Adrien Padilla
Bio
Adrien Padilla is a dancer and choreographer that resides in the small town of Rosemead, California. Padilla earned his BFA in Dance at Cal State Long Beach and his Graduate Certificate in Arts and Culture Outreach and Advocacy at the University of Denver. Currently, Padilla is a dancer with Orange County’s critically acclaimed Backhausdance Company. Aside from dance, Adrien works behind the scenes as a stage technician and is a photographer focusing on dance and conceptual photography as well as solitude art. Padilla has had the privilege to work with artists Keith Johnson, Dwight Rhoden, Norbert De La Cruz III, Jennifer Backhaus, Jessie Lee Thorne, and Tommie-Waheed Evans to name a few. Padilla was also in Charles Weidman’s Lynchtown, staged by George Willis.
Artist Statement
When I have trouble expressing my experiences through words, I go to movement and allow myself to become vulnerable to my audience and myself to rebuild myself. As a choreographer, my works are inspired by a sense of pathos and storytelling. Most of my dances are inspired by an emotion, a memory, or an experience that has impacted me. In many cases, my work process acts as my movement therapy. My dances consist of components that allow me to heal/reflect on those specific moments of my past; this is my way of expressing who I am within each chapter of my life. I see my dances as existing in the real world, as they reflect on emotions and experience people can relate to themselves. As long as my audience can experience an emotion or channel a similar experience while watching my choreography, I have done my job as an artist.
Aside from dance expressing my artistry and being, I use photography as another means of presenting myself. My approach through the lens allows me to illustrate my interest in pathos and storytelling conceptually. Since photography is still, I am challenged with developing my idea in one gesture as opposed to many through motion. Similar to dance, I use photography as a way of healing. Both art forms contain qualities of movement, story, and emotion, and I appreciate how they allow me to channel my opinions, feelings, and insecurities when words cannot.
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