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Cleveland Arts Prize
2006 Awardee
Kathryn Karipides Scholarship in Modern Dance     

 


biography

Robin Anderson

 

Robin Anderson is currently in the process of completing her Master of Fine Arts in The Ohio State University's acclaimed Department of Dance. With a concentration in performance and audience development, her research resulted in performing New York based choreographer Larry Keigwin's Straight Duet and designing a performance series held in the community. During her graduate studies, she has performed in multiple works by faculty members Melanie Bales, Bebe Miller and Susan Van Pelt Petry and has been featured in dance theater works by graduate students Kristin Hapke and Michael Estanich. While in Columbus, she has taught in the department's elective program and completed a Pilates Mat certification course. Before pursuing her graduate studies, she lived in Portland, Oregon where she worked as a teacher, performer, choreographer and arts administrator. In addition to serving as Oregon Ballet Theatre's School/Company Manager, she studied and performed with professional dance artists Linda K. Johnson, Tracy Broyles, Michelle Ainza, Kim Elliott and Teresa Mathern. Currently, she is the Graduate Administrative Associate in the Performing Arts Department at the Wexner Center for the Arts. She has also been involved in the Wexner Center's Education Department as a Guest Artist and summer camp educator. In the last year, her advocacy for the field of dance resulted in the creation of the performance series titled :03 Minute Portions. A part of her MFA research, the series was designed to build audiences for dance in Columbus and addressed economic, geographic, cultural and aesthetic accessibility issues that audiences are confronted with when attending and experiencing dance. Ms. Anderson was selected to present her research on audience development at The Ohio State University's Hayes Graduate Research Forum where she received second prize for her paper and presentation. This summer she will present her research on audience development to the international dance community at the World Dance Alliance's Global Assembly in Toronto where individuals from over twenty countries will gather.

 

Robin Anderson

essay

I never have had the opportunity to attend one of the nationally known summer intensives that define and shape the training of contemporary dance students. As I approach the completion of my graduate studies, some of these programs that target a younger population are no longer a strong match for my career interests and endeavors. In turn, with an aspiration to live and work in Europe upon graduation, I have turned to exploring summer study options abroad. With the growing difficulty of obtaining visas and the expanded competition of the united European

Union, attending workshops abroad is one of the only ways to make connections with choreographers and dance companies.

This summer I plan to attend a portion of ImPuls Tanz, the leading European dance festival held in Vienna, Austria. With a program that lasts five weeks, the festival draws artists from across the European Union and from around the world. In addition to weekly workshops, daily classes, and research forums, the festival also features performances of leading European dance companies, such as Jérome Bel, Maguy Marin and Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker/Rosas.

In addition to participating in repertory classes of European based companies such as William Forsythe, Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker/Rosas and Ultima Vez, I will participate in a two and a half week workshop led by performer, choreographer and improviser Benoit LaChambre.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see his collaborative performance with Meg Stuart and Hahn Rowe at Dance Theatre Workshop in New York City. LaChambre's thirty years of experience in the field was evident in the transformations he made throughout this performance of "LOVE,

FORGERIES AND OTHER MATTERS." Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a range of world-renowned artists such as Stephanie Skura, Nina Martin, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Marie Chounard, Sasha Waltz, Felix Ruckert, Boris Charmatz and Meg Stuart.

The workshop LaChambre is leading is titled "Body Reflection or Many

States of Being." Having focused on performance in my graduate studies, this workshop will allow me to continue to explore upon my range of abilities as a performer. With a focus on deep imagery,

LaChambre's workshop will offer me an opportunity to discover new sources of cultivating performance presence. Working with fourteen other individuals from around the world, the six hour/day experience will offer an intimate environment in which I hope to cultivate artistic partnerships for the future.

In addition to my skills and interests as a dance artist, my endeavors in the field of dance have been equally fed by my experiences as an arts administrator. As a part of my MFA research over the past year I designed and implemented a performance series that sought to build audiences for dance in Columbus, Ohio. Thus, having the opportunity to be exposed to the operation of a major European Dance Festival that has a significant impact on the community will also inform my on-going research in audience development. Through participating in ImPuls Tanz, I hope to make connections for future employment in arts administration within the European Union.