Nia Love

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Nia Love

Nia Love is a dancer and choreographer based in New York City. She is a radical thinker, artist, performer and professor that focuses on Modern dance, Post-Modern dance, and West African dance. She is known for her spiritual relationships to movement and performance,[1] as well as her personal work that is critical of structural racism and examines the role of women in dance through her poetry, movement and art.[2]

Early life and inspiration[edit]

Love was raised in Florida, where her father Ed was a professor at Florida State University (FSU). Love apprenticed with the Cuban National Ballet in Havana, Cuba in 1978 and 1986.[3] She received her MFA in Dance at FSU in 1992.[4] Love's dance style draws inspiration from Butoh, Modern dance forms, and traditional African dance.[5] While at FSU, she integrated live drumming into her classes and performances.[4] Regarding her work's individuality, she has cited inspiration from her father and her emphasis on family, as well as traditional Japanese dance influences, having studied Butoh under Min Tanaka.

Teaching[edit]

In the early 1990s, Love taught an Alternative Learning Program in the Arts with a focus on African culture in Los Angeles.[4] Since then, Love has taught through many programs and institutions, such as: American Dance Festival, Smith College, Williams College, Sarah Lawrence College, Hunter College, University of Colorado, Movement Research, and Bates Dance Festival.[6] She currently teaches at Queens College, Hunter College, and The New School.

List of choreographed works[edit]

  • Ye Who Seeks Balance in the Midst of Chaos Shall Rise to a Warrior's Stance - 1990[5]
  • Pow - 1993[7]
  • Listen, Little Man - 1994[2]
  • Wind at My Back - 1995[8]
  • Bringing' It Together - 2001[9]
  • No Dancing Please! - 2001[10]
  • Residue - 2001[11]
  • g1(host): lostatsea - 2019[12]

Fellowships and awards[edit]

  • Fulbright Fellow - 2001 to 2003
  • Brooklyn Arts Exchange Artist in Residence - 2011 to 2012, 2013 to 2014
  • Suitcase Fund Award/African - 2013 to 2014
  • Middle East Cultural Partnership - 2013 to 2014
  • New Directions Choreographic Laboratory - 2013 to 2014[6]
  • CUNY Dance Initiative - 2014 to 2015
  • Movement Research Artist in Residence - 2016[3]
  • The Bessie Award - 2017 [13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lewis, Julinda (August 1991). "Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century: Nia Love-Pointer; Bebe Miller". DANCE Magazine.
  2. ^ a b Sloat, Susanna (Spring 1994). "Bust a Move!". Vol. 10, no. 2. Attitude.
  3. ^ a b "Nia Love". Movement Research. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Arnold, Denise (May 14, 1992). "Class blends dance and drums to explore African roots". Vol. 77, no. 154. Florida Flambeau.
  5. ^ a b Segal, Lewis (July 23, 1990). "'Kaleidoscope' Proves Artistry More Telling Than Ethnicity". The Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b "Nia Love – CUNY Dance Initiative". Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  7. ^ Gere, David (May 29, 1993). "Originality, variety shown in Black Choreographers Moving". The Oakland Tribune.
  8. ^ "Dance". The Village Voice. August 8, 1995.
  9. ^ Curtis, Lisa J. (June 4, 2001). "Dance flowers in Brooklyn". The Brooklyn Papers.
  10. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (June 7, 2001). "Through Sidewalk Cracks, Hardy Cultural Flowers Leap Toward the Sun". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Blacksmith's Daughter forges emotion connection in Residue". The Republican Journal. July 12, 2001.
  12. ^ "Gibney Presents nia love's 'g1(host): lostatsea' Nov. 7-9, 2019". gibneydance.org. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  13. ^ "Awards". The Bessies. Retrieved 2018-05-26.


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