Today, we’d like to introduce you to Christi Harris.
Hi Christi, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I am a professional dancer and choreographer working in Salt Lake City. I started dancing at a young age in a small farm town in southern Alberta, Canada, and grew up with a love of dance. I moved to the United States after graduating high school where I went to college at BYU-Idaho and studied performance and choreography after getting bored sitting at a desk all day for my first two years in college. While in my undergraduate program, I participated in the tour company “Dance Alliance” and performed all over the United States, Costa Rica, and Panama. After I graduated with my degree, I moved abroad to work with Navdhara Indian Dance Theatre in Mumbai, India under the direction of Ashley Lobo.
Since returning to America, I have had the pleasure of working with Wasatch Contemporary Dance Company, Fem Dance Company, Repertory Dance Theatre in their Emerge series, Cirque Orenda and as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and teacher in the Salt Lake area. I have had the honor of working with artists such as Kaley Pruitt, Stephanie Garcia, Jamaal Burkmar, Roxanne Gray, Jack Casey, and Kamala Somphanh. Recently, I was awarded the Judges Choice Award at Red Rock Dance Festival for a recent work of mine, “Mambo Jambo” inspired by the journey of finding oneself.
I am the Artistic director and founder of Tiny House Dance Collective, which focuses on building a safe space to create, observe, empower, promote human connection, and deepen understanding through contemporary dance. I am drawn to and inspired by the human experience as it is reflected in art and dance, as well as the deeply collaborative effort that produces performative works. Creating this tiny new space has been such a crazy dream come true and I am so lucky to have such a beautiful support system behind me cheering me on and helping this dream become more of a reality everyday!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The performing arts is a tough industry that requires a lot of hard work and dedication. It’s hard to see successful dancers and not want to be just like them. But, I feel like one I embraced my strengths and really worked to develop my own voice as an artist I found more success. I wasn’t trying to be anything I’m not and was just allowing myself to be authentically me.
A consistent struggle in the dance world is finding the financial support needed in the arts. The cost of studio rental space for rehearsing, venue rental fees, costuming, insurance and music licensing, lighting, photography and videography fees, and paying all artists involved in producing professional projects has made it difficult. We have recently started applying for grants and working on fundraising to help cover these costs. We do have a great community supporting us and we have high hopes to continue the momentum and be able to pay all artists what they deserve for their hard work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Tiny House Dance Collective is a professional company founded in Spring of 2023 and we are working to bring more artistic opportunities to the Salt Lake City area. We presented our first evening length show and made our debut as a company in October of 2023. We are excited to premiere our new show “How to want to go” on April 19th and 20th. As a collective, we strive to build a safe space to create, observe, empower, promote human connection, and deepen understanding through contemporary dance.
We specialize in modern/contemporary dance focused around the human experience and social issues. Tiny House takes pride in providing a safe space for choreographers to create whatever they want and dive into themes, ideas, and conversations without fear or hesitation. Artists, therefore, have full creative freedom and are able to produce works that are authentic, human, thought-provoking, and meaningful. Our performers are encouraged to bring their personal experiences to the work, immerse themselves in the environment each choreographer creates, and delve deep into the collaborative effort that produces performative works.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Bringing people together and creating a community of love and support is something that makes me happy. Being in the studio being surrounded by amazing and supportive and loving artists is such an amazing feeling. Tiny House has become such a fun little family and we all work together towards a collective goal, we problem solve together, we laugh together, and support each other in such a beautiful way.
Pricing:
- Tickets to our show are $20!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinyhousedance/?igsh=MWN4Z28zcmNwdnhzYg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
https://www.instagram.com/christiharris_/?igsh=MXAxcDdjeXhmajZsYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Stoddard Photography @stoddard.photography
