ashleigh mcgown
ABOUT
Photo by Stuart Ruckman
Photo by Daniel Madoff
BIO
Ashleigh McGown is a dance artist currently based in Philadelphia, PA with roots in Massachusetts, where she began training in various forms. In May 2024, Ashleigh will obtain her BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. Ashleigh had the privilege of attending the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC where she was led by Joy Davis, Rosanna Tavarez, and Jessie Young in movement and dance making classes. She also had the opportunity to be in rehearsal processes with Monica Bill Barnes Co. and Monique Haley. While at UArts, Ashleigh has performed works by Sidra Bell, Merce Cunningham, and Shannon Murphy, as well as studied with several incredible artists and mentors including Shayla-Vie Jenkins, Katie Swords Thurman, and Jesse Zaritt. In Summer 2023, Ashleigh continued her engagement with the Cunningham Trust when she participated in an Events workshop in New York City.
ARTIST STATEMENT
where do the swirling energies of our bodies intersect? how can we establish a plane of communication that does not rely on the verbal? or that relies solely on the verbal? within dance, i search for accessibility through opposition. unseriousness as an entrypoint to seriousness. stillness as an entrypoint to movement. silence as an entrypoint to speech. i am interested in how these paradoxes can emerge in the embodiment of various states of being. states of being in which we explore how we are seen and how we want to be seen. i question how dance can serve as the vehicle to comment on the experience of knowing oneself through the eyes of another. my work considers the implications of embodying rehearsal consciousness versus performance consciousness in front of an audience. there is a deep comfort found in the space of the unknown where the unimaginable exists just beyond my immediate grasp.
