Christine Jowers/Follow @cmmjowers on Instagram

Christine Jowers is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Dance Enthusiast. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and raised in St. Thomas, USVI, Christine has ancestral roots of multiple generations in St. Thomas, St. John, St. Kitts, St. Martin, Puerto Rico, and Culebra. She attributes her unwavering dedication to art, communication, and community to her rich cultural heritage and family upbringing, a connection that she cherishes.

In 2007, while still dancing professionally, Christine founded The Dance Enthusiast, an independent, non-profit arts journalism site. For 17 years, as the chief editor and journalist for this site, she has covered the NYC dance scene, developing innovative and creative formats to share its stories with diverse, global audiences.  Her unique approach to arts journalism, which goes beyond writing criticism, interviews, and features, has led to articles published in  Dance/USA's e-journal, From The Green Room; The Dance Insider; The Johns Hopkins University's Literary Journal: The Hopkins Review, and The Huffington Post.

Believing that the formal dance conversation should be open to “everyone" the dance-going public, critics, and academics, Christine created a space for audiences to share their thoughts on dance on The Dance Enthusiast. Her Audience Reviews have encouraged budding journalists — many of whom have become correspondents on The Dance Enthusiast site or with other respected publications. (Read more about this program in Lynne Conner's We The Audience on ArtsJournal. See editor Sammi Lim Sowerby's delightful cartoons that illustrate how audience reviews can serve artists, presenters, and audiences. )

Before the advent of Instagram Reels, FB stories, and TikTok, Christine created and published short video stories to draw readers into the lives and work of professional dancers. This video program eventually grew to become the  "Dance Up Close" series funded by Dance/USA's Engaging Audience Program under the auspices of The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Dance Enthusiast's Enthusiastic Events series, which she created, co-produced, and curated, brought dancers of all genres together with visual artists, filmmakers, fashion designers, television and Broadway personalities, authors, chefs, gallery owners, etc., to introduce audiences to dances' connection to the world-at-large. This program, recognized for promoting dance literacy, was funded by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Lower Manhattan Community Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Christine has not only led talkbacks and workshops on writing and other manners of communication for interested groups of young people, but she has also played a significant role in mentoring interns from Florida State University, Hofstra, Pace University, and Trinity/LaMaMa. Her mentorship has been instrumental in shaping the careers of many budding journalists and dancers. She has also hosted panels celebrating dance history and issues of the field, such as an EYE ON DANCE celebratory Zoom panel in honor of 40 years of that acclaimed PBS program created by Celia Ipiotis and Jeff Bush; The Sokolow Theatre Dance Ensemble's commemoration of 50 years of Anna Sokolow's Rooms; a panel discussing Dr. Daniel Lewis' book, Daniel Lewis, A Life in Choreography and the Art of Dance. Recently, Christine facilitated discussions in New York and Philadelphia for  WHERE IS MY B-O-D-Y, a collaboration of discovery focusing on age and dance with the accomplished artists, choreographers, and educators Gus Solomons jr and Pallabi Chakravorty and Kun-Yang Lin.

Under Christine's leadership, The Dance Enthusiast continues to be a beacon of support for the art of dance, especially during a time when journalism for the arts has experienced unprecedented cuts. Her platform has provided opportunities for both accomplished dance journalists and those new to the field, inspiring them to hone their craft and contribute to the vibrant dance scene. In 2022, in recognition of her significant contribution,  Christine was honored with a New York Performance Award(Bessie) for Community Service and an  American Dance Guild Achievement in the Field of Dance award, a testament to the impact of her work on the dance community.

PERFORMANCE/PRODUCTION

Before her career in arts journalism, Christine worked as a professional dancer, teacher, and producer for over 30 years. She performed solo works and principal roles by the early masters of modern dance: Isadora Duncan (coached by Catherine Gallant), Doris Humphrey, Eleanor King (coached by Lori Belilove), Jean Erdman (coached by Nancy Allison), Murray Louis (coached by Janis Brenner and Murray Louis), Anna Sokolow, Paul Sansardo (coached by John Passafiume). She also danced in works created by contemporary choreographers and performance artists: Larry Keigwin, Rebecca Rice, Catlin Cobb, Nancy Allison, Larry Warren, Kun Yang Lin, Charles Moulton, Mark Taylor, Elsa Limbach, Jerry Pearson, Ann Carlson, Janis Brenner, BJ Sullivan, and Margie Gillis.

Christine's first independent production, The Singular Voice of Woman (1997) at The Place in London, featured Janet Eilber (now artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company), Jacky Lansley ( British contemporary dance pioneer), and Lesley Maine ( UK specialist in the work of Doris Humphrey). The performance was noted for "exceptional solos" by Judith Mackrell, dance critic for The Guardian UK, who hailed Jowers as "not only a remarkable performer but an important dance historian…" Other original productions, Revealing Isadora and The Dancing Goddesses of NYC, were performed in New York City at The World Financial Center, The New Jersey Center for Performing Arts, The Joyce Soho, Joe's Pub, OK Harris Dance Gallery, DanceNowNYC, The Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Art Center,  The University Settlement at Eldridge Street, The Culture Project, The Children's Museum of Manhattan, and, The 14th Street Y.

Christine performed a revival of The Singular Voice of Woman (as a solo dance and video production) for 13 evenings produced by BookingDance during the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Amanda Grimm of TheSkinny.co.uk. , said of Christine, "She brings just as much emotion, albeit a very different kind, to Isadora Duncan's Revolutionary. Although this short piece consists of a small set of repeated movements, those movements are passionate, powerful, dramatic anddespairing — thanks to both Duncan and Jowers — making this piece one of the highlights of the programme."

TEACHING AND WORKSHOPS 

In addition to being on the faculty at the José Limón Institute in NYC, the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance Studies, and Danceworks in London, Christine has conducted master classes at Islington Arts Factory (UK), the Liverpool School of Performing Arts (UK), Roehampton College (UK), Goucher College (USA), Kean College (USA) and other various educational institutions. She has led dance workshops, taught choreography, and performed for children and teenagers under Artists in The Schools programs, Teen Arts, Young Audiences, and Very Special Arts programs in the US and the Caribbean.

In 1991, Christine created a dance program for children and adults at the YWCA in Summit, NJ, directing the program from 1991-1996 and founding the highly regarded Free Community Dance Series. The Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs and the New Jersey State Arts Council funded her community dance work in NJ. In 1999, Christine established cj/MOVING ARTS PROJECTS' MOVING KIDS SALONs to sponsor workshops for kids and "their grownups" in New York City. In addition to Christine, artists featured in the Moving Kids Salons were renowned dancers Risa Steinberg, Catherine Gallant, Cherlyn Smith, Larry Keigwin, and Nicole Wolcott.

Christine was a founding board member of Kun-Yang Lin/Dance in Philadelphia and today serves on the boards of The Martha Graham Dance Company and the American Dance Guild in New York City.

In addition to running The Dance Enthusiast from Boston, where she lives with her husband, Rob, Christine practices mixed-media arts. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and art shows in NYC, Charlestown, and Newton, MA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read features by Christine Jowers/Follow @cmmjowers on Instagram