Rena’s artistic craft is prompted by the curiosity to converse with world events and the constant sliding scale of its proximity to the personal. Her aim is to create a creative dialect imbued with fluidity, athleticism, humility, and enlightenment that is accessible to many, illuminating stories that are reflective of the multifaceted scope we exist in.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Ailey II: On Tour
"In Session by choreographer Rena Butler is a collective portrait of coming of age, where the tension between conformity and rebellion shapes the action of maturation. The work explores how individuals navigate the process of finding themselves while moving within—and against—the collective, challenging the notion that growth requires uniformity and asserting instead that no student needs to be the same. Through layered physicality and communal rhythm, In Session reveals the nuanced journey of self-discovery within a community."
Her irrepressible energy and individuality make Rena Butler a dancer who is said to immediately draw eyes to her among hundreds of others.
Although there are still a couple of choreographers on her dancing wish list, she now spends most of her time creating her own work. So who is this flamboyant American, who is making her Dutch debut as a choreographer in Generation Dance?
NRC Interview:
Rena Butler: 'The label black, bisexual, female choreographer is much too limited'
Translation:
"These are our photographers' favorite photos from 2024: Dancers aren't shy and afraid to take a pose that gives the photo something extra. This image eventually became the cover of the supplement."
Marco Goecke’s Äffï for SFDanceworks
Äffi, a solo choreographed by Marco Goecke set to music by American music legend, Johnny Cash. This solo embodies pain, grief and loss, paired with quintessential aesthetics found in Goecke’s choreography. This solo was performed for SFDanceworks’s Season 7 series in November 2024 at San Francisco’s Z Space Theater.
