interviewed by Gabriella De Brequet

Claire Hancock holds a Master of Arts degree in European Dance Theatre from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England, and earned both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of Arizona. In 2009 she began collaborating with colleague Ashley Bowman, and upon sharing their masters’ theses concert together, Hancock and Bowman co-founded Artifact Dance Project. They have been creating main stage concerts, short dance films and collaborative projects together ever since. In addition to her featured performances with Artifact, Claire performs as an actress with the Rogue Theatre and Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre. She has danced professionally with ODC/San Francisco and River North Dance Company in Chicago, and has been a guest teacher and choreographer for organizations including the Limón Institute, Broadway Theatre Project, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, True Concord: Voices and Orchestra, Arts Express, and Broadway in Tucson. Formative years of study include scholarships to the Houston Ballet Academy, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. She has served as rehearsal assistant for Ben Stevenson’s Three Preludes and End of Time, as well as George Balanchine’s Serenade and The Four Temperaments, reporting to Leslie Peck and Elyse Borne, repetiteurs for the Balanchine Trust. Claire is a repetiteur for several of the late choreographer David Berkey’s works including his signature piece, Sentinel, which she has staged for Vassar College in New York, the New Mexico Dance Institute, and the University of Arizona and Artifact Dance Project. She is a Qualified Fletcher Pilates® teacher at Body Works Pilates™ in Tucson, AZ.

When did you discover that you needed to pursue a career in the arts?

As the daughter of professional dancers and dance educators, I have been immersed in the arts from a very young age. Moreover, I fell in love with many different genres of music and the visual arts early on, as my grandfather was both a jazz musician and print maker. As a result, I feel that the diversity of my early exposure to the performing arts has deeply developed my voice as a performer, teacher and choreographer and has heightened my curiosity for learning.

What qualities do you look for when choosing to take on a project?

I gravitate toward projects that present me with new challenges, continued growth, and discovery for all involved. I strive for versatility in my career and look for contrast and crossover between the projects I may already be working on.  

Do you have any dream roles or projects?

Any role or project that pushes me outside of my comfort zone and awakens parts of myself that might otherwise remain dormant.

Are there any projects that you have done in the past that you would like to do again in the future?

Recently I have given thought to revisiting some of the solo choreographic and film work I was doing during my graduate studies in London some ten years ago. I was exploring themes related to identity, duality, perception, polar opposites and the Tao Te Ching. It’s a broad line of inquiry that remains fascinating to me now.

Do you have any exciting up coming projects that you’re looking forward to sharing with the community of Tucson?

There are two productions that my colleague and creative partner, Ashley Bowman is choreographing and directing for our dance company, Artifact Dance Project that I’m looking forward to performing. Goliath runs March 21-24 in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre and Monologue of a Muted Man runs May 9-12 in the Ina Gittings Studio 124.

The spotlight series will be a continued series where we spotlight local female and non-binary artists in the Tucson Community.