BIO
Ariel Scott is a dancer, choreographer, and educator with a deep belief in dance as a tool for connection and community. She holds a BFA in Dance Choreography from the University of California, Irvine, and an AA in Dance from Santa Monica College. As a choreographer, Ariel creates works for stage and screen that investigate the uncovering of self and recognize physicality as the ultimate avenue for authenticity. Her stage work has recently been presented by Stomping Ground LA’s “VOICES: UNBOUND” and “VOICES: Black Artist showcases,” The Electric Lodge’s “High Voltage,” and Santa Monica College’s “Synapse” at the Broad Stage. Her screendacne work has been presented in ScreenDance RoadShow and Black Lives Rising Virtual Dance Film Festival. Ariel is currently a dancer with Kybele Dance Theater, a contemporary dance company led by choreographer Seda Aybay. In her capacity as a certified Countertechnique teacher, Ariel has delighted in sharing the joy of dance through frequent open classes in Los Angeles, as guest faculty for the California Institute of the Arts and Loyola Marymount University, and through master classes at institutions including the University of California, Irvine, Oakwood High School, Renaissance Arts Academy, MashUp Contemporary Dance Company, and Choreographer Collection LA (ChoCoLA).
Photo by Kim Doeleman
"She is one of those rare dancers who is totally fearless, gives each movement her 100% attention, and although we know otherwise, makes it look possible for everyone. The combination of abandonment with total control and clarity is a rare gift indeed."
- Jeff Slayton in LA Dance Chronicle.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Dance has the power to transport the psyche, delight the mind, and tickle the senses. Dance can also embody and express the depth of human emotion and lived experiences and to mirror, escape, comment on, or challenge the cultural landscape in which it is created. My goal is to create work that explores the complexity of human experience and honors the importance of physicality in processing and (re)constructing the world around us.
Within my choreography, I am particularly interested in the ebb and flow between power and gracefulness, a lively interplay between sudden and sustained movement, a nonchalant or pedestrian approach to phrase work, and the embodiment of sonic elements. While strongly grounded in contemporary dance vocabulary and sensibilities, my choreography is shaped by a multitude of movement disciplines, including my background in Wushu (Chinese martial arts), and experience in the dance techniques contemporary/modern, ballet, jazz, Bollywood, Sundanese, Javanese, Hula, Tahitian, and West African. By pulling from a wide base of physical knowledge and individual experience, my work aims to explore and present experiences that are deeply personal yet widely shared.
