dana craighead

“the corporate ladder,” my favorite piece to date. thank you to my amazing cast for helping my vision come to life. my message is simple: keep art in your life, prioritize your own fulfillment, and never, ever get lost in the mundane routine that life so often presents to us. find joy in everything you do.

the corporate ladder 3/6/26 choreographed by @dana.craighead and the dancers photos by @katya.tsikina other artists will likely understand the overwhelming feeling that what you create is not just your own. your art is something so much greater than yourself, connecting you to a mysterious energy source. I like to call this source “the void,” because of its vastness, but it is FAR from empty. it is abundant with passion, with connection, with momentum. the closer you are to accessing this source, the more abundant your art becomes. the art of dance is so particular because it is reliant on the people who actively show up in the room in which you create it in. every day of creation is dependent on the connection you have with your dancers. I have learned the right people always show up. this piece is a direct result of having a clear and direct relationship with the void, and a honest and authentic relationship with artists who also have access to the void. I have no other way to explain it but this. it isn’t luck that I know these people, it isn’t luck that we created this together. it felt inevitable. big thanks to the void, for choosing me to lead this piece, for allowing my creative expression to take roots in physical reality. this piece may be about my corporate desk job, but more importantly, it is about my authentic connection with my friends. there is a center point between play and professionalism. there is a center point between left brain and right brain. our path is never definitive, it is abundant. to mitra, melissa, nelly, bella, celio, jordan, laniya, gray, zach, tessa, and pearl, thank you for bringing life, energy and fun to the ideas in my head. thank you for being incredible friends!! never have I had more fun leading a process!! 🤎🪜💼 (stay tuned for some videos of the piece to follow!!)

TEMPORAL Choreographed by @dana.craighead in collaboration with the dancers Danced by @ktsikina and @avivkesar filmed by @laylamshoo Temporal- A tempo in chess refers to a player’s turn, a single move taken. A series of tempos become the key components of strategy during a game of chess. These tempos are a constant driving factor, lead to a player’s inevitable checkmate or stalemate. The tempos serve as the consistent heartbeat of the game, like a ticking clock. Similar to chess, the rules of time and strategy reign over your life. Time always feels like it is escaping you. A driving heartbeat, a consistent rhythm, a persistent tempo. An endless treadmill that you cannot get off of, forcing you forward into the unknown. Whether you like it or not, you will run out of time. Time steadily chases you down with open hands. Will you find harmony with time, or resist? Red versus Black. You versus Time. No matter what, you know you are going to lose this game. P.S. shoutout to my incredible dancers aviv & katya (and dearest friends), this one was definitely a challenge and they rose to it !! song credits: “Ubiquitous” by Sofie Birch, “Sphygmos” by Robin Fox, “Prozimokampleme” by Nina Kraviz presented at @summerpulse2025 cover photo by @jaqlinmedlockphotography cover photo editing by @katya.tsikina

An unforgettable time <3 “Temporal” choreographed by @dana.craighead in collaboration with @avivkesar and me Photographs taken by @jaqlinmedlockphotography

excerpt from @mitrasworks - this day was so very cold outside and so very warm for my soul. grateful for @portraitofzach_ and their patience and kindness while we created such a kind and forgiving duet. when we started workshopping this that day, zach said to me “lately, i have been trying to emphasize the vulnerability in joy”. it spoke to me so truly !! what resulted was a pure, joyful, and vulnerable duet that helped the two of us feel seen and heard. (also sorry zach the arm part looks way better in this idk what happened w me HAHAH my bad) also our little cutie smiles at the end AHHH

Meet The Cast: Dana Craighead @dana.craighead originally from Bainbridge Island, WA, Dana Craighead is a dance artist and choreographer in New York City. Previously a member of Orchesis Dance Company in San Luis Obispo, CA, she has a strong background in ballet and contemporary dance. She has always been in love with the process of creating concert dance pieces, and will always prioritize the creation of art in her ever changing, busy life. With a degree in Construction Management from Cal Poly SLO, she works professionally as a Construction Project Scheduler full-time. When she’s not on the jobsite, or at dance class, she enjoys finding new coffee shops in the city. Catch Dana in the flesh TOMORROW MAY 8th, ticket link in bio. 📷: @laylamshoo creative direction: @mitrammatin graphic design: @sophiavashell

haven’t posted on here in awhile, choreo alex anderson

Capturing @jacobxglen process

This could be you DM TO BOOK 🫵

little snippet of class with @morganmccrearyy !!! yay for dance. yay for community !

ik I just posted this on my main but I wanted to provide some additional commentary and energetic downloads from the day there’s something very spiritual about what my body is able to access in this particular combination. my body seemed to remember what my mind forgot. I found the flow state of my muscle memory without my brain needing to overthink. when I dance, often I feel like I must apply my intellect to every corner of my body. with time, energy pathways flow more fluidly. but FEELING your weight placement, your space in the room, and your awareness takes active brain space. TRUSTING that you can access this awareness WITHOUT overthinking every muscle in my body, and the sequence of movement, is something I can only access maybe 10% of the time. therefore, I am aware of moments like this where my body has decided to enter a flow state. my brain must forfeit and enjoy the journey. very rarely can I find this relationship to myself. I think it’s beautiful, it’s a frequency, and I hope I can trust myself to access it more often. it is about trusting that my body will fill in the gaps that my brain cannot accurately intellectualize. a spiritual forgiveness.

needed this on here. frankly i’m not really sure how I did this … didn’t know my body was capable ? who is she ? choreo yue yin