Posted May 21, 2008

Introducing Dina-Verley Sabb-Mills

Masters of arts: dance

Photo courtesy Boyer College of Music and Dance
Dina-Verley Sabb-Mills

Age: 24

Hometown: Philadelphia.

Degrees: B.F.A. in dance performance from the University of the Arts

Occupation: Graduate assistant, Boyer College of Music and Dance. Member of Kariamu and Company: Traditions, Danse4nia Repertory Ensemble, and Charles O. Anderson’s Dance Theatre X. Most recently Sabb-Mills co-produced Avenge the Void for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in the fall of 2006 and presented a new solo work-in-progress in spring ’07.

Best experience at Temple: “My best experience has been working with students. I’ve learned a lot from them. The more I learn the more I grow as a dancer and as a teacher. Being a graduate assistant opened me up to a new way of learning.”

Post-graduation plans: “After graduation I plan to move to New York. I’ve applied for a few residencies; there are several companies that I would love to dance with. Ultimately, I’d like to study with the Urban Bush Women. In the meantime I’ll be working to complete some of my own projects. Right now, I’m working to create a series of movement workshops that will

be offered to women that have been affected by the criminal justice system. I will be working with women who were incarcerated or have been affected by the incarceration of a family member to help them heal from their experience through art. I recently started to experiment with film and moving images. I’ve been recording stories and images of the families who live in the area affected by the MOVE bombing in 1985. I hope to turn the information I’ve collected into a documentary.”

Last book I read: “I can’t remember the last book I read for leisure, but the last thing I listened to was a speech by Angela Davis on the prison–industrial complex.”

Advice for dance students: “Go for what you want and know that it is possible. It’s true: If you build it, they will come. Make yourself available and your blessing will start to arrive.”

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