Jennifer "wins us over. Flying with effortlessness and musicality... she offers new appreciation of the music." -Reading Dance
Photo by Bill Cameron
Jennifer Pray is a Twin Cities based dancer, creator, and teaching artist committed to community engaged art-making practices. She is known as an expressive, dynamic performer in works that blend movement with voice, text, film, and physical theater. Originally from central Iowa, Jenn is a 2012 Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Iowa, where she earned a BA in Dance & International Studies. Her teaching and performance credits span the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Since moving to the Twin Cities, Jenn has had the honor to work with many choreographers and companies, including Threads Dance Project, STRONGmovement, Live Action Set, Ballet Minnesota, and Penny Freeh. She is currently a company artist with Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater (SPDT). While on national and Minnesota tours, she's had the opportunity to lead residencies, workshops and classes as part of SPDT's innovative model of community engaged art.
Jenn's approach to performance work is informed by her background as an improvisor, singer, and yogi. She is convinced that movement is a force of empowerment, which inspires her as a teaching artist and community builder. In addition to performing, Jenn has presented her own work at Tanzwerkstatt Europa in Munich, at the Henny Jurriëns Stichting in Amsterdam, and the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. She has created commissions for Threads Dance Project, Iowa Dance Theatre, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and at festivals, galleries and museums throughout the Midwest
Jenn's approach to performance work is informed by her background as an improvisor, singer, and yogi. She is convinced that movement is a force of empowerment, which inspires her as a teaching artist and community builder. In addition to performing, Jenn has presented her own work at Tanzwerkstatt Europa in Munich, at the Henny Jurriëns Stichting in Amsterdam, and the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. She has created commissions for Threads Dance Project, Iowa Dance Theatre, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and at festivals, galleries and museums throughout the Midwest
