It's been three years in the making in the midst of a pandemic. I'm very excited to be presenting Lost Patterns, my MFA Dance Thesis Concert March 11-13th at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. In collaboration with dancers and musicians Lost Patterns devises a sonic landscape that investigates the translation process within Appalachian old-time music to find avenues of experimentation tethered to tradition. Several crooked Appalachian tunes are translated onto the body through melodic replication, improvisation and digital abstraction composing a world of sound that invites the audience to listen to the body speak. Lost Patterns celebrates percussive dance's ability to be both visual and sonic, and believes in the power of collaboration and community to ignite possibility. Lost Patterns primarily uses footwork from both tap and flatfooting, acknowledging the legacy of those dance forms and honoring the tradition bearers who paved the way. 
I also want to thank my cast and design team: Roxy King, Gerson Lanza, Ashton Frech, Paetyn Lewis, Tiffany Ospino, Daniel Coolik, Erik Spangler,  Andres Poch, Becca Janey, Heather Reynolds and Kira Peck for showing up as their vibrant selves and contributing who they are into this project. 

Get your tickets today: ​https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2022/spring-mfa-dance-thesis-concert

• Fri, Mar 11, 2022 . 7:30PM
• Sat, Mar 12, 2022 . 2:00PM
• Sat, Mar 12, 2022 . 7:30PM
• Sun, Mar 13, 2022 . 2:00PM
• LIVESTREAM: Fri, Mar 11, 2022. 7:30PM: 
  ​https://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2022/spring-mfa-dance-thesis-concert-livestream
  

Becky Hill was selected as a 2021 Strathmore Artist in Residence as the first percussive dancer invited into the program. The debut virtual Fresh Air Concert is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18th at 7:30pm. Get your tickets here. This year long commitment concludes in a series of concerts at Strathmore's AMP theater in June. "A flagship program of Strathmore’s Institute for Artistic and Professional Development, the Artist in Residence (AIR) program was created in 2005 to support artists as they transition to professional careers. Since its inception, the program has mentored 94 musicians ages 16 to 32. Every year, a class of six is chosen after a competitive selection process. Strathmore Artists in Residence benefit from the support of mentor musicians, participate in professional development seminars, and are offered extensive performance opportunities throughout the 10-month program."

In Fall 2019 Becky started seeking her MFA in Dance at University of Maryland College Park with an anticipated graduation of Spring 2022. She is currently teaching beginning Tap, working in the Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies Production office, and diving into her course work. Keep an eye open for her in the DMV Community and stay tuned for performances in conjunction with her course work. To learn more about the program visit: http://tdps.umd.edu/programs/mfa-dance

Can you spot Becky Hill in Loretta Lynn's Official Music Video? 

January 2019 - Present. Becky has been training at Basin Arts taking classes with the Basin Arts Dance Collective in modern, pilates and strength building. She has been working with Sharon Leahy on several choreography projects and will be debut a new piece, My House, on Critque Night at Basin Arts on Thursday, May 9th. Becky is currently teaching movement classes at The Blake, a senior citizen home for both the memory care unit for dementia and  Alzheimer's residents and the assisted living residents.

Go out and get a Goldenseal! This was the first time I've been published by Goldenseal and I am excited to share an interview with Bill Ohse, Henderson Square Dance Caller and my personal story with The Mountain Dance Trail. 

ETFM (experiments in traditional & folk music) is a collaborative project led by Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Becky Hill, and Erik Spangler, focused on intersections of folk tradition with technology and experimentation. Acoustic elements such as Appalachian flatfoot dancing, fiddle and banjo, are fused with live sampling, found sounds, signal processing, long-form musical processes and beats that explore a meeting point of rural and urban sounds. The core trio of Spangler, Roberts-Gevalt, and Hill, is expanded with a variety of guest musicians using folk elements as a springboard for new musical hybrids.

Featuring: DJ Dubble8 (Erik Spangler), Anna RG, Becky Hill, Sunatirene (Sydney Spann), Nathan Bell, Kevin Chesser, Ruby Fulton, and Nate May

The first collaboration will be held on Sunday, September 13th at the Wind Up Space in Baltimore from 4 - 7pm. I'm excited about it, it's artistically stimulating in all sorts of ways.