Sunday, February 21, 2021 7:15 am
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GONIC - The New England Foundation for the Arts' Regional Dance Development Initiative has announced the artist cohort for Regional Dance Development Initiative (RDDI): New England Now. The prestigious and highly competitive artist cohort includes Gonic native and founder of Neoteric Dance Collaborative, Sarah Duclos.
Duclos, a freelance choreographer and teaching artist based in New Hampshire,  holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Theatre and Dance from the University of New Hampshire and a graduate certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy from National Arts Strategies and the University of Pennsylvania. Her choreography blends ballet, jazz, contemporary, physical theater, and social dance forms and she frequently collaborates with artists, organizations, and community members. The resulting work appears in concert dance and theatrical contexts as well as in public community spaces such as parks, tea shops, and monuments and frequently includes a participatory element for audiences.
As a young dancer, Duclos worked directly with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange during their two-year residency leading up to The Shipyard Project - sparking a lifelong interest in site-specific, community-based dance work. While studying at UNH, she founded Neoteric Dance Collaborative (NEO) a multi-disciplinary dance company with a mission to build community through the art of dance. NEO has particularly focused this community-building mission in rural and suburban areas of New Hampshire and southern Maine, developing audiences for dance where there were previously none. NEO has performed Duclos' choreography on stages in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and at City Center in New York City.
"For years now, I have been a passionate advocate for the New Hampshire dance community and it is my hope that RDDI will empower me with tools, relationships, and resources to help strengthen my state's growing dance scene," said Duclos. "I am also looking forward to the opportunity to grow as a choreographer and I anticipate that RDDI will help me tend to my artistic practice and build professional relationships throughout New England to find new and different avenues for my work."
The New England Foundation for the Arts' Regional Dance Development Initiative (RDDI) is a program of the National Dance Project (NDP). The purpose of RDDI is to increase the scope, visibility, and viability of dance activity in and across regions in the United States.
For additional information, visit www.nefa.org/NewEnglandNow. To learn more about Sarah Duclos, visit www.nefa.org/sarah-duclos.
This article was submitted by the city of Rochester.