Artist STATEMENT.

My art is deeply rooted in my experiences as an immigrant female artist, aiming to create spaces for meaningful conversations. I believe art should entertain us, provoke thought, and foster connections. The essence of my creations lies in the dynamic exchange between the performer and the audience, and it is within this interaction that my dancers’ performances truly come to life. 

I am an artist and storyteller, creating reflections of the society we inhabit. I am passionate about the physicality of our experiences, the moments that make us profoundly, beautifully, and undeniably human. The nuance, resilience, and vulnerability of human existence move me, and my community and the world around it shape my work. Raw emotions, unspoken fears, untapped strengths, and grit connect to propel my work forward. 

Humor is vital in my artistic approach, bringing levity to difficult topics such as power dynamics, socio-political conflicts, the dichotomy of truth and lies, and the climate crisis. By weaving wit into my performances, I create a space where audiences can engage with these challenging themes in an accessible and thought-provoking manner. Through my art, I seek to explore and celebrate the collective human experience, inviting audiences to reflect on their own stories.

I believe that art should be accessible to all and have presented my work or taught workshops or classes in spaces from theaters to rooftops to public parks. In my two decades of engaging with the contemporary, immersive, opera, and Off-Broadway dance and theater scenes across the USA and Europe, I've developed a collaborative practice that intersects movement, text, music, film, comedy, visible costume changes, audience participation, and simple stage design and props. In joining mediums, I create emotional landscapes for the viewer. By working closely with my collaborators and researching their personal narratives, we shape each performance from a point of truth that resonates within my audience, and within me.

Mission Statement. 

NVA & Guests is dedicated to creating evocative, interdisciplinary contemporary dance-theater performances that forge genuine connections between the audience and the stage. Guided by Artistic Director Nicole von Arx, our works blend playful narration, dynamic physicality, and humor to foster physical, social, and environmental consciousness. We also host annual workshops for pre-professional and professional dancers, promoting creativity, community building, and dialogue with emerging choreographers.

Values.

Movement

Our process begins first and foremost with movement, which we see as the base of everything that we do. It is a universal language to authentically draw all audiences to our work and help them create a genuine connection with something that may feel foreign at the onset but settles quickly into familiarity. 

Collaboration

Within our company and cohorts, we lean on collaboration to ensure every unique voice is heard. We lead by guiding and asking questions and rely heavily on authentic communication among our team to balance collaborative input with concrete, informed direction. 

Community

Our performances and workshops emphasize the fundamental bond between audiences and performers; without which, everything we do occurs in a vacuum. Each individual that experiences our work is an active participant in our process and contributes to the essential community that drives all of our activities forward. 

Mentorship

NVA & Guests is committed to cultivating the next generation of artistic thinkers, makers, collaborators, and supporters. Through intentional programmatic initiatives and overall curricular design, our work centers today’s artists and the tools they need to sustain long-term, multifaceted dance careers. 

Company Bio and HistorY.

NVA & Guests exists as a platform to produce and share the artistic work of choreographer Nicole von Arx, providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas across cultures and cultivating community on a local and international level. Through a rotating roster of performers representing a diverse array of backgrounds, the company offers a repertory of individualized dance/theatre works that can be seen on large stages as well as in flexible/non-traditional performance spaces. With roots in New York City and Switzerland, NVA & Guests invites audiences across the globe to forge genuine connections with performances that present the company’s unique combination of dynamic physicality and theatrical narrative.

Since its founding in 2014, NVA & Guests has been invited to performed in Switzerland at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, Théâtre de Grand Champ, Théâtre Nuithonie, and Theatre am Gleis; and in the United States at The Joyce Theatre, The Westside Theatre, Joe’s Pub, The New Victory Theatre, Triskelion Arts, CPR - Center for Performance Research, Judson Memorial Church, The Ailey Citigroup Theatre, The Museum of Moving Images, Sam Houston State University, TACAW, and the Chop Shop Festival. During the pandemic, the company partnered with hotels and stores such as The New York Ace Hotel, The Playground NYC, SHOWFIELDS, and The Yard to offer affordable outdoor dance classes, often in untraditional movement spaces, to the dance community.

Dedicated to the ongoing artistic conversation that occurs outside the walls of a traditional performance space, NVA & Guests hosts community workshops that invite students and professional dancers to delve deeper into the intentional storytelling of the company’s multidisciplinary platform while receiving tools that equip them to achieve their own career development goals within the dance field.

NVA & Guests is dedicated to advancing anti-bias, and anti-racism work as it grows. Nicole von Arx’s leadership is rooted in a commitment to evolving strategies in collaboration with the company’s multiple and intersectional communities to remain sustainable, relevant, and impactful.

Edited June 10th, 2024

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