MISSION
The body is the brain.
The mission of Hope Mohr Dance is to create, present and foster outstanding art at the intersection of the body and the brain.
We build community through art.
HMD's Bridge Project approaches curating as community organizing to convene equity-driven cultural conversations.
“The emergence of new, transformative, even revolutionary creativity occurs at the juncture between the production of art and the exercise of deep critical thought.” --Garrett Hongo
VALUES
HMD is artist-driven and equity-driven.
Organizational priorities:
artistic excellence, social justice, fair pay for artists,
creating a creative commons, shifting cultural power.
HMD is committed to supporting female artists, LGBTQ artists, artists of color, and artists from historically underserved populations.
HMD is committed to shifting cultural power into the hands of the artist whom we serve. We are committed to dismantling white supremacy both through our programming and our internal structures.
HMD is committed to creating creative spaces wherein all feel welcome. HMD does not discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, physical disability, political affiliation, veteran's status, national origin, ancestry, socio-economic status, or source of income in its employment and curating practices, as provided by federal, state and local law.
PROGRAMS
Building Community through Art
HMD’s The Bridge Project approaches curating as community organizing to convene equity-driven cultural conversations. HMD’s Bridge Project programs includes Multi-Disciplinary Performance and a Community Engagement Residency.
Artmaking
HMD is a platform for Artistic Director Hope Mohr's work.
"The Bridge Project is a small ray of hope in a troubled world. Creating spaces for debate, dissent, connection and collaboration, the Bridge Project offers a model for how to build arts community."
--Jack Halberstam (Columbia University Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Author of The Queer Art of Failure, Featured Participant in 2017 Bridge Project: Radical Movements)
Organizational History
Artistic Director Hope Mohr founded the company in 2007 after studying and performing with a number of pioneers of modern dance, including Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, and Margaret Jenkins. Mohr has a B.A. from Stanford University and received her J.D. from Columbia Law School while dancing professionally. Mohr's work has been presented by: Highways Performance Space (LA), SFMOMA, Moody Center for the Arts (Houston), di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art (Sonoma), Movement Research at Judson Church (New York City), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco International Arts Festival, West Wave Festival, Montalvo Arts Center, ODC Theater, Stanford University, Motion Pacific, Lines Ballet BFA Program, and the S.F. VA Hospital’s Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation. Mohr has taught dance technique and composition throughout the world, including at the Trisha Brown Studios in New York, The Place in London, PARTS in Brussels, UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, and American Conservatory Theatre’s MFA program.
Residencies/Fellowships/Awards
National Center for Choreography (writing residency)
ODC Theater (artist residency and company in residence)
Petronio Residency Center (artist residency)
Montalvo Arts Center (artist residency)
Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Art, Nature and Dance (artist residency)
Stanford Arts Institute (artist residency)
UCLA's Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance (guest artist)
ODC's Sandbox Series
YBCA 100 (2014)
YBCA Fellow (2015 “How do we design freedom?” Cohort)
Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange (2009 & 2014)
Isadora Duncan Dance Award Nominations (2010, 2017 & 2019)
Herb Alpert Award (Nominee, 2019)
HMD has been presented and/or commissioned by
Baltimore Art Museum (Baltimore)
Moody Center for the Arts (Houston)
YBCA (San Francisco)
ODC Theater (San Francisco)
Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art (Sonoma)
Stanford University
Highways (LA)
Gallery Wendi Norris
Movement Research at Judson Church (NYC)
San Francisco International Arts Festival
West Wave Festival
Montalvo Arts Center
S.F. VA Hospital’s Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation
Walking Distance Dance Festival
Complete List of Works by Artistic Director Hope Mohr
Pictured above: Participating artists in The 2016 Bridge Project, Ten Artists Respond to Locus, a collaboration with the Trisha Brown Dance Company, produced in association with YBCA.