Laurie Sefton is an award-winning choreographer, director and creative thinker. A Los Angeles native and granddaughter of a Cuban immigrant, she sees issues through an emotional lens. Her choreographic works focus on conveying complex ideas and themes that impact us, emotionally and intellectually. Each of her works is created with a different and alternate process and perspective, and it is often said of her work that, no two look alike.
Laurie has recently rebranded from Clairobscur Dance to Laurie Sefton Creates which more accurately encapsulates the breadth of her work, which includes concert dance, site-specific performances, short films, dance advocacy and tech projects. Laurie is committed to creating, producing and directing original work, and familiarizing new viewers with the world of dance. Nearly every choreographic work has a foundational relationship with another field (science, music, technology visual art, medicine, politics, mental health, etc...). Working with Los Angeles artists and collaborators, nearly all compositions used by the company are original commissions. As a choreographer her issue-based work is dense, detailed, emotional and technically difficult. It addresses such varied topics as loss, surveillance, bul- lying, anger dependency, social media and identity. Her work struggles, confronts and inspires. Ms. Sefton’s choreography has been performed in Poland, New York, Massachusetts, Missouri, Utah, Texas and through- out California.
"My work is inextricably personal, as all choreography must be as it flows through its creator physically, emotionally and intellectually. Yet, I feel that I must strive to communicate with ever greater and wider audiences including the dance neophyte in order to expand access to our intangible art form. My work is personal, sexualized and issue based all at once. I believe that the intimacy achieved in this process is undeniable and essential to my choreography. Creating my work is less about what it “feels” like on the body; it is about an expressive body, which is not always comfortable.”
LaurieSeftonCreates.com
Clairobscurdance.org
Photo by Tatiana Wills