ABOUT

Peter Stathas fell forward into the choreographic process early and naively in his dance career. As a young dancer, Peter found himself not connecting with much of the work that was being produced. This led him to start creating his own work even though he didn’t know much about being a choreographer. Peter started out working with slim budgets, peers that were willing to take a chance and limited opportunities. Many workshops and showcases later, he began to gain some support for his work. A few commissions led to further confidence, less fear and more belief. But it wasn’t to be. New responsibilities happened in his life, derailing his artistic aspirations.

In 2016, at the age of 60, Peter found himself with a yearning to re-event the dance career he left behind. After conversations with trusted colleagues, Peter had the idea to form Peter Stathas Dance. The decision to form the company solidified when he was accepted into Doug Varone’s Devices choreography intensive in 2018. This set the stage for Peter to begin creating new work with the dancers that are now part of his company. In 2019, Peter Stathas Dance was selected by Danspace Community ACCESS program to perform his curated program “Leaving and Coming Back.” In February 2020, Peter Stathas Dance premiered a new work “In The Garden” as a part of the Gibney POP Series. In 2020-2021, Peter and company worked remotely to create “What We Have To Give,” a dance film consisting of six solos and one duet, which premiered in June of 2021. Later that year Peter founded “The Barn Project” residency in the rural town of Elkhorn, WI. It began as a way of creating a safe space to bring the company back together for the first time since February, 2020, and has transformed into a dance incubator for artists of the midwest to present work and connect artists from different communities. During the Barn Project 2022 residency we premiered four new works and engaged with invited choreographers Sara Hook, David Parker, Jeff Kazin, Dawn Springer and Amy Wilkinson. We also invited students from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Loyola University to take company class, observe our rehearsal process, and gain new perspectives by having a round table discussion with the company. The company traveled to Austin Texas in June of 2022 where we held our first ever summer workshop with a residency at First Street Studio. In January 2023 we brought our work to Mark Morris Dance Center, our first performance in NYC since the beginning of the pandemic.

Peter’s choreographic inspiration comes from many places. He is an incredibly observant person and chooses to live life in the moment. His observation of life lies in the nuances of the background instead of what is obviously right there in front of him. His view of the world comes to him from all of his senses which keeps him grounded in the present. These are the traits that drive Peter’s creative process.