Ignite Transformative Actions: A Conversation with Christopher Rudd

April 25, 2024byAmy Aronoff

Image: Christopher Rudd, Photo Credit: João Menegussi

A dancer-turned-choreographer, Rudd talks about becoming a dancemaker and an artistic director, and what he aspires to do as a new NYFA Board Member.

In hopes of bettering the world through dance, Jamaican-born dancemaker Christopher Rudd, founder and Artistic Director of RudduR Dance, built the company as a vehicle for social change. He shares his path from a dancer to a dancemaker to a NYFA Board Member, illustrating what inspires the transition and what he hopes to achieve.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA): Tell us about RudduR Dance, the dance company you founded in 2015. What is the story you are interested in telling through dance? How does your immigrant identity shape your work and creative process, if at all?

Christopher Rudd (CR): Surprisingly, the path to becoming an Artistic Director was never part of my plans; it was more of a jest I entertained. However, when Trayvon Martin’s murderer was acquitted, I felt an urgent need to protest. This pivotal moment prompted soul-searching questions: Where could my voice wield the most influence? What language could I use to compel people to listen, reflect, and understand? Simultaneously, I found myself contemplating retirement, sparking a year-long quest for purpose.

During this transformative period, I embarked on a profound journey, both inward and outward. I returned to Jamaica for the first time in 23 years, reconnecting with my roots and rediscovering the essence of my identity as a Black Jamaican queer man who has traversed the globe. It was amidst this introspection that the vision for RudduR Dance took shape.

RudduR Dance is more than just a contemporary dance company—it’s a vehicle for social change, a platform for amplifying marginalized voices, and a beacon of hope for a more equitable world. Deeply rooted in my lived experiences and informed by the struggles and triumphs of my many identities, RudduR Dance is committed to telling stories that resonate with authenticity, challenge perceptions, and inspire meaningful dialogue.

Through works like WITNESS, a trilogy that depicts the African-American journey towards equity, RudduR Dance seeks to empower a People, foster understanding, and ignite transformative action. With each performance, we strive to elevate the collective consciousness and move closer to a humane future by creating lasting change one movement at a time.

Dancer Ezra Swift photographed against a dramatic black background — Image: Ezra Swift, Photo Credit: João Menegussi

NYFA: How did you transition from a dancer to a choreographer? What does it take to be a choreographer? What advice do you have for someone who is interested in becoming a choreographer?

CR: To be honest and frank, it wasn’t easy for me to transition from dancer to choreographer. I had never known myself as a person without dance so the idea of retiring was a shocking blow to who I believed I was. At the time, I couldn’t see a separation in my identity as a dancer and as a human. It took a lot of time and soul searching to untangle that web.

Then the day came when I decided I should step out of my own work. I was holding my dance partner overhead and instead of paying attention to us, I was watching another couple to make sure they were doing it right. I nearly injured myself and my partner, which wasn’t fair to the work, my partner, nor myself. Being a choreographer is the practice of being selfless to the creation of work. It’s the constant state of questioning Why? How? When? and Are you sure? while investigating movement through space and time.

Being a choreographer is the practice of being selfless to the creation of work. It’s the constant state of questioning Why, How, When, and Are you sure? while investigating movement through space and time.
-Christopher Rudd

Transitioning from dancer to choreographer is a profound evolution—one that requires introspection, dedication, and a willingness to embrace change. But for those drawn to the art of choreography, the journey is rich with discovery and endless potential. Martha Graham famously said “a dancer dies twice.” She’s without flaw there, but I would like to offer that we get to live twice. We get to live again.

Transitioning from dancer to choreographer is a profound evolution—one that requires introspection, dedication, and a willingness to embrace change
-Christopher Rudd

Two dancers photographed against a dramatic black background — Image: Daan Bootsma (L) and Cristina Moya-Palacios (R), Photo Credit: Raymond Hagans®

NYFA: You joined NYFA as a Board Member in 2023. Tell us about your first interactions with NYFA as an artist. Now, what is the impact you would like to see from your role as a NYFA Board Member?

CR: When I set out to establish RudduR Dance, I delved deep into research to navigate the path ahead as a Black man with limited resources. NYFA caught my attention during my research and the organization’s commitment to serving the arts community became evident when Madeleine Cutrona, now the Director of Fiscal Sponsorship, conducted a seminar on fiscal sponsorship at Candid (formerly the Foundation Center).

As an emerging artist then, Madeleine’s willingness to share knowledge and engage personally with me, and even stay behind for an extended conversation, left a lasting impression. Encounters like these underscore NYFA’s vital role in empowering artists and fostering creative endeavors. I’m grateful for the impact NYFA has had on my journey with RudduR Dance.

My decision to join the NYFA Board stems from a deep-seated belief in the importance of giving back and leaving a meaningful impact for future generations. Growing up, I was instilled with a profound awareness of the shoulders upon which I stand and the responsibility to uplift others in turn. This ethos fuels my desire to contribute to NYFA’s mission. I see joining the Board as an opportunity to leverage my experiences and insights to help expand NYFA’s reach and impact within the dance community.

In my tenure, I aspire to work towards broadening the perception and capacity of what NYFA can offer to dancers and artists at large. By fostering collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity, I aim to ensure that NYFA continues to serve as a beacon of support and empowerment for generations to come.

By fostering collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity, I aim to ensure that NYFA continues to serve as a beacon of support and empowerment for generations to come.
-Christopher Rudd

NYFA: What is upcoming for RudduR Dance?

CR: RudduR Dance is currently immersed in the creation of the WITNESS trilogy, a significant undertaking that will culminate in a full-scale production. Although we’re unable to disclose the venue just yet, we’re thrilled to announce that this fall, WITNESS will debut at a renowned iconic NYC venue before embarking on a journey to West Africa in January 2025.

About Christopher Rudd
Christopher Rudd is a Jamaican-born dancemaker whose work is informed by his experience as a queer Black man in dance. He is a 2019 Guggenheim Choreography Fellow; the inaugural New Victory LabWorks Launch Artist; the creator of the groundbreaking works TOUCHÉ and LIFTED for American Ballet Theatre; a current resident artist for both BAM and Chelsea Factory; and was named one of American Theater Magazine’s “6 to Watch” in 2023.

In hopes of bettering the world through dance, his works blend contemporary dance, contemporary circus, and theatricality to speak to relevant issues. As founder of RudduR Dance, he is a two-time Exchange alumnus through the U.S. State Department, having presented his works in the United States, Canada, France, Trinidad & Tobago, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, and Italy. He credits the Armour Dance Theater, Dance Theater of Harlem’s Summer Intensives, and New World School of the Arts for his professional career, which includes Carolina Ballet, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montréal, and Cirque Du Soleil.

Rudd has created works for the Alvin Ailey School, Duke University, and UNC School of the Arts and received residencies from CUNY Dance Initiative, Vendetta Mathea’s La Manufacture, Tofte Lake Center, Kaatsbaan, and STREB.