DUAL RIVET is a women-led dance company focused on creating and sharing highly physical contemporary dance to a wide audience. Based in NYC, Dual Rivet creates work for stage and film that exchanges a cinematic and visceral language to influence both platforms. Directors Jessica Smith and Chelsea Ainsworth have been making and presenting work since 2017. They come from an international background of creating and performing work in places such as England, France, Germany, Japan, Philippines, West Africa, Canada, and the United States. Dual Rivet has performed at venues such as West End Theatre, Kittery Maine, Musikfest Pennsylvania, Peridance Capezio Center, CreateArt, and Arts On Site. The company teaches a myriad of classes, throughout the United States, with an emphasis on contemporary partnering and floorwork. Dual Rivet is currently on faculty at Juilliard, Gibney, Peridance and DanceWave. Dual Rivet aims to share what it means to be female leaders in the arts. For more info: www.dualrivetdance.com JESSICA SMITH is a New York City based dancer from New Orleans, Louisiana. She studied at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, London Contemporary Dance School, and received her BFA in dance from the Department of Dance at Purchase College. She has performed with companies such as Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More NYC, Vim Vigor Dance Company, ZviDance and Kizuna Dance.
Jessica is the Associate Director of Arts on Site NYC, a non-profit arts organization, as well as Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Dual Rivet, a highly physical contemporary dance company based in NYC. CHELSEA AINSWORTH is a graduate of the Dance Department of The Juilliard School. After graduating she worked with Johannes Wieland/StaatstheaterKassel in Germany, Lorena Egan, Flexicure, Amber Sloan, Bryn Cohn + Artists and was on the modern/ballet dance faculty at Cap21 musical theater school and Chen DanceCenter. Currently she is dancing with The Bang Group, as well as ZviDance. She’s also the co-founder and Executive Director of Arts On Site, a non-profit arts organization, as well as Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Dual Rivet. She also built and curates a residency and retreat center in the Shawangunk mountains in upstate New York. In 2020 she joined the Dance Advisory Board of Marymount Manhattan College.
Contemporary
Dual Rivet’s Contemporary Floorwork class explores intense physicality through strength building techniques, attention to placement and weight, and a curiosity to move. Beginning with a warm up, across the floor, and then robust phrase work, the class emphasizes our maximum physical capacity as movers. Inspired heavily by capoeira, street dance, acrobatics, and release technique we will focus on softening and delving into safe practices while learning. The result will be momentous, seamless and sustainable movement, allowing for freedom within our form and personal exploration of style and musicality.