Choreographer, creator, and visual artist Staycee Pearl is the co-founding artistic director of PearlArts and STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos. She creates artful experiences through dance-centered multimedia work — alongside her husband and artistic collaborator, Herman Pearl.
Pearl has been a dance and visual artist for many years — in New York, Atlanta, and now Pittsburgh. She began making work and directing dance after moving here in 2000, and received her degree in studio arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009.
“Our work is conceptually driven by our lived experiences, relationships, and worldly circumstances,” she explains. “We center Blackness within the human experience, while creating inclusive, thoughtful, and immersively artful encounters.”
Building upon this rich foundation, what’s next for Pearl? They’re currently working on a new home in Braddock. “And we’re excited to share space with our ever-expanding community,” she adds.
When asked the preferred part of the path she’s pursued, Pearl says, “The entire thing. I wouldn’t change any of it, and I love where I am in life as an older-middle-aged Black Woman. Thankful.”
Upcoming studio presentations, classes, and events can be followed at pearlartsstudios.com, while company happenings (from touring to commissions) are listed at spdpandsoysos.com.
Story by Corinne Whiting / Photography Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Foundation
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