Maura Garcia

Community-Based Art ; Dance ; Multi-Disciplinary ; Contemporary Indigenous Performance

Maura Garcia is a dance artist who collaborates within communities to create stories of identity and place. Originally from North Carolina, Maura is an Indigenous woman (non-enrolled Cherokee/Mattamuskeet) who brings her own mixed-blood southern story to all of her work. Concerns about the perpetuation of Cherokee life-ways, the environment and social justice underlie her creations. She uses her art to empower, to form connections, to uplift Indigenous cultural values and to explore the rhythms of the natural world.

Maura specializes in multi-sensory shows blurring the line between audience and performer. Her repertoire includes solos, group performances incorporating local dancers from the host community and site-specific workincorporating passersby. She also engages the community in the creative process via interactive arts projects and experiential workshops. To realize community programs, she has partnered with different organizations including the Charleston Library Society (SC),Creative Arts in Public & Private Schools (NC),Haskell Indian Nations University (KS),imagi NATIONS Activity Center (DC), Kansas City Indian Center (MO), Lawrence Arts Center(KS) and the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MO).

To craft performances Maura works with core collaborators: sound artist Mark Gab riel Little, dance artist Olivia C. Davies (Metis, Anishnawbe, Welsh) and musician/composer Amado Espinoza (Quechua from Bolivia). Maura is dedicated to ... view more »