Believing in a better future for us all.
Because I know many are possible.
Photo by Laura Bianchi, courtesy of the Bogliasco Foundation
(they/them)
j. bouey is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist whose work merges movement, multimedia performance, and storytelling to explore liberation, identity, and radical imagination. Through projects such as *A Message…* (ImPulsTanz, Vienna) and *SATURN: A Revelation* (JACK, Brooklyn), Bouey envisions Afrofuturistic futures where dance becomes a tool for collective healing and transformation.
As the founder of The Dance Union, bouey is a fierce advocate for equity and resilience in the arts, serving on the DanceUSA Board of Trustees and DanceNYC’s Dance Workforce Resilience Task Force. Their artistic approach highlights the power of movement to disrupt oppressive systems and cultivate joy.
bouey has had the privilege of collaborating with an inspiring roster of artists across disciplines, including Wendell Gray II, ley gambucci, Andre Drummond, George Del Barrio, Tyrone Bevans, Jayson P. Smith, Nubian Néné, Quilan "Cue" Arnold, Junauda Petrus, Tray Tsui, Brian Gonzalez, and Ian Chen. These partnerships reflect Bouey’s commitment to co-creating vibrant, intersectional artistic experiences.
Their work has been featured in The New York Times, Dance Magazine, and The Brooklyn Rail, celebrating their impact as a leader in contemporary dance and performance. With a deep commitment to storytelling and community, bouey’s work continues to invite audiences to envision and embody a freer, more equitable world.
“The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
― Toni Morrison.
Photo by: Laura Bianchi, courtesy of the Bogliasco Foundation
j. is a 2023 Bessie Award Outstanding Performer recipient, served on the DanceNYC Taskforce and the Board of DanceUSA. j. is also the
founder of The Dance Union Podcast, initiating the NYC Dancers COVID-19 Relief Fund and The Dance Union Town Hall For Collective Action to support the dance community through numerous world-changing events.
As a creator, j. was a 2024 ImPulsTanz | 8:tension Artist-in-Residence, a 2022/2023 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence, and a 2021-2022 Jerome Fellow . j. bouey was also recently a, 2023 STooPS Artist was also a Gibney 2021 Spotlight Artist, an Artist-In-Residence at CPR – Center for Performance Research, and 2021 Bogliasco Fellow. j. was also a 2019 QAM - Queer Art Mentorship Fellow, 2018 Movement Research Van Lier Fellow, 2018 Artist-in-Residence at the Dance and Performance Institute of Trinidad and Tobago, and a 2018 Dancing While Black Fellow. j. has presented their original work at JACK, Odeon Theater, Madura Studios, New York Live Arts, Judson Church, and more.
j. is currently a collaborator with nia love. They were also a former performer with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and The Fabulous Waack Dancers, danced with Germaul Barnes’ Viewsic Dance, Maria Bauman’s MB Dance, Dante Brown, Antonio Brown Dance, Christal Brown’s INspirit Dance, and apprenticed with Emerge 125 (formerly Elisa Monte Dance) under the artistic direction of Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Scorpius Dance Theater and EPIK Dance Company.
Photo by Alyssa Karayanes
I just want to say thank you to everyone who made it possible to be here. Thank you to the universe and my ancestors for dreaming of us, especially the Black and queer ones. Thank you to my family for nurturing me, raising me up, and for the many sacrifices made for us to live well. Thank you to my friends for shining brightly and being beautiful examples of how to have a life well-lived.
I am so grateful to be here with you.