Danielle Mastricola
Dancer • Choreographer • Teacher
Artist Statement
Everything I touch, experience, see, or do is fair game for creation.
My keen attention to detail and thoughtfulness manifest themselves in my work in the same manner they infiltrate my daily yoga practice. In the same way that I love mysteries, my work thrives on the suspense of not knowing where it can go next. The joy I get in creating something new is the same joy I get when watching my favorite musical. The way I indulge in sweets is the same way I indulge in a physical or creative practice.
The works I construct are inspired by the experiences I hold, and are a visual representation of how I define myself. Dancing and creating allows me to inhabit many versions of myself and to experience life from a multitude of perspectives.
aboutme
Danielle Mastricola is an emerging choreographer and dance performer who has studied a wide range of disciplines at the University of Illinois. In the past four years, she has spent her time mastering different techniques from Linda Lehovec, Kendra Portier, Endalyn Taylor, Abby Zbikowski, Leah Wilks, and Cynthia Oliver, as well as creating works alongside a cohort of groovy friends. She has performed in works by Leah Wilks, Grace Courvoisier, and Renata Sheppard with John Toenjes, and Chad Michael Hall in collaboration with John Toenjes. Danielle has studied contemporary dance in Paris, France alongside Michael Foley and Colleen Thomas. Danielle is also a certified RYT 200 yoga teacher, having graduated in May of 2018.
Most fundamentally, she is a secret hopeless romantic, a lover of mystery and the macabre, an international French fry connoisseur, and an aspiring bullet journaler.
ContessaDance
ContessaDance is the body of work created by Danielle Mastricola. Each piece explores its own unique avenues of creation and embodies a different refraction of who Danielle is.
measured way//return stillness
The most recent ContessaDance project researching the connectivity between meditation and movement. The combined group and solo work asks how can meditation be found and aided by the body? What in dance already exists as a meditative practice? And, how can I create a non-traditional meditative space? The work premiered April 26-27, 2019 at the University of Illinois Department of Dance Senior Thesis Concert.
Cheers
A short improvisational solo that requires the dancer to play a game with one's self. The work explores the intermingling of memory, friendships, games, and joy. It was first premiered in Paris 2018.
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The first professional musical choreographed by Danielle. The famous Andrew Lloyd Weber musical tests the choreographers ability to seamlessly master many diverse character styles of movement. Created for the Champaign-Urbana Theater Company in 2017.
Glass Case
A solo created to explore the many character facets of the infamous Lady Macbeth through movement and text. Premiered in the Studiodance II concert at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in 2017.
There's Hair Dye on My Hands
The exploration of a process that only feeds on itself. Every decision that was made before is kept even if the feeling or intention that accompanied it no longer exists. Nothing can last for too long before it is disrupted. Humor exists in absurdity and subtlety. The work was originally shown as an in progress work in 2017.
PROMOTIONAL REEL
Get In Touch
For resume requests, video access, or anything else please send me an email. I'd love to hear from you!
