Previous Projects
May 2023, Dancer within Omar produced by Boston Lyric Opera
March 2023, Movement Direction for Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs directed by Anne Bogart produced by Boston Lyric Opera
November 2022, Directed and Performed in ALIVE in collaboration with Haris Lefteri
September 2022, Performed in The Telling by Daniel Bernard Roumain
August 2022, Choreographed for Romeo & Juliet produced by Boston Lyric Opera & Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
March 13, 2022 Performed in Thresh & Hold with Marlanda Dekine and Castle of our Skins
November 2021 - March 2022 Head Dance Coach at Middlesex School
January 28, 2022 Performed as Milica "the bride" in Svadba the film directed by Shura Baryshnikov with Boston Lyric Opera
November 1, 2021 Contemporary open class hosted at Urbanity Dance
November 5 - Saturday November 6, 2021 Choreographed In The Space Between show with VLA DANCE
November 8, 2021 Contemporary open class hosted at Urbanity Dance
September 25 - December 18, 2021 Weekly classes with VLA DANCE
September 20 - October 3, 2021 Performed in Cavalleria Rusticana with choreography by Levi Marsman produced by Boston Lyric Opera
August 29 - September 4, 2021 Initiated a new work "Swelling" at The Croft Residency
August 11, 2021 Taught contemporary with VLA DANCE at the Summer Movement Series
August 9, 2021 Taught open contemporary class hosted at Urbanity Dance
August 2, 2021 Taught open contemporary class hosted at Urbanity Dance
August, 2021 Performed in a new work by Jenna Pollack at Boston Center for the Arts
June 17 - 25, 2021 In person and virtual premier of my choreography, IN THE SPACE BETWEEN with VLA DANCE
June 6, 2021 Guest teacher at Urbanity Dance
May 7, 2021 VLA DANCE virtual workshop with New Jersey KIPP
February 28, 2021 Guest teacher at Urbanity Dance
February 12, 2021 Taught a Pop-Up Class at MassBay Community College for their black history month celebration.
January 18, 2021 Performing in Harboring at Home: A Virtual Arts Series with Boston Harbor Now at 7:00 PM
January 17, 2021 Performing at "Get to Know David Halbert (Boston City Council) Student Q & A Event."
November 19, 2020 Guest artist with VLA DANCE at Hibernian Hall/Madison Park Development Corporation's Annual Gala.
November - March, 2020 Head Dance Coach at Middlesex School
November 13 - 15, 2020 Performed with VLA DANCE in Black Love produced by Castle of Our Skins, a show that explored themes of self-care, healing, and love through multimedia, spoken word, movement, and music
September - November, 2020 Guest teacher at Salem State
October, 2020 Guest teacher with Hybridmotion Training Program
August 14, 2020 Guest teacher at Urbanity Dance's 2020 summer intensive
August 2 - August 30, 2020 Led a VLA DANCE style warm-up for The Davis Sister's Summer Sunday's with The Sisters, a Variety Show. First showing can be seen here, the second here, and the third here
July 6 - August 12, 2020 Taught Conditioning, Contemporary and Youth Classes with VLA DANCE's Summer Online Movement Series
June 6, 2020 Presented a short dance film, SCRAPE, via Midday Movement Series as a part of the Cambridge Arts Council Stream Festival. The film will also be streamed on CCTV at 8 PM
May 15th, 2020 Performed in Create & Gather, Presented by Sound Hive Collective and Lady BOS Productions, on Friday May 15.
March 5th, 2020 Performed with VLA DANCE in Art on The Rox: Hibernian Hall's 2020 Season Preview, 6 PM
November 22nd, 2019 Performed with VLA DANCE in a collaboration with Irresponsible Birds Poetry in Urbanity X, 6:30 PM & 8:30 PM
October 25th - 26th, 2019 Performed with Jessy Zizzo Productions and Eliza Malecki in Laugh Track, 8 PM
September 21st, 2019 Performed with VLA DANCE in #HellaBlack
September 15th, 2019 Performed with Toni Lester at Boston Nature Center, 2 PM
August 23rd - 25th, 2019 Performed with VLA DANCE in Bare Velvet, 8 PM
July 31st, 2019 Performed with Ruckus Dance & Dance Complex at The Canal District Kendall Square, 2 PM
June 1st, 2019 Performed with Ruckus Dance at Cambridge, MA River Festival, 12 PM
April 26th -27th, 2019 Performed with VLA DANCE in Sand, 7:30 PM
April 10th, 2019 Performed with Davis Sisters at the MFA, 7 PM
March 25th, 2019 Performed with Heather Stewart at The BDA Gala, 8 PM
March 8th, 2019 Performed with ATTN: Dance by Erin Dimson-Doyle and Molly McLaughlin, 8 PM
January 11th - 12th, 2019 Performed with VLA DANCE in Sand, 7 PM
November 29th - December 1st, 2018 Performed All By Myself by Ruckus Dance, 8 PM
Artist Statement: I believe dance is uniquely positioned to help people slow down in order to: connect with self, acknowledge others and appreciate our environment. For this reason I aim to make work that asks people to check in and reflect on their actions socially, environmentally and internally. I also hope to emphasize the interpersonal experience that emerges when audience and performers are close in proximity and blurring the fourth wall. As a leader in dance, I strive to empower those I work with by reinforcing ethically sound formalities.
Bio: Recently awarded 1 of 15 Artists of Color making an impact in Boston by WBUR, Victoria is the Director of VLA DANCE. She aims to celebrate the talents and artistries of Boston through contemporary dance. Originally from Massachusetts Victoria L. Awkward trained at Impulse Dance Center by LuAnn Pagella and worked with Boston-based artists such as Karen Krolak. She graduated from Goucher College with honors in Dance, Visual Art and Education. Victoria is also a freelance artist, who most recently choreographed Bluebeard’s Castle with Boston Lyric Opera in addition to Romeo and Juliet with Boston Lyric Opera & Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. She has performed with Shura Baryshnikov, Levi Marsman, Ashani Dances, Attn: Dance, The Davis Sisters, Heather Stewart, Jenna Pollack and Ruckus Dance. An educator, she has been a guest teacher at Urbanity Dance, Salem State University, the Head Dance Coach at Middlesex School in Concord and the Visual Arts Coordinator at the West End House. She continually deepens her teaching practices through her work as a mentee with Cambridge-based Midday Movement Series.
"Awkward herself danced a solo toward the end of the first act. Gaze initiated exploration of her spine’s possibilities. On a few occasions, she executed a virtuosic 'wow' moment — falling all the way on to her back from standing, heels raised and never touching while legs smoothly curved into a 'z' sit shape at some point in the air." - Kathryn Boland, Dance Informa
Director Victoria L Awkward
"And then there is Victoria herself. I love hearing what Victoria has to say about her work– especially with regard to themes like persistence through change — and then seeing these notions play out in her real life. Watching her grow as a choreographer and put on more events like this is encouraging and exciting. Whether it’s a show popping up somewhere I wouldn’t expect, or the fact that she is putting art into a world that does not always welcome it." - William Kryjak, Boston Hassle
Victoria was highlighted as one of 15 artists of color leaving an imprint on Massachusetts by WBUR's The Makers.
