SWARM Workshop
w/Anouk Otsea and Sophia Smith
7/12 -5PM
Taught by Niko8 company members Anouk Otsea and Sophia Smith- this class will delve into the the work created in Niko8's inaugural piece: SWARM. Come learn the choreo before you see the show! As always- free for everyone and open to everyone in the community.
About Anouk and Sophia
Born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, Lingít Aaní, home of the A'akw Kwáan and T'aaḵu Kwáan peoples, Anouk is a multidisciplinary movement artist. After attending Walnut Hill High School for the Arts, she graduated summa cum laude with a minor in religious studies from the LINES Ballet BFA Program. While at LINES, she performed original works by Alice Klock, Robert Moses, Christian Burns, and Gregory Dawson, to name a few. Her dance film, “solace,” was featured in the 2021 San Francisco Dance Film Festival. In her professional life, Anouk has performed works by Genevieve Carson, Katlin Bourgeois, Noelle Keyser, Monique Haley, Savannah Dunn, Megan Rhodes, Jackie Nowiki, and Jessica Miller Tomlinson, amongst others. A former company member with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre and Dance in the Parks (Chicago), Anouk is currently a dancer with Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society as well as a collaborating artist with Little Fire Artist Collective. When not in the studio, Anouk can be found teaching GYROTONICⓇ or coaching a youth rock climbing team. Anouk is humbled and honored to be a founding company member with Niko8!
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Sophia is a dancer, teacher and choreographer based in Chicago, IL. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2021, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a focus in performance and choreography. During her time at Ohio State, Sophia was one of sixteen dancers who traveled with the Dance Denmark tour group in Summer 2019, under the direction of Ann Sofie Clemmensen and Daniel Roberts. She showcased a piece in Slagelse, Odense, and Aalborg, and also performed in a work choreographed by Daniel Roberts. As a student in the Department of Dance, Sophia performed in works created by Eddie Taketa, Momar Ndiaye, Susan Van Pelt Petry, and Anne Sofie Clemmensen. She also performed in several MFA and BFA thesis projects throughout her four years. Sophia is very excited to be a founding company member in Niko 8 and is looking forward to the years ahead!