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. Recently, Cierra was as a 2024-25 Mascher Space BIPOC Artist in Residence.
I am humbled by the immense privilege it is to live life as an artist and I commit to optimizing pedagogical and choreographic approaches. My creative path is a continuous inquiry of the body and spirit's capabilities of encompassing freedom, restraint, routine, and everything in between. Working at the crossroads of African diasporic forms, contemporary modern dance and performance art, I generate multifaceted works informed by personal memory, collective history, and culture. My fascination is rooted in drawing connections between time periods and the natural rhythms of our world through storytelling, activism, and curation.
By way of collaborations and integrations of musical, visual and production mediums, my creative process is constantly evolving. As well as elevating how I facilitate environments to nurture my POC and queer communities with the necessary care practices.
Artist Statement
Upcoming Performances
soft spot
soft spot is a dance work for the child within us, uninhibited and open to the potential of everything. Through movement, Vyette Tiya and her collaborators consider: How do we wish to be seen? Who can see us? How do we remain tender in a world that hardens us?
When
Sun 9/13 @ 6:30pm
Thur 9/17 @ 6:30pm
Wed 9/23 @ 5:30pm
Where
Icebox Project Space (1400 N American Street)
Tickets on sale now! $25 and PWYC options.
https://phillyfringe.org/events/soft-spot/
Credits
Director/choreographer: Vyette Tiya
Featuring Astha, Desire Amaiya, Caitlin Wong, Cierra Woods, and Vyette Tiya