Paying dancers/collaborators is extremely important to me. This year I am one of twenty artists selected for a Baryshnikov Artist Residency which will be held this November that the Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC! I will be bringing dancers Natalie Allen, Nicole Hagen and Alex Rix along with Composer Sio Tepper with me to develop As if everything was perfect. Costume Designer Tess Hewlett will also be collaborating on this work from California. This year I have had the honor of presenting my work at many festivals/venues including The Palm Desert Choreography Festival, Arts on Site, The Odyssey Summer Dance Festival, White Wave's Dumbo Festival and Mashup Dance Company's International Women's Day Festival. Your support of this campaign will contribute to the growth of Gianna Burright + Artists bright future and pay dancers fairly for their work.
How you can help:
1. Make a donation: your financial support small or large will go a long way!
2. Spread the word! Share this fundraiser with your network to increase visibility and support.
3. If you have extra flight miles, credit card points or hotel points email giannaburright@gmail.com as we are always looking for ways to lower costs and can use all the support we can get.
4. Non-Monetary Donations: Contribute goods or services that can help minimize costs.
5. Make a monthly donation to Gianna Burright + Artists to help support the longevity of the work.
About the work "As if everything was perfect":
As if everything was perfect - questions the societal expectations of traditional gender roles, specifically examining the layered emotional experience of historical expectations of women juxtaposed against the inevitable passing of time.
A character-driven embodiment of a woman's internalized sense of responsibility, As if everything was perfect centers women’s oscillation between having compassion for past, current, and future versions of themselves and extreme guilt. Guilt is reinforced from all directions: being too young or too old to have children, to wear something, to get married, to have worth, to build a career, to start a family. Embracing the intersectional, complex nature of women's emotional experience, the work invites a sense of curiosity within the joy and despair, silliness and serenity. The resulting choreography reveals fantasies, nightmares, memories, and utopias - real and imagined. Echoing the naturally uneven pace of life, slow movement progressions are interrupted with abrupt, unexpected shifts. This exploration organically evolved to our exploring women’s relationship to clothing, for we are subjected to extreme judgment of our physical appearance. As if everything was perfect employs the use of brooms as props and interactive dance partners to unearth moments of female liberation from duty, discipline, and responsibility. Striving to embody the many areas of gray.
The work was originally created during the Jacobs Pillow Ann and Westin Hicks Choreography Fellowship where I was selected as one of eight choreography fellows in 2022. Following the fellowship program, I was selected for the Dance Gallery Festival's Ardsley Residency. I have also produced two smaller residences to develop this work as well. YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THE WORK. Yes, this work has been in development for the past two years and although it has already been presented in front of audiences we are only at the beginning. This is my first evening length work that I have developed in my career. I am taking my time applying to residencies speaking with producers and fundraising to do this right. As previously mentioned, paying my collaborators is EXTREMELY important to me. I envision that this work will be fully realized within the next 1-3 years depending on funding, resources, residencies and research & development.
About Gianna:
Gianna Burright (she/her/hers), an Ojai native, is a choreographer, dancer, and educator known for exploring emotional extremes through her work. A self-proclaimed late bloomer, Burright’s passion for dance began at Nordhoff High School when her mother encouraged her to take Kim Hoj’s dance class freshman year, which ultimately changed her life. Through dance, she found confidence, creativity, and her voice as an artist. Now, she is fortunate to teach alongside Hoj at Nordhoff, helping the next generation of dancers explore their own journeys of self and artistic discovery. Burright has recently been awarded a 2024 Baryshnikov Arts Center Fall Artist Residency, adding to a distinguished portfolio that includes roles as a 2024 Hubbard Street Dance Chicago summer program Create Choreographer, 2023 Carmel Dance Festival Choreography Fellow, and 2022 Jacob's Pillow Choreography Fellow. She has presented her work in fifteen countries at iconic venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, the International Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Bonnie Byrd Theatre, Turner Contemporary Art Gallery and LA Dance Project. Mentored by acclaimed figures in the dance world such as Jojo Alsberry, Lillian Barbeito, Peter Chu, Alex Ketley, Diane McIntyre and Risa Steinberg Burright's choreography delves into the complexities of femininity, societal norms, and gender roles, fostering inclusive environments where all artists can thrive. In addition to teaching at Nordhoff, she directs the dance program at The Thacher School, teaches at Cate High School, and works as a choreographer across the U.S. For her, it is an honor to be able to teach dance and bring back her experiences to so many young people in the Ojai community. Burright holds a BFA in Dance from UCSB and an MFA in Choreography from Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance.