As much as we may try to choreograph our lives, some of the best parts are more like improv… even when you’re a choreographer.
Alex Martin (Dance ‘96) and Kristen Tsiatsios (Dance ‘96) first crossed paths in their dance classes at Cornish in 1993. Professional choreographers in their own right, each creates unique dance-theater works that challenge and inspire audiences. They also share a successful event planning business called Jubilee.
Alex Martin, photo by Ann Breland
Alex, a dancer, choreographer and costume designer, creates performance and design projects that defy easy categorization. She graduated from Cornish Magna Cum Laude and, after a stint in New York, came back to Seattle and co-created Better Biscuit Dance with her partner Freya Wormus. Better Biscuit Dance has been presented by On the Boards, Bumbershoot, Velocity Dance Center, and the SCUBA National Touring Alliance (at ODC Theater in San Francisco, CA) among others.
Since having a child two years ago, Alex now creates more solo work, with one project, Little Brown Dress, putting her at the center of an international media storm. More than a dance project, Little Brown Dress was an experiment focusing on cultural obsession with fashion. In 2005, she designed and stepped into a little brown dress, wore it every day for 365 days, and kept a blog on her web site, littlebrowndress.com. People were captivated, and this led to national media exposure, including numerous radio interviews and an appearance on NBC’s The Today Show. “This was the first project of its kind for me, and it was fabulous fun.” She still gets email from all over the world, and the media attention continues - recently, she was a guest on a BBC radio station.
Alex recalls an important moment at the age of twelve in which she was first introduced to Cornish. “During a visit to Seattle, my dad pointed out the car window and said, ‘We’re driving by Cornish. That’s a school where they do art and music and dance and theater.’ I remember thinking, ‘That’s for me!’ And I’m very aware of what I gained from my experience at Cornish. It continues to reveal itself, just how much it was the right place for me.”
Kristen Tsiatsios
Kristen, who considers herself a visio-kinetic sculptor, is an interdisciplinary artist using the body, event site and images to create experiences layered with meaning. Presented in non-traditional venues, her work challenges the notion of audience participation, inviting viewers to see the world as one big stage.
She has been awarded numerous grants, and her work has been produced by On the Boards, Bumbershoot, Seattle Fringe Festival, as well as Signal & Noise Festival and the ROMP! Festival - both in Victoria, BC. She recently participated in the National Dance Project’s Pacific Northwest Dance Lab as one of “Ten Northwest Choreographers to Watch.”
In addition to current projects, she is also working towards her MFA in interdisciplinary arts at Goddard College in Vermont. Kristen recalls that her interest in blending art forms began while attending Cornish. “When I got to Cornish, I was exposed to other artists and their art forms. Dance was the focus, but my interests were in all of the programs.” Her curiosity led her down the hall and down the interdisciplinary path. “I remember sitting on the floor outside of the music rehearsal studios to get in touch with what they were doing down there. That’s where my interdisciplinary self began to develop.”
Kristen Tsiatsios, “The Maze Project”, Seattle Public Library
After graduating from Cornish, Kristen started the performance company, Glassbones, for which she was co-director for seven years. Most recently, she was selected as the first artist in residence at the downtown Seattle Public Library, producing The Maze Project, a week-long performance piece for which she received funding from 4Culture and the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. “I love creating work in non-traditional spaces. The first time I saw the library, I could see a performance there - it has Escher-like staircases and maze-like qualities.” Alongside her site-specific work, Kristen is involved in guerrilla theater - spontaneous actions that bring performance to the streets. “I’m interested in heightening experience and drawing attention to behavior, the choices that we make, and the way we move through the world. Once, a group of us, dressed as waiters, went into the bus tunnel at rush hour and served hors d’oeuvres to commuters. From the front, I looked like a waiter, and from the back, a clown. It opened up some great conversations. One woman admitted she was initially scared of taking something from us. She and I shared a real moment about trust - that’s an example of one way art can impact life.”
Conversely, life can impact art. Like many artists, Alex and Kristen needed to support themselves while developing as artists. Alex began freelancing as an event planner for NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, which eventually led to similar jobs. “I love event planning - there’s a real similarity to dance. Both are physical experiences. Just like choreographing a dance, I think about human beings in a space; and that’s the same, whether on stage or at a party. What do they need, and what’s going to happen? It’s a little story. You’re timing something out and having to take into consideration the mind frame that guests are in when they encounter each piece of the evening. I really enjoy creating events with intention, setting a mood and helping put people at ease.”
In the beginning, Alex hired Kristen to help with the planning of bigger events, but their rich collaborative history eventually took a new shape when Alex and Kristen decided to merge their talents. “We had already produced dance concerts together, and there was this wonderful camaraderie between us,” shares Kristen. “One day, I called her up and said, ‘Hey! Why don’t we go into business together?’ We already had a good working relationship, and we respect each other as artists. Starting Jubilee was similar to starting a performance project. We brainstormed - what’s the title of this show? We didn’t start with a big business plan, and we’ve been improvising for the last four years - it works well.”
Together, they’ve created extravagant experiences and stylish soirées for non-profits, conferences, parties and weddings. Kristen sees it as a natural extension of her passion. “I love this work. When a wedding client says, ‘We don’t know what we want,’ I get to help draw out and choreograph their vision. That’s what I love doing.”
For Alex, working with Kristen helped improve the business. “I used to keep everything in my head,” says Alex. “I figured I was coming out on top, but I didn’t have any systems in place, which was more of a problem than I realized. Having someone in my corner, someone to count on - it’s amazing. We have a real stake in each other’s happiness and success.”
Like any good improv, the shape of things continues to change. Alex, who recently finished a piece for Crispin Spaeth’s 10 Tiny Dances, has been invited to create a visual art exhibition for a local art gallery. Kristen, who was recently named Director of Skinner Releasing, gave birth to her son in May… Jubilee indeed.
by Lisa Halpern
