Meredith Ventura is a multi-creative artist based out of southern California. She graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a B.F.A. in Dance, received her M.F.A. in dance at Hollins University in collaboration with the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, and The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company (formerly the Forsythe Company), and is currently a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Ph.D. student in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies.
As the founder and artistic director of Selah Dance Collective, Ms. Ventura has produced full evening-length performances and presented works throughout the United States and abroad, most recently in Estonia, Norway, Finland, and Macedonia. Ms. Ventura travels nationally and internationally as a dance educator and advocate for the arts. She also serves as a board member for Artspace Inc, Arts Mentorship Program, and the Public Domain Players.
Resume/CV - coming soon
Choreography Reel - coming soon
ResearchGate - coming soon
My Research
My interests lie in dance historiography and theory, particularly issues of embodiment and empathy in early modern and contemporary dance. My current research interest is in the historiography of the body in early dance modernism, emphasizing the interwar period, the politics of the female body, and portrayals of death onstage in modern dance performances. My most recent work, Palermo!, was an evening-length contemporary dance work that explored the intersections of early modern dance and cabaret.
Current Projects
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Selah Dance Collective
Artistic Director
Selah Dance Collective, Inc is a contemporary dance company dedicated to producing original work, creating educational experiences through performance, and maintaining a platform for community dance works and emerging artists through outreach, education, and mentorship.
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Novus Dance Project
Creative Director
With a signature style that merges neoclassical ballet and contemporary dance, Novus continues to reflect the evolving aesthetics of a new generation of movement artists. The company proudly returns with a growing network of artists spanning Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and New York.
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Lights Up! Theater Company
Dance Director and Resident Choreographer
Lights Up! Theatre Company’s mission is to provide professional training and performance experience in a nurturing environment. I joined Lights Up!’s team in 2021 and have choreographed and directed the dance for Something Rotten!, Matilda, The Drowsy Chaperone, Into the Woods, Anything Goes, and Footloose.