Olivia Piper My name is Olivia Piper, and I am a senior dance performance and choreography major at Spelman College. During my time as an intern for the DC NEXT Summer Intensive, I have learned what it takes to put a production together in a short amount of time. I have also had the opportunity…
“Growing Through Tough Times”: Spelman Student Olivia Piper Critiques Dance Canvas’ 2022 Performance Showcase
Olivia Piper is a senior at Spelman College who studies dance. Piper is also a summer intern for our DC NEXT 2022 summer program. She has studied dance for eight years and enjoys the freedom she feels within the dance space that allows and encourages self-expression and healing through movement. As a choreographer, she is…
“The Compassion and Empathy Necessary to Uplift a Community”: Spelman College Student Jasmine Taylor Newsome Critiques Dance Canvas’ 2022 Performance Showcase
Jasmine Taylor Newsome is a senior Dance Performance & Choreography major at Spelman College. As an artist and creator, she is passionate about using dance as a vehicle to cultivate the mind, body, and soul connection. Within any space, she uses intentionality and compassion to blend wellness and dance to create innovative approaches to life…
Engaging with College students through College Night & Dance Critiques: Dance Canvas Announces Partnership with Spelman College
Each year, Dance Canvas hosts our annual College Night before the first show of our Performance Series. The idea to host a College Night began seven years ago as an initiative to connect students entering the dance field to choreographers and students from different universities who share the same passion. The night is full of…
Meet Haley Wall- investigating movement | launching new adventures, Spring 2022 Intern
My name is Haley Wall, and I’m so incredibly honored to be selected as an intern for Dance Canvas 2022! My dance journey began like many others; mom putting me in ballet to release some of my energy, and the rest is history. As I continued to progress through my dance career, I had the…
Meet Jaiya Smith – Developing a Heart for Dance: Spring 2022 Dance Canvas Intern
I began my dance journey at the age of 3 and ½ when I started taking ballet and tap lessons with a small dance group. I enjoyed the dance lessons so much that I began taking ballet classes at En Pointe School of Dance where I learned about the foundations of ballet and developed a…
f..-.r.-.o—n-.t-i..e.r.-: Meet Dara Capley; 2021-2022 CCDI Choreographer
The relationship between dance and science fiction is extraordinary in Choreographic Career Development Initiative (CCDI) choreographer Dara Capley’s piece. “I have always loved science fiction and fantasy stories and feel that those genres and dance have an incredible amount in common, in that they both use extreme metaphors to explore emotion and connection between individuals.”…
bend to break: Meet Monica Hogan Thysell; 2021-2022 CCDI Choreographer
Meet choreographer, teacher, and dancer Monica Hogan Thysell. After residing in New York City for over a decade, she is now based in Atlanta, Georgia. She made this transition in late 2019, which was the blissful period before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As global lockdowns began, this period of isolation and solitude inspired…
Creating From Concrete to the Stage: Meet Atarius Armstrong; 2021-2022 CCDI Choreographer
Armstrong went on to provide an anecdote of a rehearsal. “I recently said to one of my dancers in jest, “Let’s throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks”. I generally come into the rehearsal process with the skeleton of an idea, teach the material, and then try new things while leaning on the dancers’ intuition and strengths.”
Get Up and Dance with Dance Canvas Choreographer Leah Boresow Groover; Choreographer Catch Up
” Quarantine has pushed me to create my own opportunities more than ever.” This has led Leah to choreograph and direct her own dance concept videos, producing one that debuted in April 2021, and another that just debuted in October 2021…This month, she opens a new dance studio!
Meet Jada Nuri: Forming a Livelihood; Fall 2021 Intern
As a young girl, I was enthralled in the playfulness of dance. Feelings of joy and belonging came up for me, and I knew, as well as my grandmother, that I was meant to dance for as long as I possibly could. Back then, I didn’t foresee that I could have a career doing what I loved, but I knew I felt safe when I was moving and my creativity blossomed.
Beyond DC Next: From Summer Intensive to Major Internships
Raven Crosby | Administrative Assistant As students participate in our DC Next program each summer, they are presented with a host of skills that are applicable in all career fields. These skills are gained through taking on leadership positions, creating initiatives, and engaging in classes and choreography. Students develop networking, administrative, professional branding, and more…
Dance Canvas 