On Friday, April 4, contemporary dance company BODYTRAFFIC will travel from Los Angeles to perform at Popejoy Hall.
“Led by Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC is known for its stunning performers, diverse technical mastery, and commitment to dynamic repertoire that is captivating for dance lovers and dance newcomers alike,” a Popejoy press release reads.
Berkett grew up in New York City, where she participated in competitive dance and studied math and economics at Columbia University while also dancing professionally. She founded BODYTRAFFIC in 2007 when she started her post-college dance career.
“I joined Mikhail Baryshnikov and Hell's Kitchen Dance, and I was with them for about two years, and then I moved to Los Angeles and I founded BODYTRAFFIC,” she said. “I felt that Los Angeles had the landscape for allowing for another dance company to add to the culture of dance here.”
BODYTRAFFIC blends ballet, contemporary, modern, Afro-Cuban and hip-hop genres, according to the press release.
Berkett said her goal for the company is to grow the contemporary dance audience. She said she wants audience members to love it so much they want to see more.
“I'm trying to change the way dance is seen around the world,” she said.
Berkett said that contemporary dance requires the “rigor and discipline of professional athletes.”
“Our dancers are highly trained, incredibly athletic — their physicality is really superhuman,” she said. “When people come to a BODYTRAFFIC show, it really dispels a lot of the misconceptions around contemporary dance.”
BODYTRAFFIC dancers come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, Berkett said.
“We have European dancers, dancers from Cuba, from throughout the United States,” Berkett said. “We really are a proper melting pot covering a lot of different areas, cultures and ethnicities around the world.”
Berkettsaid BODYTRAFFIC has visited Albuquerque in the past, and the audience was welcoming and excited to see the group perform.
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“We try to show our work at all the major venues around the world, and we're really excited to be welcomed and invited to come to Albuquerque,” Berkett said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
