It’s “Ooo-sha”
Artist Statement
When I was 8, having recently arrived from Trinidad & Tobago, I tried to eradicate my Caribbean accent by watching hours of American television. I was hurt by the taunting of my classmates. In a year I was speaking just like everyone else, but fresh taunting from my own family that I’d become a “yankee” made me feel like I was no longer Trini. I was experiencing the realities of code switching. As a woman, an immigrant, and a classically trained dancer, I’ve always felt a pull towards the switch. I was constantly adjusting to the ever-changing definition of femininity, to the various subcultures of which I am a part, and to my own ever-expanding ideas of what constitutes excellence in dance.
Code switching is a nuanced and vital part of how I’ve culturally connected with the world at large. It offers me the opportunity to listen, communicate, and understand disparate worlds. This understanding has fueled my artistry, offering a wealth of information to pull from for roles as a performer and as a choreographer. But it has also led to some serious soul searching as I’ve fought to reconcile my personal identity with my code-switching selves. Along that journey I began to bridge the rhythms of my native culture — the isolation of the hips and the folkloric dances — with classical concert dance. The internal battle waged to reconcile the two led me to realize that being a complete human is about finding harmony among our many selves, our many distinct languages. This desire to communicate what I believe is a universal experience is at the core of my work.
Biography
Originally from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Sorzano received her primary instruction from New World School of the Arts, Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, and The Dance Theater of Harlem. In her senior year she received an award for outstanding choreography from New World School of the Arts and was a National YoungArts Foundation award winner in dance. She went on to attend the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program and in her junior year was invited to join Ailey II. Currently a member of Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Ms. Sorzano has been a company member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Morphoses, TU Dance, and BODYTRAFFIC. She has also performed as a guest artist with Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project. Ms. Sorzano has performed in principal roles with the Ailey company and in a wide variety of concert works, including works by noted choreographers Ulysses Dove, Maurice Béjart, Hofesh Shechter, Kyle Abraham, and Mauro Bigonzetti. Additionally, she has performed alongside recording artists Wynton Marsalis, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Rihanna. Her television and film credits include being a guest artist on “Dancing with the Stars” and principal dancer in the independent film “You, Me & The Circus.” In theater, she has been principal dancer in both “Crowns” at Chicago’s acclaimed Goodman Theatre and “Florencia en el Amazonas” with L.A. Opera.
As a creator, Ms. Sorzano has choreographed works for Santa Barbara Dance Theater, New Century Dance Project, The Ailey School, The Joffrey Ballet School’s New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas programs, and Los Angeles’s Windward School. She served as a movement consultant to John Legend for NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and was part of the creative team curating promotional material for the live event. She was the recipient of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s New Directions Choreography Lab in 2018, and was the National YoungArts Foundation’s 2019 Fall Dance Artist-In-Residence.
Deeply passionate about the powerful role that educators play in the lives of young artists, Ms. Sorzano enjoys teaching both nationally and internationally. From Trinidad to the United States and beyond, Ms. Sorzano has had the pleasure of teaching at esteemed educational institutions and festivals around the world, including the Ailey School, Lines Ballet/Dominican Universities BFA Program, TU Dance, Contemporary Choreographers’ Collective, New World School of the Arts, The Windward School, Brazil’s Mostra Dança, and Italy’s Opus Ballet. Ms. Sorzano currently serves as an Associate Director for Program Development with Francisco Gella Dance Works.
