Elevate | 2024-2025 Cowles Visiting Artist at the University of Minnesota
I had the honor of being named a 2024–25 Cowles Visiting Artist at the University of Minnesota. A nationally prestigious residency made possible through the generosity of Sage and John Cowles. Since 1987, the Cowles Land Grant Chair has connected world-renowned artists and scholars with students, offering transformative educational experiences rooted in masterwork, contemporary artistry, and critical thinking in dance. To be among the invited artists alongside powerhouses like Cynthia Oliver and Imani Kai Johnson, was deeply affirming of the work I’ve committed my life to. The University of Minnesota Dance Program is truly unique in how it centers professional artists in the growth and training of their students, and I was grateful to contribute to that legacy.
While in residence, I created Elevate, a work that is about raising up these dance forms, the people and culture they come from, and each other. Together, we elevated through music, community, and collective intention, and pushed towards the highest versions of ourselves, beyond the moment and beyond the room. Every dancer in this work felt that the process itself was just as meaningful as the performance. I couldn’t have completed this work without my rehearsal assistant Laura Osterhaus for her collaboration, and deep gratitude to the students for meeting the challenge, staying open, and committing to growth every step of the way.
2024-2025 Cowles Visiting Artist
Shakia ‘The Key’ Barron Studio Showing | Theatre Arts & Dance | College of Liberal Arts
