About Ellen Oliver
Hi! My name is Ellen Oliver (she/they pronouns). I am a SAG-AFTRA dancer, actor, and motion capture artist from Blackstone, MA. I am enthusiastic, multi-talented, and collaborative, and I love working on interdisciplinary projects and film sets. You can find me as a “Principal Dancer” in the feature film Little Women and as a Co-Star in an episode for a major upcoming drama series.
My artistic work explores the intersection of my two primary movement practices (dance and climbing). These practices are rooted in balance, problem-solving, and improvisation. I transform climbing into expressive vertical choreography to highlight the body’s relationship to gravity, environment, and material. I create performances and installations that reimagine climbing routes as dances, where performers navigate through ropes, handholds, light, and surfaces. I am interested in blurring the lines between athleticism and artistry, and my goal is to foster meaningful relationships between the local rock climbing and dance communities. Most recently, my solo and collaborative work has been performed in a live OptiTrack motion capture studio, a rock climbing piano installation, an empty grain silo, and a 50-foot climbing wall.
My work has been presented at venues including Keene State College, the Open Air Media Festival in Iowa City, Shoonya Centre for Arts and Somatic Practices in Bangalore, India, New Work Series NYC, Iowa’s International Writers Program, Dixon Place, AS220 Providence, F-O-R-M in Vancouver, Canada, Urbanity Dance Company's neXt Residency, and Bearnstow in Maine. Recently, I was a Resident at Omi: Dance in New York and a White Mountain National Forest Artist in Residence.
As a performer, I have danced with companies and projects including Lorraine Chapman the Company, Todd T. Brown, OceA Wilderness at The Yard, TEN31 Productions/Metamorphosis Dance Company, Fusionworks Dance Company, Kelley Donovan & Dancers, Arc Iris/HDC Dance Ensemble, and Ali Kenner Brodsky & Co.
I have taught courses at the University of Iowa, Roger Williams University, and College of the Holy Cross. I have also taught guest classes at Sacred Heart University, Keene State College, and Salem State University. Currently, I am a Visiting Lecturer in Dance at the College of the Holy Cross.
I studied dance at UNC School of the Arts, hold a BA from Hampshire College, and received an MFA in Dance (Choreography) from the University of Iowa.
My artistic work explores the intersection of my two primary movement practices (dance and climbing). These practices are rooted in balance, problem-solving, and improvisation. I transform climbing into expressive vertical choreography to highlight the body’s relationship to gravity, environment, and material. I create performances and installations that reimagine climbing routes as dances, where performers navigate through ropes, handholds, light, and surfaces. I am interested in blurring the lines between athleticism and artistry, and my goal is to foster meaningful relationships between the local rock climbing and dance communities. Most recently, my solo and collaborative work has been performed in a live OptiTrack motion capture studio, a rock climbing piano installation, an empty grain silo, and a 50-foot climbing wall.
My work has been presented at venues including Keene State College, the Open Air Media Festival in Iowa City, Shoonya Centre for Arts and Somatic Practices in Bangalore, India, New Work Series NYC, Iowa’s International Writers Program, Dixon Place, AS220 Providence, F-O-R-M in Vancouver, Canada, Urbanity Dance Company's neXt Residency, and Bearnstow in Maine. Recently, I was a Resident at Omi: Dance in New York and a White Mountain National Forest Artist in Residence.
As a performer, I have danced with companies and projects including Lorraine Chapman the Company, Todd T. Brown, OceA Wilderness at The Yard, TEN31 Productions/Metamorphosis Dance Company, Fusionworks Dance Company, Kelley Donovan & Dancers, Arc Iris/HDC Dance Ensemble, and Ali Kenner Brodsky & Co.
I have taught courses at the University of Iowa, Roger Williams University, and College of the Holy Cross. I have also taught guest classes at Sacred Heart University, Keene State College, and Salem State University. Currently, I am a Visiting Lecturer in Dance at the College of the Holy Cross.
I studied dance at UNC School of the Arts, hold a BA from Hampshire College, and received an MFA in Dance (Choreography) from the University of Iowa.
Come see my upcoming performance with Dayita Nereyeth:
Photo by Aram Boghosian at Masary Studios ASC