about
Artist Statement
As an artist who was not raised to be an artist (not necessarily a unique attribute), my art practice is synonymous with my journey of transformation and healing in this world. I have a body that’s been with me this whole time, and it will hopefully continue to transform with me until it more fully returns to the earth.
I aspire for my art to evoke a sense of wonder, curiosity, and play through image and sensation.
I dance because I love to dance. I make dances to feel myself in relation to others, nervous system to nervous system. I am nourished by the openings that live performance and collaborative process can provide for authenticity and energetic exchange between audience and performer.
Bio
Matthew Williams (they/them) is a Baltimore-based dancer, somatic facilitator, and lifelong student of the body. Their performance practice is inspired by the human body as a site for choice, liberation, and a means to be in relationship with place and community across differences. Matthew is engaged with Western Somatics, choreographic and improvisational movement arts, voice work, and the study of functional anatomy. They are currently a student of Somatic Experiencing and the Axis Syllabus. They are a longtime member and organizer of Move Move Collaborative, an annual movement intensive where artists gather in Baltimore to make a performance by consensus. Matthew has taught in various universities and organized community-based educational opportunities. Their performance work has been supported by residencies at the Ucross Foundation and Playa Summer Lake, Labbodies Performance Art Review, Transmodern Festival, Baltimore Independent Dance Artists, Move Move Collaborative, and Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts. Matthew holds a BA in Cultural Studies from Bates College and MFA in Theatre Arts from Towson University.