Aryanna Allen
Aryanna Allen (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based dancer, choreographer, educator, and arts administrator originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. Through improvisational approaches, theatrical structure, and multidisciplinary collaboration, their practice explores visibility, intimacy, and transformation. Aryanna’s choreographic work has been presented at Arts on Site, The Tank, Green Space, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, and more. Across their artistic, pedagogical, and daily practices, they center the queer Black body as archive and catalyst.
Aryanna began dancing at the age of 3 at Miss Donna’s School of Dance. They went on to study modern, ballet, and jazz at Northwest School of the Arts and Central Academy of Technology and Arts, before earning a BA in Dance and Movement Studies from Emory University.
At Emory, Aryanna had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers Kendra Portier, Dafi Altabeb, George Staib, Gregory Catellier, and others. They twice received the Friends of Dance Scholarship for Summer Study, allowing them to attend American Dance Festival and B12 in Berlin.
Other intensives they attended throughout college include Countertechnique Winter Workshop, Gallim Repertory Extension, Hofesh Shechter Intensive, Marcat Dance, and GagaLab.
After graduating, Aryanna spent three years in Atlanta as a freelance dancer and educator. They performed at festivals like the Alabama Dance Festival, Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, and Fall for Fall. She performed with local companies, Monica Hogan DanceWorks and Kit Modus, while collaborating with Atlanta freelancers Patsy Collins, Leo Briggs, Jacqui Hinkson, and others. During their time with Kit Modus, Aryanna performed works by Mark Caserta, Marco Palomino, Yoshito Sakuraba, and Christian Denice. Now based in Brooklyn, Aryanna dances with Kinesis Project Dance Theatre and rogue wave.
Alongside their performance career, Aryanna has taught at several dance schools, including Dance Foundry, Druid Hills Dance Center, and Lyrric Jackson Dance Company, where they also serve as Administrative Director. Their passion for education led to their role as a Mentor for Bates Dance Festival’s Young Dancers Intensive. Aryanna continues to guest teach + choreograph across the east coast and is excited to return to Bates for her third summer!
Recent teaching experiences include working as Choreographic Assistant to Maria Bauman at Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, co-leading classes at the American College Dance Association Southeast Conference, and co-facilitating a monthly Contemporary Floorwork & Partnering Workshop series in NYC.
Alongside their artistic practice, Aryanna engages in arts administration as an extension of their values around access and sustainability within the dance field. They previously served as Administrative Manager for MBDance and currently work as Grantmaking Assistant for Dance/NYC.
Photos by Dumebi Malaika Menakaya