“...a dancer of special warmth and fugitive elegance”
Silvia Martins is an acclaimed modern dancer and master teacher. She has danced with several major Modern Dance companies in the U.S. and Europe. As a soloist, Silvia has performed works created for her by numerous choreographers, to critical acclaim. As a teacher, Silvia is committed to guiding professionally oriented dancers to communicate the human experience through Modern Dance, one of America’s great original art forms.
DANCER
Ms. Martins has danced and toured worldwide with New York-based companies of Jose Limon, Annabelle Gamson, and Molissa Fenley. In Europe, she danced for the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Monnaie Opera House in Brussels, Belgium. Television appearances include a BBC documentary on the Mark Morris Dance Group and a PBS feature with Molissa Fenley and Dancers.
As a soloist, she has performed works created for her to critical acclaim. These works include pieces by noted choreographers: Alonzo King, Remy Charlip, Tere O’Connor, and Sonya Delwaide. Silvia has also performed solos by Molissa Fenley, and Doris Humphrey, but her most enduring collaboration is with the renowned choreographer, dancer, and visual artist Mel Wong. Mel Wong created eleven solos for her, including “Bolero”, the acclaimed 17 minute tour de force to the music of Ravel.
TEACHER
Silvia teaches master classes and workshops in technique, performance and repertory. She has taught in the Modern Dance departments at the University of California-Santa Cruz, the University of Nevada-Reno, University of Utah, Stanford University, Dominican University and Mills College.
Silvia has also been a guest teacher for Alonzo King’s Dance Ensemble, and taught company class for France’s Ballet Preljocaj. She has been a member of the Santa Cruz Cultural Council and a panelist for the California Arts Council. Silvia received her B.F.A. in Theater Arts from Santa Clara University and her M.F.A. in Modern Dance from the University of Utah.