Intimacy Direction 

In Dance

 

Welcome to Intimacy Direction In Dance!

Intimacy Direction In Dance exists to help dance companies connect to professional Intimacy Directors, qualified and experienced in creating effective, dynamic, consent-forward story-telling, specifically for the mediums of classical and concert dance. 

Sarah Lozoff

is the resident Intimacy Director for RudduR Dance, as well as the first Intimacy Director to work with American Ballet Theatre. She Intimacy Directed the groundbreaking commissioned work, Touché, for both the film and stage versions. Sarah served as the consulting Intimacy Director for ABT's Fall 2021 and Summer 2022 seasons. 

She was the first resident Intimacy Director for a major regional theater at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has been named by Broadway Women's Fund as a "Woman to Watch on Broadway". 

Sarah trained at Miami Conservatory (now Armour Dance Theatre), under Thomas Armour, Robert Pike, Ruth Wiesen, and Nancy Raffa. At the nationally renowned New World School of the Arts, she studied with Judith Newman, Gerri Houlihan, Peter London and many others. Professionally, Sarah performed soloist and principal roles with Ballet Rosario Suarez, directed by Cuban prima ballerina, Rosario “Charin” Suarez.

For more than twenty years, Sarah taught ballet for professional companies, conservatories, public schools, and outreach programs. She has been a guest speaker and facilitated workshops on intimacy direction at universities and organizations across the country. Sarah provided workshops on Intimacy Direction specifically for dance to high school and undergrad students and faculty at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She has Intimacy Directed for the Barnard/Columbia Dance program.

In addition to her performing arts background, Sarah has a rich history with both social justice work and birth work as a doula. She's well versed in current EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) practices and presently sits on the EDI committee for USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology). Sarah was also a birth doula and childbirth educator for many years, during which time she produced events and moderated panels centered around informed choice and consent. Her work in the above arenas has given Sarah a unique insight and preparation for intimacy work in performance.

Sarah is also a partner with Production on Deck and a certified Gyrotonic trainer.

Memberships: Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, United States Institute for Theatre Technology (EDI Committee member)

Nicole Perry

is a Certified Intimacy Director and Coordinator, and a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst. She combines the L/BMA System with her love of pedagogy as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at Florida Atlantic University.

Nicole holds a BA in Dance from Eastern University and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (with concentrations in Decolonial Arts Praxis and Performance Creation) from Goddard College. Her thesis discusses consent-forward and trauma-informed practices in dance pedagogy and performance. 

Nicole has received 2 Broward County Artists Investment Grants for the creation of new dance works, resulting in KINesphere, site-inspired works located in South Florida's Intercoastal Waterway and Everglades. Her choreography has been performed at the 7th Annual Somatics and Dance Conference, Global and National Water Dance celebrations, countless musical theatre productions in both Philadelphia and South Florida, and the Center City Opera Theatre. She has performed as a dancer with SWERVE, the Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective, Underground Danceworks, and the Center City Opera Theatre. 

Nicole's Intimacy Direction has been on dozens of stages in South Florida, and she received a Silver Palm Award for her work on 4 different productions, and a Carbonell Award nomination for the intimacy in "To Fall in Love" during the 2021-22 South Florida theatre season. Her Intimacy Coordination has been seen in independent and feature films (2 of which are on Hulu), as well as network TV.

Nicole is the founder of Momentum Stage, which provides professional development opportunities for teachers of dance and drama at all levels. With Momentum and with the Dance Education Equity Association, Nicole regularly presents on Power and Consent in Dance Spaces for universities, conservatory programs, competition/conventions, and dance studios across the US, Canada, and the UK. 

She was a regular contributor to DanceGeist ezine. She has also published an article in The Journal of Movement Arts Literacy on the use of L/BMS to support movement specificity, motivational clarity, and show maintenance for Intimacy Choreography.

Memberships: Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, National Dance Education Organization, Dance Studies Association, and Association of Theatre Movement  Educators

Renee Redding-Jones

 is a movement professional in the last stage of certifying as an Intimacy Director. She is a teacher of dance and movement, a Certified Laban Movement Analyst, Choreographer, and a Registered Yoga Teacher. 

Renee is New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award winning performer. As a dancer, Renee was a featured performer in the companies of Ronald K. Brown and David Rousseve.

As a teacher and choreographer, Renee has enjoyed a long tenure at The Atlantic Acting School and in the undergraduate drama department (The Classical Studio) at NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, in addition to serving several years as an Assistant Arts Professor in the school’s dance department. 

Renee is the Fall 2022 season Intimacy Director at Atlantic Acting School. She has also served as Intimacy Director at Drew University.

In 2020, through Tisch, Renee had the distinct honor of being nominated for the prestigious David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. 

Her more recent endeavors include being the Director of Finance for Black Dance Stories, a weekly YouTube series that highlights the work of Black creatives. 

Renee is also a teaching artist, content editor, and contributor to curriculum development with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC). She also teaches intimacy workshops for Molloy College and The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Renee earned her MFA in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College and her BS in Physical Education / Dance from Morgan State University. She also holds a certification as a Contemplative Psychotherapist through the Nalanda Institute of Contemplative Science.

Memberships: Association of Theatre Movement Educators

Free Download:  

"Guidelines for Touch and Consent for Dance Companies" 

created by Sarah Lozoff and Nicole Perry for 

the Dance Data Project!

Intimacy Direction In Dance in Action

Watch Intimacy Direction in Dance

Read about Intimacy Direction in Dance

 Looking for an Intimacy Director for classical or concert dance outside of the US? 

Are you a professional Intimacy Director, with experience in classical or concert dance? Please reach out if you are interested in building community with us!

Have other questions about Intimacy Direction in Dance?

Facebook