Bruce Wood Dance welcomes Stephanie Martinez to the studio for a new work residency, ultimately to produce a world premiere for our June show, SPRING, on June 10 and 11 at Moody Performance Hall.

 

With more than 11 years of award–winning works, Chicago–based choreographer Stephanie Martinez moves her audiences along a journey guided by the kinetic momentum of her work. With original creations for Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Charlotte Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Kansas City Ballet, and National Choreographers Initiative, among others, Martinez’s versatility expands the boundaries of contemporary ballet movement. Martinez has created more than 60 ballets on companies and collegiate programs across the country.

 

In 2010, Martinez assisted Broadway legend Ann Reinking in setting the Fosse Trilogy, and in 2015 was awarded Joffrey Ballet’s “Winning Works: Choreographers of Color” commission and the Chicago 3Arts Award in recognition for her work as a female artist of color. More recently, Martinez was awarded an NEA grant for her premiere, Bliss! at Joffrey Ballet. Dubbed “a chameleon” of choreography by The Chicago Tribune, Martinez’s psychologically revelatory works challenge the viewer’s notion of what’s possible.

 

Stephanie Martinez founded her own company PARA.MAR Dance Theatre in July of 2020. She was lauded as the subject of “Fearlessly Inspired, 2020” and acknowledged as a “shining example of resilience, adaptability and artistry in an extraordinary year.” PARA.MAR is one of Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch in 2022.