SPRING 2026
________________________
FORM: Language, body and breath
Led by our Artistic Director Katherine Murphy Lewis and local favorite Andrea Parson
WHEN & WHERE
April 18th & 19th
10am-4pm At Bodyvox Dance Center
What language lives in our bodies? How does breath inform our stories? What happens when we blend our body, breath and language?
In this weekend intensive we will blend the body, breath and language to create dynamic stories that move us. Combining the expertise of local Contemporary Dancer Andrea Parson and From the Ground UP’s Artistic Director Katherine Murphy Lewis, we use the combination of personal narrative and movement through dance and physical theater practices.
Throughout our time we will dive deep into the process that will help you fully embody your story. Each participant will get to immerse themselves in the process of creating new work through the lens of the body. With approaches that create a unique pathway that leads to risky, personal new work, engaging the whole body.
** NOTE: This process was developed in the rehearsal room during the creation of Andrea’s new work You Can’t Be Serious, directed and dramaturged by Katherine and written and performed by Andrea. After the world premier in fall of 2023 in partnership with BodyVox, currently on tour.
*Open to individuals of all movement backgrounds and levels.
COST $250
Limited Subsidies Available
Email Katherine at katherineftgu@gmail.com to request financial support, make payment or if you have any other questions.
dance X Camera
A Creative Exchange
a two-day interdisciplinary experience that is part workshop and part creative lab for artists working across movement and cinema.
Led by Rachel Slater
when & where
New Expressive Works
May 2nd & 3rd
11am-4pm
Designed for dancers, filmmakers, and hybrid artists.
This workshop explores the creative relationship between movement, the camera, and editing. Participants will engage in a curated mix of discussion, short screenings, hands-on exercises, and collaborative experimentation - building practical tools, exchanging ideas, and generating raw material.
Over two days, we’ll explore the choreography of the camera, planning for the edit before you shoot, and how framing, pacing, movement, and perspective inform each other. The workshop emphasizes process, collaboration, curiosity, and creative exchange, supporting participants in developing ideas, approaches, and material they can carry forward into future work.
Participants should wear movement-friendly clothing they’re comfortable being filmed in, and bring a notebook and a phone or camera.
RAchel’s Bio
Rachel Slater is an interdisciplinary artist working across dance, film, and storytelling. Based in Portland, Oregon, she maintains a strong connection to New Orleans, where she serves as Director of Dance Film at BODYART’s International Dance Festival NOLA. She is also the co-Artistic Director of Muddy Feet Contemporary Dance, alongside Suzanne Chi.
A graduate of the former University of the Arts, Rachel has performed for Minh Tran & Company, Franco Nieto, Tracey Durbin, Carla Mann, and BODYART, among many others. She is an alumna and former faculty member of the Jefferson Dancers, and a dedicated mentor to young artists.
Her choreographic work has been presented across the Pacific Northwest and nationally, in cities such as Detroit, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as internationally in Amsterdam and Melbourne. Dance films created with Muddy Feet Contemporary Dance have screened in 25 countries and at over 45 festivals worldwide, earning multiple awards.
Rachel’s creative work orients around visceral, textural movement and the excavation of memory and emotion. A Resident Artist at FLOCK Dance Center and 2024 Miller Foundation Spark Awardee, she is currently developing her first evening-length solo, Daughter Debris. She is offering workshops at the Portland Grief House, and will be a 2026 From the Ground Up Resident. Rachel believes that artmaking can be a radical, humanist act—one that supports and amplifies stories, deepens empathy, and builds community.
*Open to all individuals of any background, no experience necessary.
COST $300
Limited Subsidies Available
Email Katherine at katherineftgu@gmail.com to request financial support, make payment or if you have any other questions.
SOLO:
CREATING NEW WORK FOR SOLO PERFORMANCE
A weekend intensive that traverses the early fragile stages of new solo work creation. Taking you from idea to reality. FOSTERING each Artist’s unique voice TO BRING IT fully to life.
Led by Katherine Murphy Lewis
when & where
Astoria, Or
May 16th & 17th
11am-4pm
Grounded in the practices from devising, viewpoints, autobiographical theater, moment work and movement/body based storytelling, Katherine brings her unique process of new art creation to the craft of solo performance.
We will explore the craft of solo performance. In this weekend intensive Katherine will take you from the ‘idea’ to a fully formed vision.Solo performance creates the possibility of innovative storytelling, fully utilizing the potential of the performance space. You will create a variety of writing, movement sequences, audio content creation, theatrical moments and visual images, sifting through each piece to discover your voice and unearth your story.
Harnessing the magic of the theatrical space, inviting the unusual, expanding on what is unique to each participant's vision, as we push against the boundaries of performance and story.
Katherine’s Bio
Katherine Murphy Lewis has over 10 years of experience directing, dramaturgy, and new work creation. As the founding Artistic Director of From the Ground UP, she has ushered in over 60 new works. Crafting her own innovative approach to nonprofit leadership and new work creation she has developed a model that puts artists' authentic voices and expressions in the forefront by creating a space for individuals to develop stewardship over their artistry, careers and lives.
Katherine had enjoyed collaborating locally and internationally, including being an artist in residence with Company of Wolves in Glasgow Scotland, touring Achilles throughout Europe. Locally she co-wrote and co-produced, Tonight Nothing, which premiered at CoHo Production’s summer of 2019. Most recently she produced, dramturged and directed You Can’t Be Serious. Since the world premier in November 2023 You Can’t Be Serious has continued to tour regionally and nationally, receiving rave reviews and winning best physical theater at Untied Solo, the largest solo festival in the world in NYC.
COST $200
Limited Subsidies Available
Email Katherine at katherineftgu@gmail.com to request financial support, make payment or if you have any other questions.