cultures Department and a BA in Theater and English Literature from Emory University. She is currently developing a dance program at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital and making a series of dance that will be performed in Los Angeles area parks and playgrounds. Describe some of your achievements over the course of the last five years: (in no particular order) I left my life in New York City and moved across the country to Los Angeles, had back surgery, got divorced, completed the MFA program at UCLA, received a grant from Hispanic Scholarship Fund McNamara Family Creative Arts Projects which fulfilled my dream of producing Wet Spots in three cottages, fell in love, got married, had a baby, and toured to Eastern Europe. I perform, create new work, curate, collaborate, teach and am in the process of developing a dance program at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital for veterans with severe mental illness. I say all this because I have found more and more that my life feeds and inspires my dance-making and visa versa.
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