2024 was a year full of exciting opportunities to develop and share work, build creative relationships, and connect with new communities across the U.S. and beyond. In January we kicked off the year with a “Watch This!” performance excerpt at The Tank through the unKEMPT Dance Festival, and then dove into a rehearsal process starting in February. By March, I had the opportunity to share a brand new, 25-minute duet titled “This is what I’d do if I loved you” with Spark Theater Festival. Thanks to generous contributions from our donors, our April campaign was awarded a $1000 match through Fractured Atlas’ Spring Match Campaign. This helped make it possible for the “Watch This!” cast to reunite in May and perform the full work at Dixon Place with the Fast Forward Festival. I spent June and July in Durham, NC at the American Dance Festival as part of their International Choreographer’s Residency: a program I have dreamed of participating in since I was a college student! While at ADF, I was able to build relationships with other early-career dance-makers from around the world that will last the rest of my life, as well as take daily technique classes and set a new work on college-aged dancers. In August, I made my international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland -- another dream come true! I performed a solo excerpt of “Watch This!” as part of the Vibrance Showcase, organized by Chutzpah Dance. Upon returning home in September, we were hosted by Domingo World on Edgemere Farm in Queens, where we performed a special, outdoor version of “This is what I’d do if I loved you.” In October, I got the news that I’ll be developing my ADF piece further in the New Year, as well as bringing an excerpt of “Watch This!” to California next summer (more info coming soon)! November has been a busy month for prepping and planning these exciting new projects, and December will be a time to rest, reflect, and reset. Whew! What a year! Thanks for coming along for the ride!

My name is Heather Dutton and I am a queer dance theatre artist. I was raised by a ballet teacher and a social worker, and grew up calling my Godmother’s dance studio my second home. Taking after both of my parents, my life is driven by the desire to connect with people and improve the lives of others, as well as by the conviction that art and movement are some of the best ways to accomplish this. I moved to Brooklyn with my best friends in 2021, and have been leading a chaotic and beautiful life full of freelance dance work, nannying, teaching, traveling, independent projects, and lots of card games ever since. My background also includes theater, comedy, and gender studies, all of which shape the way that I go about developing choreography. I feel strongly that it is my job as a dance maker to give my audiences a "way in" -- to make work that creates a communal experience not just for the people performing, but for all who choose to engage with us. (Don't worry -- this doesn't mean you have to get onstage!) I often utilize text, popular music, props/sets, pedestrian gestures, etc. to create shared vocabularies between dancers and their audiences. I am interested in the full spectrum of the human experience, and especially the overlap between the devastating and the joyful. We are so complicated! Our bodies have the capacity for celebration, fear, isolation, connection, love, anger, and so much more -- and I am curious about exploring all of it!

As you can probably tell, this year has been a very special one. It is such a gift to have the opportunity to make work with so many brilliant artists and to share that work with such engaged, generous communities of people. Especially at this time in our world, a time that is often defined by division, it is deeply important that we all continue to make art and invest in our creative lives. Caring for and sharing with our communities is some of the most meaningful work we can do. I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to facilitate connection, conversation, play, and movement amongst my collaborators and my viewers, and I am committed to continuing to make dance work that genuinely uplifts artists and audiences alike. If you have supported us in any way in the last few years, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to make this work possible. Whether you have been a regular contributor, attended shows, claimed a space on our spring campaign bingo card, or sent us words of love and encouragement, you have made a big difference. Thank you for believing in this work and for being a part of our community. Thank you for investing your energy, time, and/or resources into making all of this possible. We quite literally couldn’t do it without you!

I’m not able to share the details of what’s in the works for 2025 just yet, but we have some very exciting opportunities on the horizon. From traveling with some pre-existing work to developing brand new work, there is a lot to look forward to. My ambition is to be able to give more and more dancers work that pushes them, fulfills them, and pays them fairly. All of the donations that I receive go directly toward expenses that support the maintenance of a healthy and equitable dance environment. If you are considering making a tax-deductible donation, know that your money will go directly to a hardworking dance artist who is committed to tending to their communities through dance. As we celebrate and reflect on 2024, we are setting a (rather ambitious) end of year goal of raising $2024 before December 31st. Remember that donations of all sizes are appreciated and go a long way. If you’re able to make a donation of $20.24 today, it will cover one hour of a dancer’s rehearsal time come January! If you are able to set up a monthly donation of $20.24 for the next year, you will fund 12 hours of rehearsal for one brilliant dancer! If you are not able to donate but are still interested in the work, you are just as valuable to our community. Please don't hesitate to reach out, come see a show, or ask what we're working on! We are always looking for new ways to connect, collaborate, and grow with the people around us.