Alessandra Williams, Choreographer

As a dancer in Ananya Dance Theatre, Alessandra Williams, Ph.D., has performed in Yorchhā, the company’s specialized technique in Odissi dance, vinyasa yoga, and Chhau martial arts. She has performed nationally and internationally in eight of Ananya Dance Theatre’s productions: Sutrajāl: Revelations of Gossamer (2019), Shaatranga: Women Weaving Worlds (2018), Shyamali: Sprouting Words (2017), Horidraa: Golden Healing (2016), Roktim: Nurture Incarnadine (2015), Moreechika: Season of Mirage (2012), Ashesh Barsha: Unending Monsoon (2009), and Pipaashaa: Extreme Thirst (2007). In her own choreographic pieces (Ritual 2019), Williams has performed in Yorchhā technique to explore African American and Liberian-American storytelling practices and intersectional experiences of sexuality, race, and gender. As part of the forthcoming anthology Dancing Transnational Feminisms: Ananya Dance Theatre and the Art of Social Justice (fall 2021), co-edited by Williams, Ananya Chatterjea, and Hui Niu Wilcox, she has written in detail about how the Yorchhā-based choreography of Ananya Dance Theatre intersects with the theatrical jazz aesthetic. In support of her dance research and scholarship, Williams has been awarded fellowships such as the Inclusive Excellence Fellowship (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 2018-2019), Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship (University of California, Los Angeles 2010–14), and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (Macalester College 2005–07).