Portfolio
Andy Taylor-Blenis started dancing with her parents in International Folk Dance at age 0. Her early Creative Movement experiences were with Ruth Wheeler, co-founder of Dance Collective, and with Ann Brown-Allen. After receiving her BFA in Dance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she came to Boston and danced with Danny Sloane Dance, Paradigm Dance, Concert Dance Company, Dance Collective, Micki Taylor-Pinney, Dawn Kramer, Miguel Lopez, Milton Myers, Julie Ince-Thompson, ACE Entertainment, and has been with Prometheus Dance Company for 19 years. She has taught International Dance through the Folk Arts Center of New England, Modern and Jazz Dance at Northwestern and Northeastern Universities, Harvard, Emerson, Boston University, Boston Conservatory and the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. Andy is the artistic director of Mladost Dance Ensamble and the RSCDS Demonstration Team and loves teaching school residencies thru Mass Movement and Revels Inc. Andy is an adoring admirer of Lynn Simonson. Here are a selection of Andy's performances and choreographies and teaching.
Moon Glow
Choreographed by Yo-El Cassell for Across the Ages 2017 and performed by a group of individual local performers including Andy.
The mission of Across The Ages Dance Project is to produce yearly concerts with an intergenerational ensemble of dancers featuring both established and newer choreographers. We believe in the rich and varied life experience of this mixed population, which includes dancers of all ages, and wish to create an opportunity for dancers and choreographers to come together and share their art with the larger community.
Yo-El's piece expressed the thought that the journey is what matters. The path, not the destination, is where we live our lives.
Dancing for Betty
Choreographed by Diane Arvanites-Noya and performed by Andy Taylor-Blenis in honor of Betty Milhendler. Betty Milhendler was well known in the Boston dance community for attending all dance and theatrical events. She danced with Prometheus Elders, a company founded and choreographed by Diane Arvanites-Noya. Betty's boldness in life and her struggle with cancer is portrayed through the movements in this dance.
The choreography explores what we lose and what strengths we find within ourselves when we face cancer. There is a loss of balance and a loss of the sense of physical body, as well as a transitioning into the physical self. This dance honors Betty's strength as she moved from body to spirit.
A Glimpse Beyond 2012
A Glimpse Beyond is a unique walking tour through some of the most beautiful and iconic areas of historic Mount St. Auburn cemetery.
One goal of the festival is to help individuals re-examine ideas about life and death, joy and sorrow. Audience members traveled around the cemetery seeing performances at different designated areas. Choreographies took place in many different grottos and glens, where people could imagine their family members moving within and without the world.
This glimpse, choreographed by Andy, was performed by memberes of Modern 55+ class and youthful performers from the Cambridge area.
A Glimpse Beyond 2013
Back by popular demand, Glimpses Beyond was performed at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery again in 2013. This is a video of a rehearsal for Andy's piece. The rehearsal took place at the Dance Complex in Central Square, Cambridge.
Malhao Teaching
Andy teaches the Portuguese dance, Malhao, at the 2008 Salt Spring Island Folk Dance Festival. This is an excerpt from the festival DVD. Dance begins at 5:42. For more information visit www.singularsoftware.com/pr/dvd2008.html