Stone's Artistic Statement

In high school I choose modern dance over ballet at the North Carolina School of the Arts because I was aloud to go upside down. Later discovering contact improvisation I was home in its three dimensional landscape. Whether it is a turbulent dance phrase, a Butoh- slow meditation, or a moving sculpture installation, my work is kinesthetically engaged. 

I have always been interested in human communication and connections.  I strive to bring people together.  Collaboratively working with my community in process and performance makes the ritual aspect of my work palpable.


I first performed with David Dorfman, Joy Kellman, and Amy Pivar in NYC in my twenties.  I loved the physical tossing, the gravity pulling, the energetic moods that this kind of choreography created. 

The opportunity to study with Kazuo Ohno at Virginia Commonwealth University surprised me: I fell in love with the intensity and the mental specificity of his approach. I later created a movement mediation that I practice in outside places.  It is like a flower unfolding.

Some of my works heal wounds in my heart.  Physicalizing grief and uncertainty allows me to release my pain. Audiences witness this release. As human's we share certain sensory tools, our eyes relating to gravity drops, our heart sympathizing with a tormented soul, our mind invigorated by an abstract pattern.  As a creator and performer I connect with others through this common sensory language.

 Some of my works are warnings to the public, political statements about what is concerning me about our world.  My goal for these performances, which often include text is to encourage the audience to consider these ideas, to look at their own from a different vantage point, and to inspire constructive dialogue.

I spent my time as a child running down mountains, jumping rock to rock, and rolling down hillsides, after attempting to fly down first. In my down time, I sang and quietly built sculptures in the woods.  

In my latest work, Earth Dances my singing and sculptures debuted for this first time in conjunction with my dancing body.  

Being in my body, listening to the voice inside, and being courageous enough to share its truth grounds and ignites my life.  Sharing this creative process and ritual performances connects me with my community.