Happenings at the Yaw and New Pitch & Roll Studios
Stella Kutz on Providing Spaces for Artistry
Name pronunciation: Stella Kuh-Ts | Pronouns: she/her
By Nicole Barrett, DWC Blog Editor
Having a space where dancers can come together and create something beautiful is something that Stella Kutz strives for in the Seattle area. From starting dance early on in her life to creating the Yaw Theater, Stella has much experience navigating the tough dance world and striving for creativity. Read on to learn more about Stella’s hopes for the dance community and new events happening at the Yaw and new Pitch & Roll Studios!
Stella started dancing when she was five when her grandmother bought her classes. “I wanted to jump high and I always wanted to be pretty,” Stella shares about wanting to join dance classes. Stella started dancing at Spectrum Dance Theater under the direction of Dale Merrill. “It was perfect for me because Spectrum at the time was just there, if you want to dance you are going to dance and that is how I got through,” she says. Stella danced at Spectrum for 13 years and took every opportunity that she could to volunteer and help out as much as she could.
After many years of dance, Stella went off to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to receive a BFA in Performance Choreography. Once her degree was completed, she moved back to Seattle, but was faced with the difficulty of figuring out what to do after college. “Once you graduate college, they don’t tell you what to do at all. They’re like, `Well, just go audition,’” Stella shares. She began to dance for numerous companies around the city and eventually as she got more involved in the dance world in Seattle, noticed that there were no places nearby to dance.
One day she got to meet the owner of Equinox Studios, where Yaw Theater is now located, and expressed to him that she wanted a dance space and he agreed. Ideas kept sprouting and more opportunities arose for this new space and the Yaw Theater was eventually born. “Everything kind of fell into place,” Stella says.
When asked what her favorite thing about dance is, she shares this: “it’s the only art form where you can be ‘not good at it’ but be captivating.” Stella also expressed the energy of being in a dance class and the joy felt when you know you did a good job as a large part of dance’s appeal to her.
Moving forward in the dance world, Stella would like to see more community and an increase in inclusivity with everyone no matter who they are. “I want people to be more supportive of everyone else in general and in dance,” Stella shares. She would also like to see more intimate performances that allow the audience to be up close to the dancers and feel their emotions rather than being far away and feeling detached from the art.
When it comes to the production of the Yaw Theater, Stella wanted a place that was easy and affordable for anyone that wanted to use it. “I really enjoy watching people achieve their goals,” Stella shares. “Just a place where people can try things and it’s not a huge financial risk.” She also mentioned that she wants a place where it is easier to make art and that working with artists of different mediums is very important to her, so the location of the Yaw Theater, in Equinox Studios among other artists, was perfect.
Aside from the Yaw, Stella has recently opened several new rehearsal spaces called Pitch and Roll. These spaces are rehearsal studios that choreographers and artists can book and use without excess hassle. Stella wanted to put on more programming for the artists and choreographers in the area, so she created these rehearsal spaces for people to use that have the proper resources. “I don’t think there can be too much performance art,” Stella said about getting more space for dancers around the area.
Stella plans to create more festivals and events for artists and dancers around the area to come create and watch art. In terms of what is in the works right now, Stella is planning on bringing together a group of like-minded individuals from different artistic backgrounds to showcase their works in “Launchpoint,” a “conglomeration” of art. Stella plans to work with Sophia Wheelright, a Seattle-based artist who specializes in aluminum mesh installations, to create a sculpture for groups of dance artists to perform with in the space. Each group of dancers will be given the same performance parameters in terms of time and space, allowing audiences to help see and appreciate the diversity of artists’ creative processes. The tactile art itself is also something that Stella is interested in when it comes to making sure that every dancing body is given the same source to inspire their creations. This can allow the audience to interpret the creativity in their own way and find the message in the story. “That will help people understand or at least appreciate the diversity of our thoughts and our creative process,” Stella shared.
Keep a lookout at yawtheater.com for more information about “Launchpoint” and book your space at the Yaw and Pitch & Roll today!
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