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I am a Vermont Artist: Isadora Snapp
Unappealing legwear almost changed the course of Isadora Snapp’s life. When she was first exposed to dance at age four “the pink tights and leotards turned me off the idea entirely.” In fifth grade Isadora reconsidered. She’s been dancing ever since. Isadora teaches at the Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio (where she first encountered those pesky pink tights). She is also a choreographer, a co-founder of the Montpelier Movement Collective, and a member of the Vermont Dance Alliance.
She will premiere a new work, Invitation, as part of the Winter Dance Gala on February 16 and 17 at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro. According to Isadora, “With Invitation, I ask nothing more from the audience than enjoyment.” Isadora shared her thoughts about being an artist in Vermont.
How has living as an artist in Vermont affected your creative process?
Living in Vermont affords me a measure of peace and space that living elsewhere doesn’t. I returned to Vermont because of my family and now my own family is what is keeping me here. But it’s certainly no sacrifice. There is a vibrant art and dance community in Vermont if you know where to look for it. Everyone is incredibly supportive of each other and the opportunities and connections only continue to grow. I’m not sure that living here has affected how exactly I create work, but I do know that it has allowed it to happen.
What is something about your art that has changed over time?
I think that when artists, of all kinds, first start out, we echo the voices of our teachers and other influences. I know that for a while I stayed within in a comfort zone for choreography. I was learning about my aesthetic, what works and what doesn’t, and what it really means to build a piece. I was interested in creating abstract works that expanded on a theme and highlighted music–pretty and enjoyable but not rooted. Within the past several years, I’ve started to challenge myself to make work that is related to my own life and tells more of a story. It has required a certain level of vulnerability with the dancers that I work with and with the audience. My movement aesthetic has also evolved over time and I am more prone to taking artistic risks and trusting in the work and the dancers.
What is your vision for the next several years?
I am at a very busy time in my life! I teach six days a week at Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio in Montpelier and Dance Works Academy in Milton. I have a young family–3 kids with the oldest being 7 1/2 years old. Next year I plan on beginning the certification process for becoming a postpartum doula. This is the first year in several years that I haven’t produced an evening-length piece. Instead, I’m working on a ten-minute piece, Invitation, that will have its debut soon. I think the next several years will hopefully continue with more of the same: A very full life and opportunities to continue to create and work with amazing local dancers.visit Isadora’s website
read “Vermont Dance Alliance Throws a Winter Gala” in Seven Days
The “I am a Vermont Artist” series explores how artists’ creative expressions reflect their experiences of ethnicity, gender identity, religion, disability, or age. Covering all artistic disciplines, and a range of backgrounds—from New Americans to the state’s first residents—we hope to amplify voices that deepen our understanding of what it means to be a Vermont artist.