Diarra Grace is a New Jersey/New York Contemporary and Ballet Instructor/Choreographer. She was immersed in music education from a very young age, where she was exposed to the soulful work and cultural impact of brilliant artists such as Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Mahalia Jackson, etc. Through bounds of further discovery and admiration, she grew to understand music as a primary source to her creative process. Prior to receiving her BFA in Dance Theatre at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy, she spent her earlier years performing as a soloist and ensemble dancer in fundraisers to uplift her local communities, all while competing on regional, national and international stages.
She’s been invited annually by the My Sister’s Lighthouse Organization since 2018, to perform her self-choreographed work on the steps of Newark City Hall for the Walk Against Domestic Violence. Near this time, she was invited by the LaRocque Bey School of Dance Theater as a soloist at the World Famous Apollo Theater.
Since the age of seventeen, she’s freelanced her contemporary choreography throughout studios in NJ/NY, as well as expounded upon her movement vocabulary through teaching.
Since beginning this path, she has received numerous choreography, overall judications, and special awards for the repertoire of work she’s set. The classes she offers include contemporary movement, improvisation, ballet, pointe, as well as strength and conditioning. She’s had the privilege of working with an array of movers with varying ages, and from various backgrounds. Soon after graduating, she had the privilege of attending a choreography intensive, ‘Choreolab Europe’, in Arnhem, Netherlands, where she had the opportunity of working closely with, and learning directly from artists from all over the world. This experience saturated her creative lens further, and reframed her creative approach.
She looks forward to meeting all that she comes to discover.
I am a Contemporary-based Choreographer and movement artist with an intense connection to improvisation. My passion stems directly from the profound fascination I carry to examine meticulously crafted basslines, along with the desire to establish an affiliation between them, and the expression of my movement. My work reflects an abstractly depicted quality of ethereality, grit, and contrasting dynamics through earnest emotional and spiritual connection. Through my art, I consistently aim to create a collective celebration of the music investigated, engulfing all who encounter it in solidarity and understanding.