top of page

OCTOBER 11-13

TDIF 2018

TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY

DENTON, TX

HOSTS: JORDAN FUCHS, SARAH GAMBLIN, & ERIKA RECORD

GUEST ARTIST: 

Judith Sánchez Ruíz

- born and raised in Havana, Cuba
- graduated from the National Art Schools in Cuba 
- lived and worked in New York (1999-2011)
- founded JSR Company in 2010, now lives and works in Berlin (since 2011)

The Berlin-based director, choreographer, improviser and teacher Judith Sánchez Ruíz (Havana, Cuba) began her dance studies at the age of 11 at the National Schools of Art in Cuba (1983-1990). In 2010 she established JSR Company in New York City. Sánchez has created works for different companies and dance institutions and taught workshops and master classes throughout the world. One of the main characteristics of her work is that it keeps improvisation as a possibility to produce something new at any given moment in the development of structure and inside a complex choreography. She combines great physicality and meaningful movement with a poetic sense of structure.

Former Member of Sasha Waltz & Guest, (2011-2014); Trisha Brown Dance Company, (2006-2009); Mal Pelo Company, Spain (1997-1999); and DanzAbierta Company, Cuba, (1991-1996). Also worked with independent choreographers as Deborah Hay, (2012); DD Dorvillier, (2002); David Zambrano, (1997), among others.

Since 2012 she has been doing a choreographic collaboration with Mozambique performer Edivaldo Ernesto. " There is a name for it " was presented at: Radialsystem, Berlin. Germany; Tanzfestival in Kulturzentrum Tempel, Karlsruhe, Germany; Offestival, Garage 29, Brussels. Belgium; BOUGUE B, deSingel, Antwerp, Belgium; Gdansk Dance Festival, Gdansk, Poland. "Noise" their most recent collaboration project will premiere at Tanz Haus Festival in the Fall.

For several years, Ms. Sanchez has been strongly committed to improvisation as a performance form involving live music, developing various collaborative projects with innovative composers and musicians: Jasem Hindi, Palestinian/French (2015), Sebastian Schunke, Germany (2015); Atalya Tirosh, Israel (2015); Henry Threadgill, US (2002, 2008) and Steve Coleman, US (1997), and Dafnis Prieto, Cuba (1996-2009) as well as with the visual artists Daniel Arsham, US (2009-2010), Stephen Talasnik, US (2010), Ian Trask, US (2011) and the media artist and choreographer Jonah Bokaer, US (2009-2010).

Ms. Sanchez had been commissioned choreography works at Danspace Project St. Marks Church NY, Whitney Museum NY, Storm King ArtCenter, NY, and Work & Progress at Guggenheim Museum, NY. Ms. Sanchez has showed and performed her choreography throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Cuba. Her work has been shown at Radialsystem, Berlin. (Germany); The JazzGallery, NY; New Museum, NY; The Walker Art Center, MN; La MaMa International Series, NY; Studio Theatre of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Miami. Storm King Art Center, NY, and Work & Progress at Guggenheim Museum, NY; P.S. 122, NY; Movement Research at Judson Church 9, NY; PS1 Contemporary Art Center, NY; Joyce Soho, NY; Aaron Davis Hall, NY; The Kitchen, NY; Queens Museum of Arts, NY; New School University, NY; Danspace Project St. Marks Church, NY; Whitney Museum, and the Nimes Museum of Contemporary Art, France. Her choreography has been presented in numerous festivals including: Fall Movement Research Festival, US; Sarajevo JazzFestival, (Bosnia and Herzegovina); TanzFest (Sommer Bar, Berlin); Institut Valencià D'Art Modern (IVAM) curated by Robert WilsonValencia, (Spain); National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS), Washington D.C.; River To River Festival, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NY; and Summergarden 2009 (MoMA), NY. Festival Artdanthé, Paris, France; MAC/Museum of Contemporary Art, Festival de Marseille, (France), and Athens Festival. (Greece).

Judith Sanchez Ruiz has received numerous grants and commissions support through her career, most importantly from The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Cuban Artists Fund (CAF), The American Music Center's Live Music for Dance program, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Baryshnikov Arts Center: Martha Duffy Resident Artist Spring 2011. DMAC- Duo Multicultural Arts Center 2011, and Movement Research's Artist-in-Residence 2003-2004 and 2011-2012. (US). She was awarded "Mujeres Destacadas (Outstanding Women) 2008" by the Spanish newspaper in New York, "El DIARIO" and selected by Dance Magazine as one of the 25 Dancers to Watch in 2010. US.

In 2009 Ms. Sanchez was selected as a participant in the cultural exchange program between the United States and Cuba by the Cuban Artists Fund (CAF). In 2010 she also served as an evaluator for Creative Capital's MAP Fund, and Movement Research Panelist for Judson Church Performance. JSR was a member of the Artist Advisory Council, at Movement Research. NYC. Recently Restaging the master piece of Trisha Brown "Set and Reset", at Paris Conservatoire (2015).

bottom of page