ABOUT
"Roth’s transformation is, perhaps, the most memorable. Guttural hisses and grunts that seem to arise from the depth of her soul develop into hysterical shrieks and eventually an incoherent monologue.
Roth addresses us as both a prophet and a rabid demon. She speaks gibberish, but it feels pointed, personal, her intense energy directed outward as though she is admonishing us. The experience is as terrifying and intimate as being yelled at by a crazy person on the train."
- Theo Boguszewski , The Dance Enthusiast
Sammy Roth is a dance artist, scholar, administrator, and educator hailing from Louisville, KY. Her work considers the ways whiteness (re)produces perceptual hierarchies, embodied boundaries, and sensory capacities in a violent reduction to legibility, particularly drawing upon her upbringing in competition and postmodern dance. Relying upon an imaginative technique (Kinetica) to de- and re- construct her own sense of self, Sammy aims to restore historicity and ancestral memory to her own white-washed flesh. Performatively, she collaborates with poet Joey De Jesus and vocal artist B Taylor in technologically-mediated improvisation rituals that test the limits of embodiment and being. She is a 2018 recipient of the Dance Studies Association's Selma Jeanne Cohen Award, has performed at the Kimmel Center, Suzanne Dellal Center, European Capital of Culture Festival, among others, and has held a wide range of administrative positions, including producing performances at the Museum of Modern Art.
Sammy has previously performed with white road Dance Media, Nadine Bommer Dance Company, Brynne Billingsley & Artists, DanceTheYard, MADArt Creative, and Megan Bascom & Dancers. She holds a BFA in Dance from Ohio University and an MA in Performance Studies from New York University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Culture and Performance at UCLA.