Today on Crushing Classical, you’ll hear my interview with Ariel Grossman, Founder & Artistic Director of Ariel Rivka Dance. I’ve never talked with a choreographer before and I just loved finding all of the parallels between our worlds.
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Ariel Rebecca (Rivka) Grossman is a native New Yorker, who trained at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts and Joffrey Ballet School. In 2008, she founded an all-female contemporary company, Ariel Rivka Dance. Most recently, Ariel received a 2023 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Ariel's work has been presented worldwide, including BAM Fisher, NJPAC, Bryant Park, NYLA, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Martha Graham Studio Theater, NYU Tisch, Rutgers University, Roxbury Performing Arts Center, and in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston, Cleveland, Florida, Oklahoma, Detroit, Memphis, Istanbul, Turkey, and in 2023, Perigord, France and Bari, Italy.
She has been commissioned by Dance Lab NY, Konverjdans, Ballet Vero Beach, and Skidmore College. Collaborations include Rioult Dance NY, Taylor 2, Heidi Latsky, Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, and Sean Curran. Ariel is a past recipient of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (New) Moves Fellowship, Monira Performance Residency, and a Nimbus Arts Center artist residency. ARD is an awardee of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Charles & Joan Gross Family Foundation, the O’Donnell-Green Music & Dance Foundation, Jersey City Council of the Arts, and New Jersey State Council on the Arts and more.
Ariel draws inspiration from the struggles and joys of the human experience, particularly through being a woman and mother of two. Through collaboration, Ariel encourages her artists to bring themselves to the work—molding pieces that are striking, evocative, and multi-layered.
This conversation was fascinating. Firstly, because I loved hearing Ariel talk about her art in a way that was both brand new to me and also completely relatable. The connections are so clear and it’s amazing to think about movement, interpretation, and leadership in a totally different field than my own. Secondly, because I loved hearing her take real ownership of her own strengths - I don’t hear this nearly often enough from people, even the amazingly accomplished people I’m interviewing right here, and ESPECIALLY from working musicians.
I know you will love this interview.
If you are in NYC, catch Ariel Rivka Dance's 15th Annual Season presented by NYU Tisch at the Jack Crystal Theater on May 31st-June 2nd, and a special family matinee co-presented by 14Y Theater on June 3rd.
Here's a teaser for her upcoming collaboration, Never Fade Away
Follow Ariel Rivka Dance on Instagram at @arielrivkadance or @arielgrossman; or on Facebook
Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!
Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance.
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I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
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