Stephanie Valle Cruz

Daring & Curious

Within my choreographic process, I pose two important questions. As humans and artists, what builds our identity? Secondly, how is our heritage a vital part of who we are? I advocate for the voices of our ancestors and work from a historical lens where a lived history can be shared through the ephemeral. As a Puerto Rican woman, I understand contemporary dance as a fusion of culture, people, and style where risk-taking, and weight sharing informs notions of comfortability and expands the movement vocabulary which I work with. I create implementing different tools; from collaboration, solo work, group works, and an overall sense of play. In my experience, a creative practice means to keep a sense of curiosity alive, all the while, a curiosity rooted by our embodied histories.