Our Mission
Since 1985, Paula Josa-Jones/Performance Works has gained a national reputation for risk-taking, adventurous contemporary dance theater that explores the borders between states of being, including gender, species, past/present, movement/stillness, light/dark. The dancers and I create works that are visually rich, provocative and grounded a rich improvisational movement practice. We are committed to collaborations with artists in all disciplines, and to fostering relationships with an international creative community. Our goal with our teaching and residency work is to help others connect to their own delicious sense of embodiment through movement and improvisation and to nourish a deeper experience of listening; bold, playful movement exploration and attunement to self and others. Horses have been part of our inter-species performances for the past fourteen years. Poet, horse trainer and philosopher Vicki Hearne says that humans must learn to become “kinesthetically legible" to themselves in order to become legible to other creatures. She means that until we can decipher what our own bodies are expressing, we cannot really communicate with other beings. That is why I love horse dancing. It is about waking up to the ripples we transmit and the ripples we feel. The dancers and I have learned that in being better "herd-speakers," we can feel more clearly the connections we share with each other. Our activities include performances of dances for humans and/or horses, creation of new commissioned work, residencies, master classes and workshops. In addition, Paula writes a daily blog and is a somatic movement therapist and educator. She works with private clients and is available to teach workshops nationally and internationally.Contact Paula or submit an inquiry for information about coaching, workshops or performances!
Download our electronic press kit