Four San Diego and northern Baja dance artists have been awarded studio space at Liberty Station this year to practice and develop their work.
Joyce Lien Kushner, Sol Dela Rosa, Lexii Regina and Micah Parrah received the studio grants through the NTC Foundation Emerging Artist Program. The space has been made available in the Dorothea Laub Dance Place building.
The winners were chosen from a total of 20 submissions by a panel of longtime leaders in the San Diego arts and culture scene, including John Malashock, Victoria Hamilton, Grace Shinhae Jun, Daniel Dennert and Victoria Reed.
“The NTC Foundation created the Emerging Artist program as a way to support the new wave of up-and-coming artists in San Diego by providing them a studio space in the heart of Arts District Liberty Station where they can enrich their talents further,” Lisa Johnson, president and CEO of the NTC Foundation, said in a statement.
“Among the many talented artists considered, we are honored to present the studio space to four different dance makers. With each dance artist possessing unparalleled skills and creativity, we are excited to see their journey of growth.”
Here are brief bios of the four winning dance-makers and their plans for using the space.
Joyce Lien Kushner is one of four dance artists awarded NTC Foundation Emerging Artist grants for studio space at Liberty Station.
(Courtesy of Robbie Sweeny)
Joyce Lien Kushner
Born and raised in San Diego, Kushner’s first love has always been dancing, specializing in modern and contemporary dance and dance conditioning. After moving away for a time and switching career paths, she returned to San Diego and began creating dance pieces for herself and teaching and training dancers of all ages statewide through her studio TILTshift Dance. With this residency at Liberty Station, Kushner said she wants to curate an Asian American dance showcase that will champion diverse narratives and provide dedicated space for other dance artists to hone their skills. Follow her work at instagram.com/tiltshiftdance.
Sol Dela Rosa, pictured, is one of four dance artists awarded NTC Foundation Emerging Artist grants for studio space at Liberty Station.
(Courtesy photo)
Sol Dela Rosa
For Dela Rosa, being selected for the Emerging Artist Program is a full circle moment. As a young artist, he took summer workshops, open classes and performed professionally for San Diego Dance Theatre at Liberty Station. Now many years later, Sol has returned to Liberty Station, where he teaches dance. With this new space, Dela Rosa said he looks forward to integrating himself into the Arts District community. Follow his work at instagram.com/sol_dela.rosa.
Lexii Regina is one of four dance artists awarded NTC Foundation Emerging Artist grants for studio space at Liberty Station.
(Courtesy photo)
Lexii Regina
Regina is a multidisciplinary movement artist known for her exploration of storytelling. Combining acrobatic dance, physical theater, improvisation, modern dance and circus, Regina said she creates works exploring mental health, human connections and communities. Regina said she looks forward to using the studio space to develop a variety of short-form and evening-length performances and dance films. Follow her work at instagram.com/lexiiregina.
Micah Parra one of four dance artists awarded NTC Foundation Emerging Artist grants for studio space at Liberty Station.
(Courtesy photo)
Micah Parra
Parra has been immersed in the dance world her whole life. Growing up, she became a part of the local circus community, leading her to the San Diego Circus Center in 2021. Since then, she has honed her acrobatic and dance skills at other locations in San Diego, including Malashock Dance. She said she’s excited to have an accessible space to collaborate with other artists of multiple mediums. Follow her work at instagram.com/micahparra.