Andrea E. Woods Valdés

In my work, I use dance as contemporary folklore. Everyone has a story to tell. The presence of Black women in America offers a rich and valuable landscape to explore. As a former dancer with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, my creative process is strongly linked to identity and representation. My research is equally physical, creative, and scholarly. My research focus is on  embodied Black aesthetics and building Black audiences for Black Women's creative work. Through mentoring young and new teachers in African Diaspora dance forms, and developing intergenerational and interdisciplinary performance and practice opportunities I embody and activate my research areas. My areas of interest include women in the arts, Afro-Cuban dance/music, African Diaspora history/culture through performance, and Dance for the Camera. I focus on intra-cultural, interdisciplinary activities and dialogues that happen between Black women artists beyond the boundaries of national and political identities. My creative process explores the intersections between dance, live music, and writing as my brand of performance folklore. SOULOWORKS/Andrea E. Woods & Dancers is the vehicle for the performance work I create. Calabasa Calabasa: Dancing and Making the Music of Life is a multilingual dance/music/vocal performance group I created to explore interdisciplinary African Diaspora practices and social justice. www.souloworks.com/calabasa. I developed wimmin@work as a creative hub where performances, classes, and scholarship support women's creative contributions to our communities. In addition, I participated in developing a choreographic collective of Black women artists in the Durham area to support and nurture the creative process and cultural identity.    Edit