“Movement is one of the first forms of communication that we experience. In the womb we are moving and then somewhere along the way to adulthood we lose our intentional relationship to it. As a lifelong embodied practitioner, I understand the importance of being connected to the body as a technology for expression, processing information, spiritual alignment, scholarship and archival methods, as well as a pathway to empathize and feel compassion for others. Movement and Dance is all encompassing and as an artist, I think of my work functioning as a trojan horse for liberation with the goal of everyone getting free.”
Jenny Oliver
Artist | Dancer | Teacher | Choreographer
Jenny Oliver is an artist in the Greater Boston area working as a teacher, performer, choreographer and advocate for artistic integrity. She is a trauma informed, culturally responsive kinetic storyteller. She works at the intersection of dance, education, and collective collaboration to elevate issues affecting Black and Indigenous people. As a culturally Black person of Cape Verdean and Native American heritage she believes it's important to address the erasure of Native people and the ongoing systemic injustices towards Black people and is inspired by the ability of dance to catalyze meaningful and effective change in the lives of others. Alongside her work as a choreographer she is on faculty at Tufts University, Emerson College, the Dance Complex and Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center. Most recently she has expanded her collaborative work to include the development of a creative residency with the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and Boston’s Office of Budget Management using creative storytelling, dance, and fiscal education to engage Boston residents in the city’s budgeting process.
