I am a dance researcher and my work investigates the body as a performance surface while reconstructing the ways that historical data in dance is structured, presented, and archived. My work combines performance creation, place situating, cultural studies, experimental practice, and dance technology. In 2016, I received my Masters of Fine Arts in Dance Performance, Research, and Choreography from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. In 2019, I joined the faculty at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA and I run Sinclair Dance, my personal research dance laboratory.
My newest choreographic work will premiere at the VCU Faculty Dance Concert on February 16th, 2023. This piece is titled; “Yes, I Will Marry When I Want" is a contemporary dance performance that draws inspiration from the 1970 East African play, "Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want)," written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and Ngugi wa Mirii. The play deals with themes of class struggle, poverty, gender, culture, religion, and the tension between modernity and tradition, specifically in relation to marriage and family. Through this contemporary dance, I aim to explore how the themes and context of the play can be translated into movement, and to examine the ways in which our dancing bodies navigate the complexities and constraints imposed by societal expectations and predisposed identities. I question how the limitations of diversity can inhibit the evolution of rich and diverse experiences.
In the Dance and Choreography Department at Virginia Commonwealth University, I have been an active researcher at the university since my arrival in the Fall of 2019.
My work explores the body as a performance surface and aims to reconstruct the ways in which historical data in dance is structured, presented, and archived. Combining performance creation, place-situation, cultural studies, experimental practice, and dance technology, my research is both interdisciplinary and innovative.
As a teacher, I have instructed courses in African Dance, Modern Dance Technique and Dance History in the department. My ongoing research, which is supported by grants from the VCU School of the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council, includes the book publishing process for my book "Dancing in the World: Revealing Cultural Confluences," which will be published by Routledge Taylor and Francis in the United Kingdom. In addition to my scholarly work, I am also developing a new digital humanities research project "Living Archive: Analysis, Description and Assemblages of African Dance," that aims to investigate and develop new technology for archiving African dance. In partnership with the US Library of Congress, the Association for Cultural Equity, and cultural centers in Africa, my goal is to create a multimedia platform that archives and promotes greater interactivity with African dance.
I am a dance artist and assistant professor at VCU, currently living in Washington D.C., US. I have been working as a dance-maker for about 2 decades.
I am a dance researcher and my work investigates the body as a performance surface while reconstructing the ways that historical data in dance is structured, presented, and archived. My work combines performance creation, place situating, cultural studies, experimental practice, and dance technology. In 2016, I received my Masters of Fine Arts in Dance Performance, Research, and Choreography from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. In 2019, I joined the faculty at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA and I run Sinclair Dance, my personal research dance laboratory.
Introducing My Talented Collaborators
Meet the incredible team behind the success of my projects! My collaborators are a diverse group of individuals who bring unique perspectives and skill sets to the table. Together, we have been able to achieve great things and push the boundaries of what is possible.
Introducing My Talented Collaborators
Meet the incredible team behind the success of my project! My collaborators are a diverse group of individuals who bring unique perspectives and skill sets to the table. Together, we have been able to achieve great things and push the boundaries of what is possible.
Meet the incredible team behind the success of my project! My collaborators are a diverse group of individuals who bring unique perspectives and skill sets to the table. Together, we have been able to achieve great things and push the boundaries of what is possible.
Meet the Team:
My Valued Collaborators
Over the Years
(2019 to 2023)
Brian is a Boston-based composer who's worked across a variety of media including film, podcast and live theater productions.
Give Brian a follow on Twitter @BrianBryson20.
See his IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7256305/
Brian composed the pieces for Sinclair Dances such as; Kaleidoscope of Tuts 2020, Facets of Esoteric 2021, Therapy 2021, Yes, I Will Marry When I Want 2023
(2018 to PRESENT)
Is a dancer, educator, scholar, communicator, and arts administrator. Her interested is in storytelling, community building, and looking at dance as a means of social change.
Explore Kate's work at: https://thekatespanos.com
Dr. Kate and Sinclair are writing a new book titled - Dancing in the World: Revealing Cultural Confluences 2023
(2018 to 2021)
Pablo Regis de Oliveira is a musician and arts administrator. After getting his dual BA in political science and Latin American studies from UCLA, he worked in communications conducting public service advertising campaigns for government and non-profit clients, and worked in government, including serving in the District of Columbia Mayor’s Office of Community Relations. He is an accomplished community-based arts administrator, having served as program manager for Strathmore Community and Education Department and the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council.
Explore Pablo's work at: https://www.pabloregis.com
Pablo collaborated with Sinclair and Dr. Kate to produce the dance jam titled Ainihi E Alteridade 2021.
(2020 - 2020)
Lite on Your Feet, LLC, the lifelong dream of dancer, choreographer and owner Michael Sims, has been providing dance lessons, choreography for special occasions and artistic performances independently since 2006. Specializing in American Style Ballroom, Rhythm, Swing and Salsa, Michael provides lessons and choreography for children and adults for social events, weddings, nightclub fun, or competitions.
Explore Mike's work at: http://www.loyfdancestudio.com
Mike and Sinclair worked together in the Kaleidoscope of Tuts 2020 dance performance at the Kennedy Center.
(2015 to 2017)
Pablo Salazar is a Bolivian composer and pianist based in Washington DC. He is currently the Program Director and Producer for SiriusXM Symphony Hall and SiriusXM Pops.Pablo has studied piano and Music Composition at the University of Maryland and the European American Musical Alliance in Paris France. Some of his teachers includeCleaveland Page, Lawrence Moss, Robert Gibson and Michel Merlet.Pablo’s greatest passion lies in collaborations, many of his projects involve working with dancers and musicians who specialize in improvisation. His dark yet uplifting styleis heavily influenced by the sounds and colors of Bolivian culture.
Explore Pablo's work at: https://www.pablosalazarcomposer.com
Pablo and Sinclair worked on the 2016 site-specific works; Rooted on a Moving Spot (ROAMS) and Love + Hate = Bad Names.
(2016 -2016)
Bekí Basch || Second Year M.F.A.
Candidate || Exhibiting in
MIDPOINT 2017 from March 29 through
May 22, 2017 at The Stamp Gallery
|| University of Maryland, College Park ||
https://stampgallery.wordpress.com
/2017/04/10/interview-with-midpoint-2017-artist-beki-basch/
Becky and Sinclair worked on the 2016 site-specific work; Rooted on a Moving Spot (ROAMS)
(2015 TO PRESENT)
As presented on his website's About Page:
9 Things You Should Know About Me...
1. I've won two fencing medals - neither one is gold.
2. Usually when I see a cockroach I kill it, but sometimes I don't.
3. I have two sisters who inspire me.
4. I speak Hebrew, English, and enough
Spanish to know if you're saying something dirty.
5. I love cats but I'm allergic.
6. I'm at my best between the hours of midnight and 3am.
7. I'm a pessimistic optimist and I think that's very different than being a pessimist.
8. A film that made me think is "The Lobster". A film that made me feel is "Inside Llewyn Davis."
9. I had a dream once where I was President of the United States, and I didn't like it.
Explore Nadav' incredible works at: https://www.nadavheyman.com
Nadav and Sinclair collaborated in Sinclair's 2015 thesis concert - Nyam Chiem
(2009 TO 2013)
Ben was a true asset to the WXYZ Arts Factory team. His dedication and commitment to the WXYZ Arts Factory dance company was instrumental in bringing the dream of dance to life for so many people in Nigeria. He worked tirelessly alongside Sinclair to make the company a success and his contributions will always be remembered. Ben's passion for dance and his ability to collaborate with others is truly inspiring. Ben worked with WXYZ from 2009 to 2013 in Benin City, Edo State in Nigeria.
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My friends call me Synk or 'Gaga. I've been a dancer, educator and choreographer since 2006, and most recently added the title of Assistant Professor of Dance. Much of my dance work nowadays is through university & personal dance projects, teaching master classes and researching dance. check the home page. In all cases, my heart is to use dance & my love for it to help folks be their best & reach their goals in dance & life.
For more info check out my Curriculum Vitae. You can also take a look at my VCUArts Faculty profile here
Dancing in the World: Revealing Cultural Confluences, Aug. 2023
My newest co-authored book with Dr. Kate Spanos is ready for preorder at Routledge! How can we create more inclusive spaces in the field of dance? This book presents a framework for dance practitioners and researchers working in diverse dance cultures to navigate academia and the professional dance field. The framework is based on the idea of "cultural confluences," conjuring up an image of bodies of water meeting and flowing into and past one another, migrating through what they refer to as the mainstream and non-mainstream. These streams are fluid categories that are associated with power, privilege, and the ability (or inability) to absorb other cultural forms in shared dance spaces. In reflective interludes and dialogues, Emoghene and Spanos consider the effects of migration on their own individual experiences in dance to understand what it means to carry culture through the body in various spaces. Through an analysis of language, aesthetic values, spaces, creative processes, and archival research practices, the book offers a collaborative model for communicating the value that marginalized dance communities bring to the field.This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and arts administrators in dance.
The Kennedy Center - Millennium Stage Schedule for Feb. 2020
I was invited and selected along with one other dance company from the Washington D.C. area to present a new dance for the Black History Month at the Kennedy Center. The 2020 Black History Month Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Black Dance Performance. The performance drew in a more-than-capacity audience for both in-person and online viewing, amassing over 8,000 combined views from all social platforms with audiences from around the world.
The Clarice - NextLOOK residency 2020
Ainihi E Alteridade Opens - Joe’s Movement Emporium and the Clarice, 2021 ($5,000). Art residency and community building program called “Ainihi E Alteridade” (Performing Otherness). A week-long residency in collaboration with Brazilian musician Pablo Regis de Oliviera and Irish dancer Dr. Kathleen Spanos.
The Clarice - NextDANCE featuring Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene 2016
Commissioned Invitational Award, 2016 ($2,500). An alumni commission of a new piece called “Love + Hate = Bad Names.” Commissioned by the NEXTNOW Festival by Clarice at the University of Maryland.
The Washington Post 2015
Thesis: Nyam Chiem – Reconstructing and Performing Nightmare: A Dance Research in Performance of Sleep Paralysis - 2015 - University of Maryland, College Park, MD - Dance and Performance Studies, MFA, 2016 - MFA dance thesis concert Choreographer Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene presents “Nyam Chiem” and Meghan Abadoo presents “Octavia’s Brood: Riding the Ox Home.” Thursday-Friday at 7:30 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dance Theatre, University of Maryland.
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