ABOUT

biography

robyn began their training at a young age in kansas city with an emphasis on ballet, modern, jazz, and acting. they moved to nyc to complete their training at the ailey school, where they studied under Graciela Kozak, Ari Mayzick, Ana Marie Forsythe, Milton Myers, and Francesca Harper. their studies culminated with the solo performance of Nathan Trice’s “unfold a self” and the production of their senior choreography thesis “From Whence She Came”. they hold a bachelor of fine arts degree from fordham university & the ailey school, which they obtained summa cum laude with majors in dance and philosophy. 

since moving into the professional world, robyn’s career has taken them through formal stage production, site-specific installation, and dance for film; wandering around the intersection between classical modern and gestural contemporary impulse. their artistic priorities are rooted in mindfulness and accessibility, striving to move at the speed of trust and build holistic relationships between artist and audience. over the years, they’ve worked with Alice Klock, Nathan Trice, Ben Stamper, Christian Von Howard, and several more. prominent credits include Ben Stamper’s short film “Stay With”, Katherine Maxwell’s stage production “Prism”, and Jacolby Satterwhite’s film installation “An Eclectic Dance to the Music of Time” at Lincoln Center. currently, robyn dances for Hivewild, cullen+them, and The DynamitExperience.

in addition to their performance pursuits, robyn is actively honing their pedagogical ethos to support dancers in cultivating an honest and playful love of their bodies & their art. inspired by the work of Katherine Maxwell, Kevin Clark, and Adrian Hoffman, their primary goal as an instructor is to interrupt the teacher/student hierarchy. instead, they lean into movement coaching and guided questions that support dancers in making informed decisions about their bodies and their careers.

beyond the stage and studio, robyn works in program administration and operations for Hi-ARTS and Hivewild, and facilitates experiential learning sessions geared towards young professionals seeking to build their administrative toolkit and advocate for their careers and creative projects. robyn’s facilitation ethos exists in the collaborative space between technical writing, project management, and creative storytelling. they write curricula and build community-forward programming grounded in experiential learning and tailored by active listening; guided by the firm belief that information is only as effective as it is accessible. the content they design and deliver is grounded in the importance of honesty and empathy intertwined, with the challenge of actively decolonizing the production, consumption, and judgement of information.

when they’re not doing any of the above, robyn can be found cooking, tending to their cat & plants, or sitting by the ocean with their nose in a book. 

artist statement

i move through the world of art in the mediums of formal stage production, site-specific installation, and dance for film - wandering around the intersection between classical modern technique and gestural contemporary impulse. i crave a relationship between dance and dancers that is grounded in play, in compassion, in joy, and in honesty. as a movement coach, i seek to cultivate spaces that support artists in making informed decisions about their bodies and their craft. as a performer and creator, i seek to create works that are truly brave - art that leans into the incessant questions of humanity, rather than proposing a neatly packaged solution. 

i create art like a telescope focusing on the north star - always adjusting and paying respect to my surroundings, always aware that the canvas is so much bigger than i.

the sensation comes, then the color, then the visual framing, then words, then the movement - slowly dialing stories into focus. i approach narrative the same way that i approach the ocean - rippling through the waves, chin tucked tight and pulling through the current with all the bravery of a child and all the respect of an elder. 

my art and my ethics are symbiotic - the goals i set for myself as a person are the same standards that i hold myself to as an artist, coach, and creator. accountability, kindness, patience, play - refusing structural and interpersonal violence in the stories i tell and the transparency between myself, my collaborators, and my audience. movement-based storytelling is the medium i choose to process the world around me and then contribute to a world worth fighting for.