Department of Theatre and Dance

• MFA, The University of Utah - Modern Dance
• BFA, The University of Michigan - Modern Dance

Sam Stone is a dance performance artist, teacher, community organizer, and creator. She carries an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, a certification in the Axis Syllabus to teach biomechanic principles, and completion of the Luna Dance Institute’s Professional Learning Foundation series in standards-based dance education. Her passion for learning, exchanging, and disrupting the status quo has imbued her life with spark and curiosity, which fuels her dance advocacy in local communities. Sam has founded several outreach programs, including Dance Class for Humans, a Salt Lake City-based Contemporary class series offering affordable training for local freelancers, Peer Practices, a nationally recognized peer-exchange dance class model, and Free Up the Space, a guided improvisational space for artists of varying mediums to freely exchange.

Sam is responsible for choreographing seven evening-length productions, dozens of shorter pieces, and more than 50 children’s dance works. Her work is largely theatrical, often integrates her own musical and visual creations, and plays with dismantling theatre etiquette that otherwise might alienate an audience. Her most memorable stage might be the gas station pumps at MacArthur and Webster in Oakland, CA. Her most joyous performance moment – riling up museum-goers at the Berkeley Art Museum as a Modern Dance Glam Rock Star.

Sam has danced for the vîv dance company, Bianca Cabrera’s Blind Tiger Society, Kathleen Hermesdorf, Joanna Kotze, Ashley Trottier, and Rosemary Hannon. She has performed and/or shown work at theatres including CounterPulse, Mission Theatre, Temescal Art Center, SAFEarts, Piano Fight, El Rio, Adeline Lab, Sunset Studios, Spyhop, and Hayes Christensen Theatre.

Sam loves to dance in the studio, on the stage, in the club, and in her kitchen. She values the expression, freedom, and play that dance offers. As a guiding principle, Sam follows art’s potential to rebel and rouse.

Samstonedance.com