ABOUT DONNA SCRO SAMORI
Artistic Director Donna Scro Samori has toured professionally as a dance artist for over twenty years and is fortunate to have experienced so many varied and beautiful aspects of the dance world. Donna received a 2008 Fellowship from New Jersey State Council on the Arts for excellence in choreography. She has performed at some of the most internationally prestigious venues, including The Paris Opera House, Theatre de la Ville, the American Dance Festival (Korea and North Carolina), Spoleto Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, The Egg, and in New York City at the Joyce Theater, The New Victory Theater, Central Park SummerStage, Symphony Space, Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. She has been applauded by The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Star-Ledger, The Houston Chronicle, Dance Insider, Backstage, and The Boston Globe for her compelling signature style.
Prior to establishing Freespace Dance, Donna was a principal dancer with the Nikolais and Murray Louis Dance Company and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia with the company. She was also a founding member of Sean Curran Company and continued her affiliation with Sean by setting his works on university dance departments. Additionally, Donna has been a member of Peter Pucci Plus Dancers and a guest artist with Heidi Latsky Dance, Neta Pulvermacher, Risa Jarsalow, Michael Mao and many other established New York choreographers.
In addition to her performing experience, Donna is on the dance faculty at Montclair State University where she graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance. In Spring 2011, she was the guest artist at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Donna is committed to bringing dance to local communities and has created choreography to inspire young artists. Regionally her work has been commissioned by Morris County Vocational High School, Hudson County School of Technology, Montclair State University, Montclair High School, Ridgewood High School, and Steffi Nossen School of Dance. She has been a guest teacher several times for the American College Dance Festivals and the Ashland Dance Festival in Oregon, as well as many private and public schools throughout the tri-state area.
In addition to her dance career, Donna is a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher and is registered through the Yoga Alliance as a 500-ERYT. She also holds an MSW from Rutgers University, and as a LSW she is committed to helping dancers achieve better mental health. Donna currently is the Mental Health Consultant for the Department of Theatre and Dance at MSU and works with privately with individuals at Light Street Psychotherapy.
