Embedded Files
BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY
Elizabeth Bailey (she/her) is a New York City–based dancer, choreographer, and educator originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina. She holds a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Choreography and Performance and a minor in Natural Science Composite from East Carolina University.
Her work bridges performance, education, and community engagement. Elizabeth has taught and choreographed for dancers of all ages at Artistry in Motion and Empower Dance Studio, where she also served as Administrative Coordinator. She has worked as a Dance Facilitator with STEM From Dance, leading workshops that integrate movement, technology, and confidence-building for young women, and as a Social Media Specialist with ShaLeigh Dance Works, where she was a company member until her relocation to New York.
Elizabeth’s choreography has been presented at the Fall for Fall Dance Festival, and she has performed works by Tatiana Desardouin, Les Gamal (Emerick and Loïck Gene), John Dixon, and Jessica Teague, among others. Her international experience includes a dance exchange in Nairobi, Kenya with Dance Centre Kenya, Artists for Africa, and Project Elimu.
Her practice centers on connection—between movement, people, and place—and she continues to explore how dance can create dialogue, access, and community across contexts.
PHOTO BY JOHN DIXON
ARTIST STATEMENT
ARTIST STATEMENT
Through connection and collaboration with other artists, I have found that rich work is produced when each person feels like they made a part of the movement that they are having to do. We were put on this earth to connect with one another. Movement practice allows us to connect with individuals through our artistic outlet. When I am working as a dancer, I like to focus more on the process and making sure that I am connected to the work. I want anyone involved in the process to be connected to the root of the work. I want people to know that every molecule in their being is connecting with the space they are moving in and each person they are sharing the space with.
As a creative, I want to expand what is defined as movement practice and dance performance. I believe that the simplest gestural movement is just as rich as a larger-scale movement. Especially in movement within the eyes and facial regions. I want the dancers involved in the work are fully engaged down to their pupils. This brings intentional focus to the artists in the work as well as the observers of the work.
As a dancer and choreographer, I value intentional focus. Focusing unites the people in the room with the audience members as well as fixing their eyes on something which focuses their energy on that space creating a new world for the dancer and the observer. It allows them to express, if even for a moment, their true artistic self and they are able to take ownership of their movement. When facilitating this connection, there is a level of intimacy between the dancers that must be handled with care and genuine conversations. For the dancers to connect on this level, they must be in a comfortable, safe, encouraging environment to access a different layer of the creation process—humans connecting through pure energy and exploration. I push my dancers as well as myself to connect with the movement they are doing conceptually and molecularly and find that this is the part of dance that started my passion for it in the first place—experiencing other parts of myself that can only be found through movement and authentic connection with others.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse