Monica Bill Barnes

Monica Bill Barnes

Monica Bill Barnes is a New York based choreographer and performer. She has created twelve evening-length dance works, numerous site-specific events and several cabaret numbers for her company, Monica Bill Barnes & Company. Since moving to New York from her native California in 1995, Barnes' choreography has been produced in over twenty venues in New York City including Danspace Project, Symphony Space, Dance New Amsterdam, Dance Theater Workshop, Dixon Place, Dancenow/NYC/The Festival, Movement Research at the Judson Church and La Mama. Her work has been presented in 30 cities throughout the United States and abroad, including The International Fabbrica for Choreographers (Florence, Italy), The Fourth International Dance and Movement Festival on the Volga (Yaroslav, Russia), Tanz Festival (Karlsruhe, Germany), Sushi Performance and Visual Art (San Diego, CA), DancePlace (Washington, D.C.) and The Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has been the invited Guest Artist at the North Carolina School of The Arts, University of California at San Diego, Shenandoah University, University of California at Riverside, Vassar College, Virginia Commonwealth University, Florida State University, James Madison University, Steps on Broadway and Dance New Amsterdam's Modern Guest Artist Series (1999 to present). Barnes holds an MFA from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts and a BA in philosophy and theater from the University of California at San Diego.

Choreographic Fellow | February 25 – March 17, 2007

Suddenly Summer Somewhere

Barnes examined the way in which she uses context to create meaning in her work by re-defining the collaborative nature of her relationship with dramaturge and designer Kelly Hanson. Barnes utilized community input by showing three versions of staging, lighting, costuming, design, and musical options for the new duet. The artists also worked with senior community dancers examining how the passage of time affects the collective lives of two people.

Suddenly Summer Somewhere premiered at Danspace Project in 2008.