Maria White
Maria White is a queer Romanian-American dancer performing artist, and educator working within and against the intersections of contemporary dance, neo-burlesque, and socio-political intervention to create performances, and inspire collaborators. Her educational approach values play, transformation, and inquiry by celebrating her students’ capabilities and encouraging them to take risks. Maria received her MA in Dance and Studio Related Studies from Florida State University (FSU) and is working on her PhD in Theatre and Performance Research at FSU. Internationally, White has performed in Glass. Einstein. Joints. commissioned by the Latvian National Opera and choreographed by Aigars Larinovs. She performed in Cherry Wringing a performance experiement by Fleur Darkin at Dock 11 Theater. White has also trained at Tic Tac Art Centre in David Zambrano’s Flying Low and Passing Through workshop and performed her latest in progress work Invitation Provocateur in their weekly Crude Saturday performance series. Currently, White is further developing Invitation Provacateur and is in collaboration with theatre artists working on The Thirst Is Real a performance about Florida’s climate change issues, specifically water quality. White is also currently researching the history and politics of neo-burlesque and its connections to performing femininity and gender in contemporary performance in Florida.
Biography
I make movement-based performances that reveal my layers of existence woven by the cultures and people I connect with in the places I land in real-time and in memory. I create queer and feminist worlds that reveal life’s big questions about loving, living, and being yourself. I edify the legacies of women and femmes who have impacted my life and history. My experimental process pulls from postmodern and contemporary dance, striptease, and theatre. My performances create space for people who appreciate poetic raunch, cheesy humor, and sometimes something gross like throwing up plastic. I make spontaneous performances that have some structure and are rarely entirely choreographed. In my process, I try on different characters and have serious fun with props, costumes, and mini-sets to call back memories and emotions. In these worlds, there is space for my healing, the celebration of others, and opportunities for connection.