about C.
Cierra Woods is a Philadelphia-based dancer, choreographer, arts administrator and DJ born on the unceded land of the Susquehannock people, now Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelors of Fine Art in Dance from Temple University, where she was honored with the Rose Vernick Choreography Award in 2020.Her artistic journey has led her to stages, including Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum Harrisburg Fringe Festival, Grounds For Sculpture, The Kennedy Center, and Judson Memorial Church. Along the way, she has collaborated with esteemed artists, including Sidra Bell, Dara Meredith, Merian Soto, Sankofa American Theatre Company, Edisa Weeks/DELIRIOUS Dances, BREathe Dance Project, MICHIYAYA Dance and Renegade Performance Group. Currently, Cierra serves as a 2024-25 Mascher Space BIPOC Artist in Residence in Philadelphia.
I acknowledge the immense privilege it is to live life as an artist. With a holistic lens of body, mind, earth, and spirit, my proclamation to storytelling is highly technical and investigative. I fuse dance and music as a vehicle of worlding and spiritual summoning through realms of truth and sustainability. Utilizing tools of improvisation, imagery, and repurposing, I draw connections between time periods, lineage, and the cyclical rhythms of the natural world.​​
I focus on the body's capabilities, and how it can encompass freedom, restraint, routine, and everything in between. I'm continuously fascinated by the interplay between personal embodiment and culture and look to shape authentic narratives, allowing audiences to reflect on the complexities of individual histories and perspectives. I look to create environments where progressive ideas can flourish and nurture the evolution of artistic worlds and diasporic legacy.