ARTIST STATEMENT
I created SHARP dance collective with the mission to bring immersive dance theater experiences to nontraditional spaces; the local flea market, libraries, and dive bars to name a few. I choreograph immersive dances because immersion permits space and place to contextualize the experience. At a SHARP dance collective performance, the audience will grasp the work by being inside of it as opposed to merely spectating from a distance.
Armed with pop songs, birthday cake, the occasional disco ball, and other irreverent elements, I share stories in an often bizarre and whimsical world; an alternate reality where feeling unsettled is disturbingly comfortable. These stories are profoundly illustrated by personal experiences that deal with grief, isolation, and curiosity all cloaked in humor and whit. The campy aesthetic of my work is punctuated by play with expectation, duration, and location.
Site-specific and immersive environments open up dance to an otherwise untapped audience; people that may not have financial access to theater shows, friends walking through the park, or co-workers stumbling into a bar for happy hour. SHARP dance collective reaches diverse (and sometimes unsuspecting) audiences that may not know they are consuming art, but walk away feeling connected by a shared encounter.


AJ SHARP
Director/Choreographer/Performer
AJ Sharp, originally from Michigan, is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. AJ is pursuing her MFA in dance at CSULB while teaching Introduction to Modern courses. She is a graduate of Oakland University with a BFA in dance. While living in NYC for 8 years, AJ worked with artists such as Alexandra Beller, The Creators Collective, Cora Dance, The Equus Projects, The Physical Plant, Tamika Daniels, Take Root Dance, and The Median Movement. She was chosen for Doug Varone’s Choreography Intensive in 2015, where she was mentored by Varone and premiered a new piece at 92 Y. AJ founded SHARP dance collective shortly after and presented works at Triskelion Arts, TADA Youth Theatre, Bogart Gallery, LIC Arts, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Ballet, Spoke the Hub, Mark Morris Dance Theater, as well as flea markets, art galleries, and the sidewalks of Brooklyn. AJ was the Guest Artist in Residence at Oakland University in 2019, where her dance was selected for the American College Dance Association. AJ is excited to continue teaching, performing, and creating at CSULB.