Ayumi Hori-Shafer
Co-founder, DanceBARN Collective (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Sessions: Bringing Dance to Your Rural Community: Starting a Dialogue (Friday, 11am – 12:15pm)
Pre-plenary performance: Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector (Friday, 1:30pm)
Ayumi Hori-Shafer is an educator, choreographer, dancer, and co-founder of DanceBARN Collective. New to the Twin Cities, Ayumi and her husband relocated from Oregon after she earned her MFA in Dance at the University of Oregon (2013). Passionate about dance and education, she completed her thesis research on the idea of play and creativity being effectively integrated into a curriculum in dance in higher education. Prior to her arrival at the UO, Ayumi extensively trained in modern dance in the city of San Francisco, and earned a BA in Dance from San Francisco State University (2009).
Following her passion for teaching, Ayumi has over 10 years of experience teaching in studios and schools that offer classes for both recreational and professional dancers. In building DanceBARN, Ayumi dreams of supporting all artists and creating an environment that encourages collaborative projects. With community in mind, Ayumi is excited in continuing to host workshops, shows, and the annual DanceBARN Festival.