artist in residence - Taja Will

Photo Credit: Nanne Sørvold

Taja, a non-binary femme with long dark hair and rounded bangs stares directly forward with powerful clarity and a soft but mischievous smile. They wear long tasseled red earrings that lay down their chest. Their hands meet over the solar plexus and belly and are adored with knuckle tattoos, rings, and brightly painted nails.

Rosy Simas Danse (RSD) welcomes back Taja Will to their second residency at three thirty one space April 9th-16. The Artist Residency program supports Native and BIPOC artists locally and nationally. The local program provides 24/7 access to studio space, an artist fee, technical support, accessibility consulting services, and documentation. Our National program additionally provides travel and housing for one artist. A full residency is two weeks. A mini-residency is one week.

Taja Will (they/them) is a queer, chronically ill, Latinx (Chilean) adoptee, performer, choreographer, somatic therapist, and Healing Justice practitioner based in Mni Sota Makoce, on the ancestral lands of the Dakota and Anishinaabe. Taja’s approach integrates improvisation, somatic modalities, text, and vocals in contemporary performance. Their aesthetic is one of spontaneity, bold choice-making, sonic and kinetic partnership, and the ability to move in relationship to risk and intimacy. Will’s work explores visceral connections to current sociocultural realities through rituals, archetypes, and everyday magic.

Will initiates solo projects and teaching ventures and is a recent recipient of the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, in the dance field, awarded in 2021. Their work has been presented throughout the Twin Cities and across the United States. Including local performances at the Walker Art Center Choreographer’s Evening, the Red Eye Theater’s New Works 4 Weeks, the Radical Recess series, Right Here Showcase, and the Candy Box Dance Festival. They were the recipient of a 2018-’19 McKnight Choreography Fellowship, administered by the Cowles Center and funded by The McKnight Foundation. Will has recently received support from the National Association of Latinx Arts & Culture, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.