Alexandra Barbier is an interdisciplinary artist whose works are often whimsical and humorous while also inspiring critical thought and societal/cultural commentary and inquiry. Weaving together practices from dance, performance art, theatre, installation, Blackness, queerness, and Southern-ness, these works have been presented in theaters, parks, gardens, libraries, festivals, and DIY spaces. Her current body of work-in-progress, “Stations of Black Loss,” is an autoethnographic collection of performance, visual art, and creative non-fiction works that chronicle her journey of learning to love and embrace Black identity. Several performance components have been supported by and presented through NCCAkron (Akron, Oh), loveDANCEmore (SLC, Ut), and the dance department at University of Illinois (Urbana, Il), while accompanying research presentations and lecture-demonstrations have been presented through the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Collegium for African Diaspora Dance, and Popular Culture Association conferences. Alexandra has previously held faculty positions with the University of Utah’s School of Dance, the Joffrey Ballet and Jazz + Contemporary Trainee Programs, Joffrey South summer intensive and is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
