The Clayman Institute Winter Artist's Salon: Amara Tabor-Smith

Conjure Art in the dance performance work of Amara Tabor-Smith

In this conversation with Dance maker Amara Tabor-Smith, the artist will share excerpts from her dance theater works and discuss why she calls her performance work "Conjure Art."

Amara is an Oakland based choreographer/performance maker who describes her work as Afro Futurist Conjure Art. Her dance making practice utilizes Yoruba spiritual ritual to address issues of social and environmental justice, race, gender identity and belonging. She is a 2018 USA Artist Fellow, a 2017 UBW Choreographic Center Fellow, and is a 2016 recipient of the Creative Capital Grant along with collaborator Ellen Sebastian Chang. Amara is the artistic director of Deep Waters Dance Theater and was the co artistic director of Headmistress with Sherwood Chen.

In addition to her own work, she has performed and collaborated with dance and performance artists such as, Ed Mock, Joanna Haigood, Ana Deveare Smith, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and she is the former associate artistic director and company member of Urban Bush Women. Other grants and awards include, Headlands Center for the Arts, Kenneth Rainin Foundation grant, Wallace Alexander Gerbode grant, and ODC Theater Artist in Residence (2013-15). Amara received her MFA in Dance from Hollins University. She is a Stanford TAPS/IDA Artist in Residence and the Artistic Director of Committee on Black Performing Arts.