Bio & Artistic Statement
Serena Brown, a NJ native, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Montclair State University with a Bachlelors of Fine Art dance degree in May 2022. Brown graduated from Morris County School of Technology’s dance concentration in 2018. She has performed works by Stefanie Batten Bland, Ohad Naharin, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Jessica DiMauro Marks, Mark Harootian, Fredrick Earl Mosley, Larry Keigwin, and Helen Pickett. Brown has choreographed works for student festivals. She also teaches at Jersey City Dance Academy in Jersey City, NJ. Brown was awarded the NJ Governors Dance Arts in Education Award in 2017.
As a Performer I have clear attention to detail and a desire to find individuality while simultaneously meshing into an ensemble. I enjoy using my physical length to push myself to move beyond light and sustained manners as I explore sharp and direct vocabularies. I relish taking artistic risks while working inside of uncomfortable terrains. I have a deep love for dance and how it is able to convey ideas without using words.
As a Choreographer I enjoy creating works that take on many iterations be it narrative or abstract. I am greatly inspired by philosophical ideas, classic Greek stories, and other thought provoking concepts that arise from day to day life. In my work I like to utilize my dancer’s strengths and push them to find vulnerability within my movement. My movement style is rooted in contemporary modern principles that explore a greater sense of weightedness as the body travels in and out of the floor. I create large ensemble works because I like finding the power and strain that is endemic to societal group structures. I wish to have my work leave the audience asking questions about their personal ideologies around the topic of each choreographic work.
As an Educator my teaching philosophy is to create a safe and welcoming learning environment. I am happy to meet each student at their level and I strive to bring out their personal best. I want each student to feel seen and heard in the classroom which is why I believe that open communication between student and teacher is extremely important in the learning process. As a mental and physical health advocate, I put my students as people first and dancers second. Rather than anxiety, my goal is to give each dancer a place to feel joy and comfort.